''The Interceptor'' is a British drama television serial that was 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, p ...
from 10 June until 29 July 2015. The eight-part series was written by
Tony Saint
Antony David Saint (born 1968, west Northumberland, England) is an England, English novelist, playwright and screenwriter.
Early life
He had contact with the theatre through the People's Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne, People's Theatre in Heaton, ...
and made by
BBC Drama Productions. The series was cancelled after one series. According to OT Fagbenle who stars as agent Ash, the show was a victim of management change at the BBC.
The series is about a new law enforcement team tasked with hunting down some of Britain's most wanted criminals. The series is inspired by the book of the same name which details the career of former customs agent Cameron Addicott, co-written by Kris Hollington.
[
]
Synopsis
Special Agent Marcus "Ash" Ashton ( Fagbenle), a HM Revenue and Customs
HM Revenue and Customs (His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, or HMRC) is a non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial Departments of the United Kingdom Government, department of the His Majesty's Government, UK Government responsible fo ...
agent and his partner Tommy ( Lonsdale) capture a drugs shipper in an operation at London Waterloo station
Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a London station group, central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo, London, Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connecte ...
. Whilst his boss is happy with a conviction of 3 kg of cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
, Ash wants a larger criminal. During the subsequent operation, Tommy is severely injured in a resultant car accident, and Ash is then suspended. Subsequently, approached in a pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
by Cartwright ( Stewart), the head of top-secret UNIT (Undercover Narcotics Investigation Team), on first entering UNIT's HQ he meets a familiar face, his Customs training officer Valerie ( Ashbourne).
Cast
* O. T. Fagbenle as Special Agent Marcus "Ash" Ashton, a UK Customs agent
*Jo Joyner
Joanne Mary Joyner (born 24 May 1977) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Tanya Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Mandy Carter in Channel 4 drama ''Ackley Bridge''. Since 2018, she has starred as Luella Shakesp ...
as Lorna Ashton, Ash's wife
*Robert Lonsdale
Robert Lonsdale (born 2 November 1983) is an English actor and musician.
Early life and education
Son of Tom and Dilys Lonsdale, he was born on 2 November 1983 in Marsden, West Yorkshire, and has one sister. He went to the Academy of Live and R ...
as Tommy, Ash's UK Customs partner and friend
*Ewan Stewart
Andrew Ewan Stewart (born 26 August 1957) is a Scottish film, television and stage actor.
Early life
Stewart was born in Glasgow, and is the son of the late Scottish entertainer Andy Stewart. His mother Sheila lives in Arbroath, Scotland. St ...
as Jack Cartwright, Head of the UNIT team
*Lorraine Ashbourne
Lorraine Ashbourne (born 10 April 1961) is an English actress.
Career
Ashbourne has appeared on British series and television films, including: '' The Street'', ''True Dare Kiss'', '' Thin Ice'', ''In a Land of Plenty'', ''Boon'', '' Playing th ...
as Valerie, ex-UK Customs, a member of the UNIT team
*Anna Skellern
Anna Skellern (born 27 April 1985) is a United Kingdom-based Australian actress, best known as the first female member of The Chaser's television programme ''CNNNN''.
Biography
Skellern attended the University of Sydney, where she was a promi ...
as Kim, ex-Met Police Flying Squad
The Flying Squad is a branch of the Serious and Organised Crime Command within London's Metropolitan Police Service. It is also known as the Robbery Squad, Specialist Crime Directorate 7, SC&O7 and SO7. It is nicknamed The Sweeney, an abbrevia ...
, a member of the UNIT team
*Charlie De Melo as Martin, ex-MI6
The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...
, a member of the UNIT team
* Valeria Vereau as Sonia the Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
Interpreter
*Jeany Spark
Jeannette "Jeany" Spark (born 7 November 1982) is an English actress, known for portraying Linda Wallander in the British television series '' Wallander''. The actress has also had significant roles in the comedy series '' Man Down'' and the dram ...
as Detective Inspector
Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it.
Australia
In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...
Gemmill of the Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
, Ash's friend
*Trevor Eve
Trevor John Eve (born 1 July 1951) is an English film and television actor. In 1979 he gained fame as the eponymous lead in the detective series '' Shoestring'' and is also known for his role as Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd in BBC telev ...
as Roach, owner of a legitimate scaffolding business and a noted pillar of society. Head of a criminal organisation that distributes and sells drugs
*Gary Beadle
Gary Beadle (born 8 July 1965) is a British actor, best known for playing Paul Trueman in '' EastEnders'' and Gary Barwick in ''Operation Good Guys''.
Life and career
Beadle was raised as one of five children in Bermondsey, South London, wh ...
as Docker, apparent owner of an electrical contracting business, and a criminal. Roach's right-hand man
*Lee Boardman
Lee Boardman (born 2 July 1972) is an English actor and narrator. He has appeared in the films ''Jack the Giant Slayer'' and ''Love's Kitchen'', and the television series ''Rome''.
Career
Boardman played Murray Priestman in '' Drop Dead Gorge ...
as Michael "Xavier" Duffy, the apparent owner of a dry cleaning
Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a solvent other than water.
