State of Play (2003– )

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 pickpocket is shot dead.

Stars:

John Simm, Kelly Macdonald, Bill Nighy

16 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

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 pickpocket is shot dead.

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Plot Keywords:

politician | manchester | deception | friendship | forbidden love | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes you have to read between the lines

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC [uk]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 May 2003 (UK)

Also Known As:

Den tredje makten

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Endor Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

57 min 57 min (6 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The set of the House of Commons chamber is the same one that was a part of Granada Studios Tour. It was purchased personally by the scriptwriter Paul Abbott so it could used in the drama otherwise it would have been destroyed when the Tour closed and he feared it would take too long to get the necessary money from the BBC. It is currently kept in storage in Oxford.

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Quotes

Stephen Collins: SPOILER:
[seated on the steps of Cal McCaffrey's house, as Cal is walking away]
Stephen Collins: You're no good to Anne now... Your name will be on the story... You'd know if you had them... Kids... They shoot the messenger... They just do

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Connections

Referenced in NCIS: Capitol Offense (2008)

User Reviews

Brits have always been best at drama

I take issue with some of the people commenting on "State of Play" who declare that they believe it to be "as good as American TV" or some other such nonsense. That's ridiculous! Perhaps it's a generational thing, but I have always thought that British productions, particularly drama, are light years ahead of American TV and the actors are in a whole different galaxy. The original "State of Play" is brilliant, suspenseful and a pleasure to watch. I cannot believe that there is going to be a "remake"! I love Helen Mirren and Russell Crowe, but there is absolutely no need for this series to be remade. Why can't they write something original for Mirren and Crowe? The Brits are the best. Period!