"State of Play" (2003) TV series

User Rating:

8.7/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

18 May 2003 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Sometimes you have to read between the lines

Plot:

A thriller set in London, in which a politician's life becomes increasingly complex as his research assistant is found dead on the London Underground and, in a seemingly unrelated incident, a teenage drug dealer is shot dead.

Plot Keywords:

London | Politician | Politics | Forbidden Love | Male Female Relationship

Awards:

14 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

John Simm	...	Cal McCaffrey (6 episodes, 2003)
David Morrissey	...	Stephen Collins (6 episodes, 2003)
Kelly Macdonald	...	Della Smith (6 episodes, 2003)
Bill Nighy	...	Cameron Foster (6 episodes, 2003)
Amelia Bullmore	...	Helen Preger (6 episodes, 2003)
Benedict Wong	...	Pete Cheng (6 episodes, 2003)
Rebekah Staton	...	Liz (6 episodes, 2003)
Philip Glenister	...	DCI William Bell (6 episodes, 2003)
Polly Walker	...	Anne Collins (6 episodes, 2003)
James McAvoy	...	Dan Foster (5 episodes, 2003)
Marc Warren	...	Dominic Foy (5 episodes, 2003)
Michael Feast	...	Andrew Wilson (5 episodes, 2003)
Johann Myers	...	Sonny Stagg (5 episodes, 2003)
Tom Burke	...	Syd (4 episodes, 2003)
Deborah Findlay	...	Greer Thornton (4 episodes, 2003)
James Laurenson	...	George Fergus (4 episodes, 2003)
Christopher Simpson	...	Adam Greene (4 episodes, 2003)
Maureen Hibbert	...	Olicia Stagg (4 episodes, 2003)
Sean Gilder	...	Sergeant 'Chewy' Cheweski / ... (3 episodes, 2003)
Shauna Macdonald	...	Sonia Baker (3 episodes, 2003)
Stuart Goodwin	...	Robert Bingham (3 episodes, 2003)
Charlie Ryan	...	Louis Collins (3 episodes, 2003)
Rebecca Ryan	...	Karen Collins (3 episodes, 2003)
Patrick Brennan	...	Neil Woods (3 episodes, 2003)

Runtime:

57 min (6 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M (some episodes) | UK:15 (5 episodes) | UK:12 (1 episode) | Australia:MA

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

A second season was commissioned by then-BBC Commissioner Greg Dyke before the first season had even been transmitted. The second season never materialized, however, because Paul Abbott felt he didn't know how to make the story work and he had already had tremendous success with Shameless.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Top Gear: (2006-05-21)" (2006)

Top Notch!!

What a trip watching this masterpiece. It's a fast moving intelligent thriller that had me glued to the couch... more addictive than Crack! The acting is convincing, the plot is thick, the script is delicious and the characters are vivid.

It's not often a TV production comes along leaving you hungry for more, but the BBC have a knack for picking quality and producing some of the best programming in the world. This is the stuff that leaves American entertainment for dead. No gadgets, explosions or tough guys! Shame on them with all their money and their smarts, it's the BBC that delivers time and time again.

Hats off and if you haven't seen it yet don't put it off.