''The Debt'' is a two-part British television crime drama film, written by Richard McBrien and directed by Jon Jones, that first broadcast on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

on 31 August 2003. The film stars

Warren Clarke Warren Clarke (born Alan James Clarke; 26 April 1947 – 12 November 2014) was an English actor. He appeared in many films after a significant role as Dim in Stanley Kubrick's ''A Clockwork Orange''. His television appearances included '' Dalz ...

as Geoff Dresner, a retired safe-cracker determined to leave his criminal past behind, who is persuaded to come out of retirement to do one last job to clear the debt of his son-in-law, Terry (played by

Martin Freeman Martin John Christopher Freeman (born 8 September 1971) is an English actor. Among other accolades, he has won an Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Freeman's most not ...

), owed to a notorious loan-shark. However, things go badly wrong when a security guard dies as a result of their plan.

Hugo Speer Hugo Alexander Speer (born 17 March 1968) is an English actor and director. Early life and education Hugo Speer was born in Harrogate in the then West Riding of Yorkshire and educated at Harrogate Grammar School. He studied acting at the Arts ...

, Lee Williams,

Orla Brady Orla Brady (born 28 March 1961) is an Irish theatre, television, and film actress born in Dublin. She has been nominated for several awards from the Irish Film & Television Academy for her work in televised programs, as well as starring in the ...

and

Nina Sosanya Oluwakemi Nina Sosanya (born 6 June 1969) is an English stage, television, film, radio actress and narrator. She is most notable for her roles in ''Teachers'', '' W1A'' and '' Last Tango in Halifax''. Early life and education Sosanya was born i ...

are also credited as principal members of the cast. Writer Richard McBrien said of the production; "The Debt is a story about a criminal, a detective and a lawyer and how their lives collide with each other. The idea is that all three men owe debts to their children in some way which affects the way they do their job." The first part drew 5.08 million viewers, while the second part drew 4.48 million. The film holds a 71% rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

. ''The Debt'' was released on Region 1 DVD on 7 November 2006.

Cast

as Geoff Dresner *

as DS Edward 'Ed' Foster * Lee Williams as James Hilden *

as Angela Jahnsen *

as Terry Ross *

as DI Kate Jaspers *

Malcolm Storry Malcolm Storry (born 13 January 1948) is an English actor with extensive experience on stage, television, and film. Amongst many roles, he is perhaps best known for 'Yellin' in ''The Princess Bride'', HM Customs Chief Bill Adams on '' The Knock' ...

as Tony Stokes *

Barbara Marten Barbara Marten (born 3 January 1947) is a British actress. She is most known for playing Eve Montgomery in ''Casualty''. She has appeared in various soaps, including Eastenders and Brookside, as well as many other drama serials such as ''Harry' ...

as Gwen Dresner *

Amanda Abbington Amanda Abbington (born Amanda Jane Smith; 28 February 1974) is an English actress. She is best known for playing Miss Mardle in ''Mr Selfridge'' and Mary Watson in '' Sherlock'', the BBC adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes sto ...

as Stacey Ross *

Jodi Albert (born 22 July 1983) is an English actress and singer, best known for playing Debbie Dean in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', as a member of Simon Cowell's British girl group Girl Thing, and as a member of Irish girl group Wonderland. E ...

as Sophie Stokes * Doug Rao as Jez Kinnion * Sharlene Whyte as Leona Tilding *

Roger Alborough Roger Alborough (born 19 February 1953) is a British TV and Theatre actor appearing in many dramas on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and in film. Recent work includes Black Mirror by Charlie Brooker Thieftakers 2, The 8 Days that Made Rome, Washington ...

as Chief Supt. Baxter * Ben Alsford as Charlie Foster * Harri Earthy as Gillian Hilden * Brandon Miller as Andy Ross * Rosalind Paul as Mary Peyre * Neville Robinson as Matt Tilding * Roger Watkins as Archie * Josephine Welcome as Hamilton

Plot

Part 1

Geoff Dresner (

), a retired safe-cracker, has turned his back on a life of crime in an attempt to turn an honest living as a baker. But his past comes back to haunt him when he's forced to take on one last job in order to help his less than useful son-in-law Terry (

), who has failed to pay his debt to a cutthroat loan shark, and must immediately cough up an enormous sum of money if he has any hope of emerging unscathed. Dresner organises a robbery in an attempt to help Terry, but the plan immediately goes wrong. Dresner finds himself caught in the sights of DS Edward Foster (

), who is struggling financially, and is eager to finally bringing him to justice after years of evading the law; and James Hilden ( Lee Williams), a hotshot rookie lawyer who has recently married and has a baby on the way.

Part 2

Dresner finds himself caught up in a tangled web of lies, secrets and double-crossing, as he tries to find a way to save himself and his family. Not quite ready for his loss of independence, Hilden embarks on an affair with an ex-colleague, and agrees to take on Geoff's case, but unwittingly, his secret love life becomes caught up in his professional affairs, and before he knows it, he is stuck in a vicious circle of deceit and denial. Geoff soon realises that Hilden is unequipped with the experience or know-how to successfully defend him. Foster's second job as a night taxi driver continues to take its toll on his police work, and as a result, he is overlooked for promotion – but he soon realises that the Dresner investigation could be an opportunity for him to make the grade.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Debt 2003 Film English-language television shows BBC television dramas Films directed by Jon Jones (director) British television films 2003 television films 2003 films Crime television films