When is Close to the Enemy on BBC2 tonight, who’s in the cast and what’s it about?
CLOSE to the Enemy is a new seven-part period drama from BBC2, from acclaimed writer and director Stephen Poliakoff.
It's set largely in bomb-damaged London after the Second World War (though most scenes were filmed in Liverpool).
Here's what we know about the show, including when it's on, who's in it and what it's about.
What's it about?
The Second World War is over, and the Cold War is emerging. British Army intelligence officer Callum Ferguson thinks his war duties are over when he's given one final task: persuade a captured German scientist, Dieter Koehler, to work for the Royal Air Force, helping them develop a jet engine that's crucial to national security.
Eventually the two men develop a friendship, but everything's not as it seems.
Stephen Poliakoff's screenplays are so different from anyone else’s. It felt as if you were reading a novel – I was really drawn into the world that he creates so articulately
Jim Sturgess
Who's in the cast?
Jim Sturgess (One Day, London Fields) plays Callum Ferguson, while August Diehl (Inglourious Basterds, Le jeune Karl Marx) plays Dieter Koehler.
Joining them in the cast are Freddie Highmore, Charlotte Riley from Peaky Blinders (who was recently cast as Kate Middleton in upcoming drama King Charles III), Game of Thrones' Alfie Allen, and Angela Bassett, who stars in the American Horror Story series.
Close to the Enemy is a thoughtful examination of an extraordinary time, the aftermath of the bloodiest war, with complicated individuals struggling to find inner peace, and love
Sam Wollaston
appreciated the "pretty costumes, beautifully lit ruins and atmospheric snatches of jazz", but noted that "the entire cast seemed to be acting in different styles" and complained of "the lack of direction, the bizarre sudden jump cuts, the refusal of anything to actually happen, the pointlessly contorted dialogue, and the fascination with characters walking down corridors".
Meanwhile said the show felt "like a history lesson", while the suggested it could "rely more on history" and "less on stereotypes and elusiveness".
READ MORE:
When does The Crown start on Netflix, who’s in the cast and what’s it about?
When is Poldark series 3 on BBC1, who’s in the cast and are there new characters?