Roadkill (TV series)
{{Short description|UK television miniseries}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Roadkill_title_card.png
| image_alt =
| caption =
| genre = {{ubl|Political intrigue drama|Thriller}}
| creator = David Hare
| based_on =
| writer = David Hare
| director = Michael Keillor
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Hugh Laurie
- Helen McCrory
- Sidse Babett Knudsen
- Pippa Bennett-Warner
- Iain De Caestecker
- Shalom Brune-Franklin
- Sarah Greene
- Saskia Reeves
- Millie Brady
- Olivia Vinall
- Patricia Hodge
}}
| music = Harry Escott
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| num_series = 1
| num_episodes = 4
| executive_producer = {{ubl|Mark Pybus (The Forge)|George S. J. Faber (The Forge)|David Hare|Michael Keillor|Lucy Richer (BBC)|Rebecca Eaton (Masterpiece)}}
| producer = Andy Litvin
| cinematography = Wojciech Szepel
| editor = Dominic Strevens
| runtime = 55—57 minutes
| company = The Forge
| budget =
| channel = BBC One
| first_aired = {{Start date|2020|10|18|df=yes}}
| last_aired = {{End date|2020|11|08|df=yes}}
}}
Roadkill is a British four-part television political intrigue thriller written and created by David Hare,{{cite news |title=At last David Hare decides to take Tory politics seriously with Roadkill |date=7 October 2020 |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/at-last-david-hare-decides-to-take-tory-politics-seriously-with-roadkill-76k3jspvf |newspaper=The Times |location=London |first=Matthew |last=Moore |department=Media |access-date=10 October 2020 |url-access=subscription |quote=Now Sir David Hare, 73, has acknowledged a gap in his oeuvre: works that take Conservative principles seriously.}} and directed by Michael Keillor. The series was made by The Forge production studio for the BBC, co-financed by Masterpiece in association with All3Media International. It was first broadcast in the UK on BBC One on 18 October 2020. In the United States, it was broadcast as part of the Masterpiece anthology series on PBS starting on 1 November 2020.
Premise
The series stars Hugh Laurie as the populist Conservative politician, Peter Laurence, freshly promoted to the middle-ranking Justice Minister and on the up, after just dodging a scandal by winning a major libel case in the High Court against a national newspaper, but whose private life is under fire from his family — including a imprisoned illegitimate daughter, who has just come to light — as well as his political foes.{{cite press release |title=BBC One releases first look image of Hugh Laurie in Roadkill |date=22 July 2020 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/roadkill-first-look |website=BBC |access-date=9 October 2020}}{{cite press release |title=Hugh Laurie to star in political thriller Roadkill by David Hare |date=22 August 2020 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2019/roadkill |website=BBC |access-date=9 October 2020}}{{cite web |last=Craig |first=David |title=Hugh Laurie stars as a scandalous politician in first trailer for BBC One's Roadkill |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2020-10-03/roadkill-trailer-bbc-hugh-laurie/ |website=Radio Times |date=3 October 2020 |access-date=9 October 2020}} Primary amongst his political friends / enemies is the embattled Prime Minister Dawn Ellison played by Helen McCrory in her final performance before her death in April 2021.
==Cast==
- Hugh Laurie{{cite press release |title=Roadkill, A major new political thriller for BBC One written by David Hare |date=7 October 2020 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/roadkill |website=BBC |access-date=9 October 2020}}{{cite web |last=Craig |first=David |title=Roadkill writer insists Hugh Laurie's Conservative politician Peter Laurence is 'not based on anyone' |date=7 October 2020 |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2020-10-07/roadkill-peter-laurence-hugh-laurie-real/ |website=Radio Times |access-date=9 October 2020}} as Peter Laurence MP, the Justice Minister
- Helen McCrory{{cite press release |title=Further cast join Roadkill, David Hare's political thriller for BBC One |date=15 November 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2019/roadkill-casting |website=BBC |access-date=9 October 2020}}{{cite press release |title=BBC Interview with Helen McCrory |date=7 October 2020 |url=http://www.bbc.com/corporate2/mediacentre/mediapacks/roadkill/helen |website=BBC |access-date=9 October 2020}} as the Rt Hon. Dawn Ellison MP, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- Pippa Bennett-Warner{{cite press release |title=BBC Interview with Pippa Bennett-Warner|date=7 October 2020 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/roadkill/pippa |website=BBC |access-date=9 October 2020}} as Rochelle Madeley
- Millie Brady as Lily Laurence
- Ophelia Lovibond as Susan Laurence
