Blackout (British TV series)

Blackout
Blackout title card
Genre	Dramatic television series
Written by	Bill Gallagher
Directed by	Tom Green
Starring	Christopher Eccleston Dervla Kirwan Ewen Bremner
Composer	David Julyan
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	3
Production
Executive producers	Christopher Aird Nicola Shindler
Producer	Matthew Bird
Cinematography	Christopher Ross
Editors	Liana Del Giudice Anthony Combes
Running time	60 minutes
Production company	Red Production Company
Original release
Network	BBC One
Release	2 July (2012-07-02) – 16 July 2012 (2012-07-16)

Blackout is a British television drama series produced by Red Production Company, and is a three-part drama about a corrupt council official who wakes from an alcoholic blackout to realise that he may have been responsible for a murder. He soon begins a dramatic quest for redemption. It is directed by Tom Green and written by Bill Gallagher.

Plot

Blackout follows Daniel Demoys (Christopher Eccleston), a stranger in his own life. Over the years he has gone from being an idealistic young man with a burning desire to make the world a better place, to a disillusioned and corrupt council official. His alcoholism has driven a wedge between him and wife, Alex (Dervla Kirwan), and their three children. The fallout from his alcohol fueled actions prove agonising for all around him. When Daniel wakes up after another drunken night, he realises that he might be responsible for a murder. A dramatic act of redemption buys him public adoration, so much so that he has become a candidate in the race for Mayor, persuaded by council official Jerry Durrans (Ewen Bremner), and lawyer sister Lucy (Lyndsey Marshal).

The public's opinion of Daniel as a straight talking everyday hero couldn't be higher. They are enthralled by his no nonsense determination not to treat the electorate like fools and by his openness about his personal problems and struggle with addiction. As his public star rises ever higher and he tries to repair the damage done to his private life, he is painfully aware that it could all come crashing down at any moment. With Detective Dalien Bevan hot on his trail and determined to gain respect in the force, he could be just the person to do this. With Daniel's deepening relationships with Bevan's ex-wife Sylvie, hospital nurse Donna, and the murdered man's daughter Ruth, he finds himself in even more of a tangled web than he could ever have imagined.

Cast

• Christopher Eccleston as Daniel Demoys, a husband, father, local councillor, and alcoholic whose drinking has become worse and has caused him to start having blackouts.
• Ewen Bremner as Jerry Durrans. He entered politics with a burning idealism and a desire to improve society. Now a veteran of countless campaigns, he knows only too well how to harness the electorate and work the political machine.
• Dervla Kirwan as Alex Demoys, Daniel's wife. She is reaching the end of her tether with her husband, his drinking, and his behaviour.
• MyAnna Buring as Sylvie, who has split from her husband and started going to clubs in the hope of meeting someone.
• Andrew Scott as Detective Dalien Bevan. A detective, struggling to assert himself in a unit that seems determined to shut him out. He is also Sylvie's ex-husband.
• Lyndsey Marshal as Lucy Demoys, a successful lawyer. Driven by a passion for justice, she is always keen to champion a cause. Lucy has grown tired of her dysfunctional brother, Daniel, only coming to her when he wants something.
• Olivia Cooke as Meg Demoys, Daniel and Alex's daughter and eldest child.
• Oliver Woollford as Luke Demoys, Daniel and Alex's son.
• Lorenzo Rodriguez as Charlie Demoys, Daniel and Alex's son and youngest child.

Production

Blackout was commissioned for BBC One by Ben Stephenson, (Drama Commissioning), and Danny Cohen, (Controller, BBC One). The producer is Matthew Bird and director is Tom Green. Executive Producers are Christopher Aird for BBC, Nicola Shindler for Red Production Company, and written by Bill Gallagher. The programme was mostly filmed in Manchester, and includes scenes which were filmed in Manchester Town Hall and Manchester Civil Justice Centre.

Reception

The mini-series launched on BBC One on 2 July 2012. It attracted 4.47m viewers (19.6% of UK terrestrial viewers) in the 9pm time slot.

Writing for The Telegraph, Ben Lawrence commented the performances, including those of Eccleston and Scott, but said: "I didn't love Blackout; perhaps because it was so in love with itself. I was crying out for a bit of idiosyncratic dialogue, or some geographical reference to take me out of its noirish hinterland." Jasper Rees writing for The Arts Desk referenced Danish drama The Killing in his review, as did Arifa Akbar in The Independent, who said: "You can see how Blackout's creators have put flecks of Macbeth, and even The Killing in the mix, with its blend of political drama, morality play and crime thriller, but none of it works."

External links

• Blackout at BBC Online
• BBC Media Centre Program Information
• Blackout page on Red Production Company website
• Blackout at IMDb