The State Within (2006– )

Ambassador to Washington is the pinnacle of success in the Foreign Office and the position is offered to only the brightest and the best. But Ambassador Mark Brydon finds his skills tested ... See full summary »

Stars:

Jason Isaacs, Ben Daniels, Eva Birthistle

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Jason Isaacs	...	Mark Brydon (6 episodes, 2006)
Ben Daniels	...	Nicholas Brocklehurst (6 episodes, 2006)
Eva Birthistle	...	Jane Lavery (6 episodes, 2006)
Neil Pearson	...	Phil Lonsdale (6 episodes, 2006)
Genevieve O'Reilly	...	Caroline Hanley (6 episodes, 2006)
Sharon Gless	...	Lynne Warner (6 episodes, 2006)
Noam Jenkins	...	Christopher Styles (6 episodes, 2006)
Ted Whittall	...	Gordon Adair (6 episodes, 2006)
Christopher Bolton	...	Vinny Swain (6 episodes, 2006)
Nigel Bennett	...	Charles Macintyre (6 episodes, 2006)
Marnie McPhail	...	George Blake (6 episodes, 2006)
Alex Jennings	...	James Sinclair (6 episodes, 2006)
Aaron Abrams	...	Matthew Weiss (6 episodes, 2006)
Emma Campbell	...	Sally Davis (5 episodes, 2006)
Rahnuma Panthaky	...	Nasreen Qureshi (5 episodes, 2006)
Briony Glassco	...	Jennifer (5 episodes, 2006)
Louca Tassone	...	Azzam Sinclair (5 episodes, 2006)
Roman Podhora	...	Vernon (4 episodes, 2006)
Michael Rhoades	...	Gary Pritchard (4 episodes, 2006)
Lennie James	...	Luke Gardner (4 episodes, 2006)
Ron Lea	...	Carl Garcia (4 episodes, 2006)
Patrick Garrow	...	Brad Godovsky (4 episodes, 2006)
David Eisner	...	Sam Levinson (4 episodes, 2006)
Vijay Mehta	...	Hassan Khan (3 episodes, 2006)
Peter Snider	...	Macintyre's Lawyer (3 episodes, 2006)
Anita Carey	...	Mrs. Gardner (3 episodes, 2006)
Rory O'Shea	...	Anchor 2 (3 episodes, 2006)
Wayne Downer	...	Tim (3 episodes, 2006)
Todd Sandomirsky	...	Terry Bennett (3 episodes, 2006)
Peter James Haworth	...	General Lane (3 episodes, 2006)
David Huband	...	Warden Slake (3 episodes, 2006)
Joe Pingue	...	Al Rivero (3 episodes, 2006)
Kevin Louis	...	Airport Security (2 episodes, 2006)
Jonathan Whittaker	...	Anthony Hanley (2 episodes, 2006)
Paulino Nunes	...	Eshan Borisvitch (2 episodes, 2006)
Cory Atkins	...	Glen Laroche (2 episodes, 2006)
J.C. Kenny	...	Jeb Starkey (2 episodes, 2006)
Glen Grant	...	Boston Customs Officer (2 episodes, 2006)
Daniela Lama	...	Saida Sinclair (2 episodes, 2006)
Barry Flatman	...	Governor Karpinski (2 episodes, 2006)
Arlene Duncan	...	Female FBI agent (2 episodes, 2006)

Storyline

Ambassador to Washington is the pinnacle of success in the Foreign Office and the position is offered to only the brightest and the best. But Ambassador Mark Brydon finds his skills tested to the limits when, following a major diplomatic incident, he is thrust into a web of tangled relationships and conflicting interests. In a world of high stakes, where manipulation of information means ultimate power, the question is: who can he trust?

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Plot Keywords:

ambassador | terrorism | islamism | cover up | coup d'état | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller | War

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC [uk]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 November 2006 (UK)

Also Known As:

Die Schattenmacht - The State Within

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

360 min 360 min (6 parts) 59 min (6 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Sinclair is traced, the map shows he is in Cape Charles, VA. Later when his body is found, the FBI agent states it was found in the Potomac, which is over 100 miles NW and across the Chesapeake Bay.

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Quotes

Sir Mark Brydon: You're a duplicitous bastard.
Nicholas Brocklehurst: It's my job.

User Reviews

Superb!

With so much over-hyped mediocrity about we often here claims that programmes get better with every episode - but in this case it really is true! Absolutely riveting stuff this. Tightly scripted, lots of characters with ambiguous motives, very little is cut and dried, but with still enough "boo hiss" baddies to satisfy. It's not very often we get to see a political thriller where anything could happen, to any of the leading characters, at any time and this helps to build on, and at least maintain, the tension and sense of threat throughout.

Only into the third episode, but this is already a classic. I really hope it doesn't peter out or cop out towards its conclusion. But I have a funny feeling it won't disappoint. The only reason this didn't get a 10 from me is because I've not seen it all yet.