Secret State (miniseries)
| Secret State | |
|---|---|
 British and Irish DVD cover | |
| Genre | Political drama |
| Based on |
A Very British Coup by Chris Mullin |
| Written by | Robert Jones |
| Directed by | Ed Fraiman |
| Starring |
Gabriel Byrne Charles Dance Douglas Hodge Gina McKee Rupert Graves Ruth Negga |
| Theme music composer | Alex Heffes |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Johann Knobel |
| Editor(s) | Mark Thornton |
| Cinematography | Owen McPolin |
| Running time | 4 x 1 hour (Including ad breaks) |
| Production company(s) |
Company Pictures Newscope Films |
| Distributor | Channel 4 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Channel 4 |
| Original release | 7 November – 28 November 2012 |
Secret State is a 2012 British four-part political thriller, starring Gabriel Byrne, Charles Dance and Gina McKee, and inspired by Chris Mullin's novel A Very British Coup. It delves into the relationship between a democratically elected government, the military and big business. The first one-hour part premiered on Channel 4 on Wednesday 7 November 2012, with the other three parts being shown the following Wednesdays.[1]
Plot
In the run up to a general election, a devastating industrial accident on Teesside leaves 19 people dead and raises questions about the safety procedures of a US petrochemical company, PetroFex. The British Prime Minister claims to have secured a compensation package from them, but on his return from PetroFex HQ, his plane crashes in the Atlantic under mysterious circumstances. Deputy Prime Minister Tom Dawkins (Gabriel Byrne) takes command, and during his quest to find the truth and justice for the victims, he uncovers a conspiracy at the heart of the political system.[1][2]
Main cast
- Gabriel Byrne as Tom Dawkins MP
- Charles Dance as John Hodder MP
- Stephen Dillane as Paul Jacob Clark
- Rupert Graves as Felix Durrell MP
- Ralph Ineson as Sergeant Wrigglesworth
- Russell Kilmister as Nillis Jacobson
- Sylvestra Le Touzel as Ros Yelland MP
- Anna Madeley as Gina Hayes
- Gina McKee as Ellis Kane
- Ruth Negga as Agnes Evans
- Jamie Sives as Lee Foulds
- Al Weaver as Joss Leyton
- Douglas Hodge as Anthony Fossett
- Nicholas Farrell as General Munnery
- Anton Lesser as Sir Michael Rix
Chris Mullin, the author of A Very British Coup, which served as inspiration for Secret State, appears as a vicar in a cameo role.[3]
Release
A DVD was released in the UK on 3 December 2012.[2]
The series is available in the UK on Netflix, Amazon Instant Video[4] and Channel 4 On Demand[5]
Other countries
All four episodes were shown on the German/French TV station Arte on 6 February 2014.[6] In Saudi Arabia the first one-hour part premiered on OSN (Orbit Showtime Network) on Friday 21 March 2014, with the other three parts being shown the following Fridays. Series were shown in Croatia on HRT, from 14 April to 17 April 2014. In Australia, the first episode aired on ABC on Friday 25 July 2014, with the other episodes over the subsequent three weeks, while in New Zealand it began its appearance on 10 August 2014 on TV One in the 10:30pm Sunday night slot.
References
- 1 2 Channel 4 press release, 17 October 2012: Secret State Retrieved 2012-11-08
- 1 2 Amazon UK: Secret State (DVD) Retrieved 2012-11-08
- ↑ The Guardian, 5 November 2012: Secret State: I played the vicar in the TV version of my novel Retrieved 2012-11-08
- ↑ Amazon Instant Video
- ↑ Channel 4 On Demand
- ↑ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Ursula Scheer, 6 February 2014: Der Premier zieht in den Krieg Retrieved 2014-02-07