''The Take'' is a four-part British television

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

series, adapted by

Neil Biswas Neil Biswas (born 1971) is a British screenwriter, playwright and director best known for his non-fictional TV drama ''Bradford Riots'', which he wrote and directed. ''Bradford Riots'', a film that tells the story of 2001 riots from the perspectiv ...

from the novel by

Martina Cole Eilidh Martina Cole is a British crime writer. she has released twenty-six novels about crime, most of which examine London's gangster underworld. Four of her novels, ''Dangerous Lady'', '' The Jump'', '' The Take'' and '' The Runaway'' have bee ...

, that first broadcast on

Sky1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

on 17 June 2009. Directed by David Drury, ''The Take'' follows the activities of criminal

sociopath Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been u ...

Freddie Jackson ( Tom Hardy), who has recently been released from prison, only to find that his cousin Jimmy (

Shaun Evans Shaun Francis Evans (born 6 March 1980) is an English actor and director. He is best known for playing a young Endeavour Morse in the ITV drama series '' Endeavour''. Early life Shaun Francis Evans was born on 6 March 1980 into an Irish famil ...

) is attempting to make a name for himself on the back of his reputation. The series also stars Brian Cox,

Kierston Wareing Kierston Wareing (born 7 January 1976) is a British actress. Her first film role was the lead in Ken Loach's '' It's a Free World...'', followed by a supporting role in Andrea Arnold's ''Fish Tank'' – which won the BAFTA award for ‘Best Bri ...

Margot Leicester Margot Leicester (born September 1949) is a British actress. She has appeared in ''King Charles III'' (2017) as Camilla and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress in 1995 for ''Broken Glass''. She is also notable for television w ...

and

Charlotte Riley Charlotte Frances Riley (born 29 December 1981) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Sarah Hurst in '' Easy Virtue'' (2008) and as Catherine Earnshaw in ITV's adaptation of ''Wuthering Heights'' (2009). Early life and education ...

among others. Principal shooting for the series took place in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. As well as original music by Ruth Barrett, the series also makes use of

Kasabian Kasabian ( ) are an English rock band formed in Leicester in 1997 by lead vocalist Tom Meighan, guitarist and occasional vocalist Sergio Pizzorno, guitarist Chris Karloff, and bassist Chris Edwards. Drummer Ian Matthews joined in 2004. Karlof ...

's "

Club Foot Clubfoot is a birth defect where one or both feet are rotated inward and downward. Congenital clubfoot is the most common congenital malformation of the foot with an incidence of 1 per 1000 births. In approximately 50% of cases, clubfoot aff ...

" as its opening theme. ''The Take'' was the first of two Cole novels to be adapted by Company Pictures for

, the other being '' The Runaway'', starring

Jack O'Connell Jack O'Connell may refer to: * Jack O'Connell (actor) (born 1990), English actor * Jack O'Connell (Australian politician) (1903–1972), member of the Victorian Legislative Council * Jack O'Connell (diplomat) (1921–2010), American diplomat and C ...

and

Joanna Vanderham Joanna Vanderham (born 17 October 1990) is a Scottish actress. She was nominated for an International Emmy Award for her debut role in the Sky One crime drama '' The Runaway'' (2011). Early life Vanderham was born in Perth and grew up in Scon ...

, that followed in 2011. ''The Take'' was released on Region 2 DVD on 6 July 2009 by ITV Studios Home Entertainment. The series aired in the United States between 2 and 23 December 2009 on

Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pres ...

. The first episode gathered 180,000 viewers, while the second attracted 152,000. The series was also released on Region 1 DVD on 28 August 2012, via BFS Entertainment. The series received critical acclaim for Hardy's portrayal of Freddie Jackson. Notably, Hardy and

, who first met whilst working together on the series, later married.

Plot

Freddie Jackson ( Tom Hardy) has just been released from prison. He has done his time, made the right connections and now he is ready to use them. His wife Jackie (

) dreams of having her husband home but she has forgotten the rows and the girls Freddie cannot leave alone. His younger cousin, Jimmy (

), dreams of making a name for himself on Freddie's coattails. At first Freddie gets everything he ever wanted and Jimmy is taken along for the ride: a growing crime empire that gives them all the respect and money they have hungered for. Behind it all sits Ozzy ( Brian Cox) - the legendary criminal godfather who manipulates Freddie and Jimmy's fates from prison cell. Bitter, resentful and increasingly unstable, Jackie sees her life crumble while her little sister Maggie's (

) star rises. In love with Freddie's cousin Jimmy, Maggie is determined not to end up like her sister. Freddie and Jackie watch Jimmy and Maggie achieve all the dreams that they failed to realise: love, family, stability and respect. Resentment and an inability to control himself force Freddie to put the business and his family at risk. Torn between being loyal to a cousin he loves and being true to his own destiny, Jimmy is forced to decide between protecting Freddie or the life he has built with Maggie.

Cast

* Tom Hardy as Freddie Jackson Jr. *

as Jimmy Jackson *

as Jackie Jackson *

as Maggie Summers *

as Lena Summers * Brian Cox as Ozzy * Jane Wood as Maddie * Steve Nicolson as Lewis * John Ashton as Joseph *

Megan Jossa Megan Carmel Hollie Jossa is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Courtney Mitchell in BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2006. She is the real life cousin of former ''EastEnders'' actress Jacqueline Jossa, who played Lauren B ...

as Kim *

Sara Stewart Sara Scott Griffith (born 28 June 1966) is a Scottish actress. She played Stella in '' Sugar Rush''. Early life Stewart was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to American parents. After spending some time in the U.S., she trained at the Central Sch ...

as Patricia * Obi Abili as Des * Macdara Joyce as Little Jimmy *

René Zagger René Zagger (born 1 June 1973) is an English actor, known for playing PC Nick Klein in ''The Bill'' from 1999 to 2004 and as the voice of Emet-Selch in Final Fantasy XIV from the '' Stormblood'' expansion onward. He has also made several guest a ...

as Altay Nevzat * Sam Vincenti as Fatik Nevzat * Nicholas Day as Freddie Jackson Snr. *

Mark Huberman Mark Huberman (born 1981) is an Irish actor. Early life Mark Huberman grew up in Cabinteely, south Dublin. His father Harold was born in London; his mother Sandra is from County Wexford. His sister, Amy Huberman Amy Huberman (born 20 March 1 ...

as Harry * Chelsea O'Toole as Kimberly * David Schofield as Siddy Clancy *

Hayley Angel Holt Hayley Angel Holt is an actress born in London, England. Early life Holt spent the formative years of her childhood growing up in the South Bank area. She was originally brought up in Southwark, and educated at the Grey Coat Hospital in Sloane S ...

as Kitty Mason * Sammy Williams as little Freddie

Episodes

Reception

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official siteIMDbCompany Pictures SiteThe Take An ENCORE Original Event
{{DEFAULTSORT:Take, The 2009 British television series debuts 2009 British television series endings 2000s British drama television series 2000s British crime television series 2000s British television miniseries English-language television shows Sky UK original programming Television series by All3Media Television shows set in London Television series set in the 1980s Television series set in the 1990s Films directed by David Drury