Bringing together Series One and Two of the Golden Globe nominated ‘The Hour’. Written by ABI MORGAN, screen writer of the Oscar winning The Iron Lady the breathtaking original and sexy thriller is not to be missed.

Series One: London, 1956. At Lime Grove Studios, the BBC are launching ‘The Hour’ a new topical news programme. At the heart of the show are three contrasting journalists: enigmatic producer Bel Rowley, a spirited woman in a man’s world, her best friend Freddie Lyon, a brilliant and passionate reporter, and a charming, well-connected front man, Hector Madden. As Freddie moves to cover a significant but controversial breaking story, the trio become entangled in an intense interplay of politics, ambition and romance, ignited by a mysterious murder and chilling conspiracy. Fifties London is brought to life in this tense drama, delivering an exquisite and stylish portrayal of a world on the threshold of momentous change.

Series Two: Rejoining The Hour a year on in 1957, the team are still striving to broadcast the stories they believe in as they grapple with the disturbing threat of the Cold War and a country in the grip of unsettling and rapid change. Bel Rowley (Romola Garai) is still single and determined not to get involved with another married, but finds herself taking on her adversary Bill Kendall (Tom Burke), a producer whose magnetic charm she can't help but find irresistible. Hector Madden (Dominic West) has risen to the status of a national celebrity and is drawn into the seductive glamour of Soho nightclub El Paradis and falls under the spell of the beautiful and seductive Kiki (Hannah Tointon), a club hostess. No longer happy at The Hour under Randall's (Peter Capaldi) new regime, he is tempted by offers fro ITV, but when a night at the club goes badly wrong, scandal threatens and Hector must try and stop a news story that could destroy his marriage and his career. Investigative reporter Freddie Lyon (Ben Whitshaw) makes an unexpected return from America to uncover and tackle police corruption within the world Soho crime and vice.

Reviews

“The BBC's The Hour, the best new show this summer.” Time
“This is sleek, sexy, smart, densely written and deliberately paced adult entertainment.” TV Guide
“The smartly written series throws a lot of information, historical context, beautiful sets and costumes at viewers early on to create what eventually becomes a first-rate thriller.” Red Eye
“What makes it so engaging is not that the series finds anything new to twist, but that it works so well with and within the strictures of the well-thumbed genres it combines in equal parts: spy thriller, murder mystery, backstage drama, triangular romance.” LA Times
“This is the kind of meticulously handsome period piece one would expect to find via the BBC–mostly because it would surely struggle Stateside. Judged by the most bottom-line measurement of all, The Hour is an hour well spent.” Variety
“As with "Mad Men,” we all recognize the workplace dynamic here. And as in “Mad Men,” it's satisfying to see it dramatized in such a fresh and knowing way." New York Daily News