Dry cleaning still involves liquid, but clothes are instead soaked in a water-free liquid solvent. Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), known in ...
shop, and a criminal. Manages the street-based drugs distribution chain
*Neal Barry as "Smoke", a criminal and an informant source for Ash
*Paul Kaye
Paul Kaye (born 15 December 1964) is an English comedian and actor. He is known for his portrayals of shock interviewer Dennis Pennis on '' The Sunday Show'', New York lawyer Mike Strutter on MTV's '' Strutter'', Thoros of Myr in HBO's ''Game ...
as James Gordon "Jago" Dalkin, a criminal and enforcer
*Michael Lindall as Wark, a criminal
*Simon Armstrong
Simon Armstrong is a Welsh actor from Llanelli, best known for his portrayal of Qhorin Halfhand in '' Game of Thrones''.
Career
Armstrong portrayed Qhorin Halfhand in the HBO series '' Game of Thrones'' (2012). He also had recurring roles i ...
as Chief Inspector Stannard. Gemmill's boss, and Cartwright's former colleague/now foe
*Dexter Fletcher
Dexter Fletcher (born 31 January 1966) is an English film director and actor. He has appeared in Guy Ritchie's ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'', as well as in television shows such as the comedy drama '' Hotel Babylon'' and the HBO series ...
as "Scooter", a pill producer and dealer
*Ralph Ineson
Ralph Michael Ineson (; born 15 December 1969) is an English actor and narrator. Known for his deep, rumbling, Yorkshire-accented voice, his most notable roles include William in ''The Witch'', Dagmer Cleftjaw in '' Game of Thrones'', Amycus Ca ...
as "Yorkie", a Leeds born and bred former criminal, having retired from armed robbery
*Ralf Little
Ralf Alastair John Little (born 8 February 1980) is an English actor, writer, presenter, narrator and former semi-professional footballer, working mainly in television comedy. He played Antony Royle in ''The Royle Family'' and Jonny Keogh in ...
as Alex, Ash's former school boy best friend, now a minor career criminal
*Jack Roth as Casby, a criminal turned violent enforcer
*Dean Roberts as Ash's dad
Production
''The Interceptor'' was commissioned by Ben Stephenson
Benjamin Stephenson is a television executive, formerly controller of drama at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and currently Head of Television at Bad Robot Productions in the United States.
Personal life
Stephenson attended The H ...
and Danny Cohen. The executive producer is Sarah Brown and the producer is Patrick Schweitzer. Filming began in London in March 2014, with David Gyasi
David Kwaku Asamoah Gyasi (; born 2 January 1980) is a British actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Cloud Atlas'' (2012) and '' Interstellar'' (2014), as well as the lead role of Lex Carnahan in The CW miniseries ''Containment''.
Early l ...
cast in the lead role, but he left the production after injuring his leg. With OT Fagbenie recast in the lead role, filming re-commenced in April 2014.[ Part of the filming took place in ]Gravesend
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...
, at Nell's Cafe, which doubled for a cafe called 'Planet Thanet'. with the UNIT base scenes filmed on location in Keybridge House, a decommissioned British Telecom
BT Group plc (trade name, trading as BT and formerly British Telecom) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered in London, England. It has operations in around 180 countries and is th ...
building in Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...
. ''The Interceptor'' was the first BBC production which purposefully used only electric powered cars behind the camera, using a fleet of five leased Vauxhall Ampera Ampera may refer to:
Indonesia
Ampera is generally an abbreviation for ''Amanat Penderitaan Rakyat'' andate of People's Suffering a now-rarely used colloquial name for the preamble of the Constitution of Indonesia.
* Ampera Bridge, a bridge in ...
's.
Background
Cameron Addicott is a retired UK customs officer/ SOCA agent. Addicott had joined the Alpha Projects Unit, a group of dedicated undercover Customs officers who hunted the UK's most dangerous criminals. Using telephone and electronically tapped data feeds, the Alpha team would then use the resulting intelligence to prevent serious criminals from committing crime, including prevention of murders, stopping large shipments of drugs and other organised crime. After retiring in 2008, Addicott began writing his memoirs, with the first part co-written by Kris Hollington and published by Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.[The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...]
,'' said "Fagbenle tried his best to inject some life into the limp script – huffing, puffing, pouting and glowering – but he’s too good for this hokum". Adam Postans writing for the ''Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'' who wrote "This attempt at a gritty crime drama... is a clichéd mess with appalling dialogue," and Sally Newell writing for ''The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' wrote that the "watchable but predictable prime-time cop drama" was like "EastEnders on an adrenalin rush, but this contrived cop show lacks heart."
Broadcast
The series premiered in Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
on 12 August 2015 on BBC First
BBC First is an entertainment subscription television channel featuring comedy, crime, drama and film programming, originating from UK and mostly from the BBC. The channel is wholly owned and operated by BBC Studios. The channel began rolling ou ...
.
Episodes
References
External links
*
*
BBC Media Centre site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Interceptor, The
2015 British television series debuts
2015 British television series endings
2010s British crime drama television series
BBC television dramas
2010s British television miniseries
English-language television shows
Television shows set in the United Kingdom