School has started up again, the temperature has dropped and London has become its old drizzly self again: that’s right, summer has, once and for all, come to a close.
But it’s not all bad. Autumn is always a time of excellent telly, and the streamers are all coming out guns blazing, with several premium series to pick from.
One such series is Nightsleeper, BBC’s upcoming, nail-biting, real-time drama. Starring Joe Cole as an off-duty policeman who is working against the clock to save the passengers travelling on a hijacked train, it’s set to be utterly thrilling.
Here’s everything to know about the new show, before it drops on September 15.
What do we know about the plot?
The new six-parter, which has been written by Bafta-winner Nick Leather (whose credits include 2017’s Murdered for Being Different and 2022’s The Control Room), tells the story of a remotely hijacked sleeper train between Glasgow and London – over the course of one single, very tense night.
Off-duty police officer Joe Roag (Cole) and acting National Cyber Security Centre technical director Abby Aysgarth (Alexandra Roach) have to work together to save the passengers, before the train derails.
Who stars in Nightsleeper?
There are a lot of familiar faces. Gangs of London star Joe Cole is joined on screen by Utopia’s Alexandra Roach, Harry Potter’s Katie Leung, Shameless’ David Threlfall, His Dark Materials’ James Cosmo, and Don't Take My Baby’s Ruth Madeley.
Is there a trailer?
Yes, we’ve popped it at the top of the page. It’s just 42 seconds – more than enough to set the scene, and quicken your pulse. Everything is darkly lit and a little grimy; the train whizzes along the tracks at full-throttle. There’s a palpable sense of tension as Cole’s Joe calls Roach’s Abby
“This train is now a guided missile,” says an unknown voice against a throbbing soundtrack.
There are explosions, and sombre faces as Abby explains that one of the passengers might be working with the hackers. “Don’t trust anyone,” she says. Eek.
Who has made the show?
The series has been directed by Jamie Magnus Stone, whose credits include Doctor Who and Ten Pound Poms, and John Hayes, who previously worked on Dublin Murders.
Produced by Jonathan Curling (The Sister, Baghdad Central), the series has been written by Nick Leather, alongside Laura Grace on episodes four and five.
What have the critics said?
As of yet, there have only been a few reviews – we’ll let you know when more start to be released.
But those that have been published, have been positive: “Nightsleeper is an absorbing watch that continues to build the tension with twist after twist in a 'whodunnit' fashion to keep the mystery chugging on throughout,” said one reviewer. Fans of Joe Cole and real-time dramas are on tenterhooks waiting for the series to drop.
