BBC period drama ‘better than anything else out there’ | UK News

The critically-acclaimed sequence set behind the scenes of a Nineteen Fifties current affairs programme first aired in 2011. Starring Ben Whishaw, Dominic West and Hannah Tointon, the drama follows journalist Freddie, bold producer Bel and good-looking anchor Hector as they create an investigative show called The Hour. Set in a BBC newsroom in Cold War-era England, the espionage thriller has all the ingredients including drama, ardour, historical past and crime, making it a must watch sequence.

The synopsis reads: “The British period drama follows Bel Rowley (Romola Garai), fiery journalist Freddie Lyon (Ben Whishaw) and charismatic anchor Hector Madden (Dominic West) as they launch their new investigative show. But tensions rise between the three when they become embroiled in a passionate love triangle.

The show plays out against the backdrop of a mysterious murder and Freddie’s controversial and dangerous investigation.”

The Hour has been hailed a “masterpiece” despite the show being cancelled after two seasons.

The BBC sequence has continued to obtain reward 14 years after it was launched and has an spectacular rating of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.

One reviewer gushed: “Wow, stumbled across this series on Netflix and it is by far the most amazing and truly fantastic series. It is a must watch!!! Such a great cast and story lines. Can’t believe it’s not going to be on anymore.”

A second mused: “Still brilliant. So sad it’s not coming back.”

“I just started this series the other week. Then I saw it was cancelled after the 2 season. And we were left with the WORST cliffhanger (other than Who Shot JR in the 1970s) and absolutely no resolution,” a third remarked.

A fourth added: “Just watched this It was brilliant and still relevant newsroom was never as gritty even though made many years later. What a shame that it is relatively unknown. A superb piece of British filmmaking.”

Another praised: “It’s better than anything out there.”

The Hour’s creator Abi Morgan, 56, who was also behind movies Suffragette and The Iron Lady, beforehand revealed her plans for the third season that never got here into being.

“You were going to discover that actually Freddie was a spy, that Freddie was the one who betrayed his country,” the screenwriter told The Guardian last 12 months, explaining season 3 would have been set in the 60s.

She also mirrored on The Hour’s cancellation, revealing there was a disagreement within the BBC about the show’s future after a number of reveals had been “culled”.

The Hour is on the market to stream on Amazon Prime