By Any Means (2013 TV Series)

''By Any Means'' is a British television drama series that premiered on BBC One on 22 September 2013.

Synopsis

The series follows the escapades of a clandestine unit that exists in the grey area between law and justice. Living on the edge, they play the criminal elite at their own game. The team consists of the leader, sharp and elusive Jack Quinn ( Warren Brown), straight-talking Jessica Jones (Shelley Conn), digital whizz-kid Thomas "TomTom" Tomkins (Andrew-Lee Potts) and Charlie O'Brien ( Elliot Knight). They stop at nothing, as they weave a web of cunning and deception, in order to trap their targets and bring them to justice. Details of the criminals originate from a mysterious Helen Barlow (Gina McKee).

Production

Filming began in Birmingham on 26 April 2013. Belinda Campbell, the executive producer for Red Planet Pictures, said: "''By Any Means'' is a gripping and edgy drama, wonderfully crafted by our talented writing team. We’re delighted to have such a strong line-up of talent both on and off screen to translate these intricate plots and characters. With the action taking place on the cusp of the law, it provides the perfect premise for dramatic scenes, surprise twists and turns in the plot, as well as brilliantly complex and rich characters."

Polly Hill, head of Independent Drama for the BBC, said: "It’s great to see such a strong cast come together to form this original team in ''By Any Means''. Tony has created a maverick team which we think our BBC One audience will enjoy and this cast will brilliantly bring that to screen."

The between scene montages are London, and the drama is set in named London locations and areas. Some scenes were filmed at Birmingham Film Studios. Spring Grove House was also used as a Colombian embassy. Tim Key, producer of the series for Red Planet Pictures, said, "Spring Grove House is a fantastic location for filming and we’re delighted to have been given permission to shoot there. We looked at a lot of locations for these key scenes, but Spring Grove House provided exactly what we were looking for, working perfectly as the interior of the Embassy." Other places where scenes were filmed include Birmingham Magistrates' Court, Hotel La Tour and the Hyatt, Colmore Row, New Street, the Mailbox, Cannon Hill Park, and Sutton Park, West Midlands.

In September 2013, it was revealed that Arsenal F.C. had banned ''By Any Means'' from using the club’s branded shirts in the first episode because the storyline portrayed its fans as criminals. Red Planet Pictures used generic tops without any branding instead.

Cast

The core cast includes the team of four and their contact inside the police, Helen Barlow. Other actors join the cast for each episode.

* Warren Brown as Jack Quinn
* Shelley Conn as Jessica Jones
* Andrew-Lee Potts as Thomas "TomTom" Tomkins
* Elliot Knight as Charlie O'Brien
* Gina McKee as Helen Barlow

Episode list

Reception

Ratings

Overnight figures showed that the first episode of ''By Any Means'' on 22 September 2013 was watched by 16.4% of the viewing audience for that time, with 4.11 million watching it. The second episode was watched by 14.1% of the viewing audience with 3.46 million according to overnight figures. The third episode was watched by 11.8% of the viewing audience with 2.91 million viewers, according to overnight figures. The fourth, fifth and sixth episodes had viewing audiences of 12.2%, 12.6% and 12.0% respectively.

Critical reception

Jasper Rees of ''The Daily Telegraph'' commented: "''By Any Means'' is the brainchild of Tony Jordan, and shares much of the DNA of his inexhaustible hit '' Hustle''. There is trickery and quippery from photogenic leads, cartoon hoodlums are duly bested, and it’s all shot in swish kinetic fast-forward. ... Along the way there was an awful lot of self-satisfied yak from the leads, who need to watch it or they could easily annoy the crap out of whoever’s not watching '' Downton''." Matt Baylis of the '' Daily Express'' said: "If you wanted to feel really angry at how the BBC
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