- Shalom Brune-Franklin as Rose Dietl
- Iain De Caestecker{{cite press release |title=BBC Interview with Iain De Caestecker |date=7 October 2020 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/roadkill/iain |website=BBC |access-date=9 October 2020}} as Duncan Knock
- Sarah Greene as Charmian Pepper
- Saskia Reeves as Helen Laurence
- Patricia Hodge as Lady Roche
- Olivia Vinall{{cite press release |title=BBC Interview with Olivia Vinall |date=7 October 2020 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/roadkill/olivia |website=BBC |access-date=9 October 2020}} as Julia Blythe
- Sidse Babett Knudsen as Madeleine Halle
- Danny Ashok as Luke Strand
- Gbemisola Ikumelo as Steff Frost
- Emma Cunniffe as Sydney
- Caroline Lee-Johnson as Bella Gayle
- Natalie Dew as Alisha Burman
- Anna Francolini as HJ Keane
- Vincenzo Nicoli as George
- Jennifer Hennessy as Bryony Beckett
- Yolanda Kettle as Joy Pelling
- Kate Lamb as Lindsay Storm
- Katie Leung as Margaret Moore
- Pip Torrens as Joe Lapidus
- Alice McMillan as Charlotte Hedge
- Tony Pitts as Mick 'the Mouth' Murray
- Nicholas Rowe as Adam De Banzie
- Sylvestra Le Touzel as Dame Vanessa Pollard
Episodes
{{Episode table |background=#000000 |overall= |series= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |viewers= |viewersR={{cite web|url=https://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/four-screen-dashboard/|title=Weekly top programmes on four screens (from Sept 2018)|website=BARB|accessdate=2 February 2021}}|episodes =
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=1
|EpisodeNumber2=1
|Title=Episode 1
|DirectedBy=Michael Keillor
|WrittenBy=David Hare
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2020|10|18|df=y}}
|Viewers=8.68
|ShortSummary= Peter Laurence is a charismatic government minister on the verge of promotion to high office. He is also celebrating a win in a newspaper libel case. But an inmate at a women’s prison claims to have a secret about Peter’s past that could affect his future..
|LineColor=000000
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=2
|EpisodeNumber2=2
|Title=Episode 2
|DirectedBy=Michael Keillor
|WrittenBy=David Hare
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2020|10|25|df=y}}
|Viewers=6.47
|ShortSummary= As Charmian digs into Peter's political past in Washington DC, troubles arise at home as Peter's family discovers his affair.
|LineColor=000000
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=3
|EpisodeNumber2=3
|Title=Episode 3
|DirectedBy=Michael Keillor
|WrittenBy=David Hare
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2020|11|01|df=y}}
|Viewers= 6.38
|ShortSummary= Confronted with his affair, Peter is the defendant at the family dinner table. Pressure mounts on Peter, as friends, family, employees, and even a dead person turn against him. Meanwhile, Rochelle questions whether to pick up where Charmian left off.
|LineColor=000000
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=4
|EpisodeNumber2=4
|Title=Episode 4
|DirectedBy=Michael Keillor
|WrittenBy=David Hare
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2020|11|08|df=y}}
|Viewers= 6.29
|ShortSummary= With the Prime Minister in trouble, Peter makes a shocking announcement to the nation. But with his enemies circling, he is forced to risk one final roll of the dice.
|LineColor=000000
}}
}}
Production
The series was filmed on location in London and Hastings.{{Cite news|title=Hugh Laurie gives the thumbs up as the BBC films in St Leonards|url=https://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/people/hugh-laurie-gives-thumbs-bbc-films-st-leonards-2014739|date=2020-01-09|access-date=2020-10-27|work=Hastings Observer|publisher=JPI Media}}
Release
Accolades
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| align="left" | Year
! align="left" | Ceremony ! align="left" | Category ! align="left" | Recipient(s) ! align="left" | Result |
|---|
| rowspan="1" |2021
|BAFTA TV Craft Awards{{Cite web|url=https://www.bafta.org/television/awards/tv-2021#harry-escott-roadkill---original-music-|title=BAFTA TV 2021: The Winners and Nominations for the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards and British Academy Television Craft Awards|website=Bafta.org|date=28 April 2021|language=en|access-date=2021-06-27}} |Original Music | {{won}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{BBC Programme}}
- {{IMDb title}}
- {{YouTube|id=UvPrMFHz6fQ|Roadkill: Trailer - BBC}}
{{David Hare}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2020 British television series debuts
Category:2020 British television series endings
Category:2020s British crime drama television series
Category:2020s British television miniseries
Category:Television series created by David Hare (playwright)
Category:British thriller television series
Category:BBC television dramas
Category:BBC television miniseries