Babylon
SERIES 1 - EPISODE 1
Channel 4 Thur 10pm - 11:05pm
Repeat: Channel 4 +1 Today 11pm
Repeat: 4seven Thu 20 Nov 12:05am Review by: David Butcher
When the pilot for this police satire aired, it felt perfectly poised between farce and drama. Or maybe imperfectly: there were plenty of absurd moments and funny lines (its creators worked on The Thick of It), but also a thriller edge to proceedings. An action satire? A jet-black dramedy? Kafka meets The Bill?
As we start the full series, the tone feels clearer. The dialogue is still razor sharp – “I sleep like a cokey meerkat on an electric fence. That’s me relaxing,” snaps James Nesbitt’s commissioner – but actual gags are rationed. We’re more focused on the political minefield of policing London, and the PR machine – headed by Brit Marling’s spin chief – that steers through it.
Their main problem here is a youth prison riot where private contractors running the unit have been overrun. The good news? “Joey Barton’s said on Twitter he’s willing to be an intermediary…”
1/6. New series. Following on from Danny Boyle's pilot in February, the police comedy drama returns for six episodes. A private security firm calls for assistance to handle a riot at a young offenders institution, giving Commissioner Richard Miller an ideal opportunity to highlight the Met's opposition to the transfer of services to the private sector. But when Scotland Yard's PR strategy comes under pressure, tensions between the force and City Hall boil over and Miller finds himself under attack from Deputy Mayor Grant Delgado. As the Territorial Support Group is dispatched to quell the unrest, Robbie wonders whether he'll make it out unscathed on his last day before firearms training, and documentary cameraman Matt may have spotted a dangerous liaison within the ranks. Starring James Nesbitt, Adam Deacon, Daniel Kaluuya and Nick Blood.
]www.radiotimes.com
