When is The State on Channel 4, who is in the cast and what’s the Isis drama about?
The gritty series based on extensive research into British jihadis fighting in Syria comes from the creator of Wolf Hall
THE State is Channel 4's hard-hitting new drama about British jihadis moving to Syria to join ISIS.
Here's all you need to know about the series, described as a "cautionary tale" by its director, which is poised to cause controversy...
When is The State being shown on Channel 4 and who's in the cast?
The State is a four-part series airing on Channel 4.
It began on Sunday August 20, at 9pm, and continues with the fourth and final episode tonight (Wednesday, August 23) at the same time.
The show is based on facts about, and extensive research into, the involvement of British citizens in the ISIS regime.
It was written and directed by Peter Kosminsky, whose previous credits include acclaimed BBC drama Wolf Hall.
The series stars Sam Otto, Ony Uhiara, Shavani Cameron and Ryan McKen.
For viewers used to sitting down in front of Game Of Thrones and Celebrity Big Brother, Kosminsky realises his show will "touch a nerve", but insists it's necessary for telly to "hold a mirror up" to all aspects of society.
What is The State about and what story does it tell?
The State follows four British Muslims who find themselves travelling to Raqqah, Syria to become part of ISIS.
These characters are Ushna, 18, a timid student; Jalal, 19, whose brother died fighting for ISIS; Shakira, 26, a mother and nurse; and Ziyaad, 19, Jalal's friend and a school dropout.
Coming from very different backgrounds, each has their individual reasons for joining the Caliphate and the series shows how they follow this through, before becoming disenchanted with the situation they've got themselves in.
Kosminsky has chosen to make a drama rather than a documentary because the complexities of his story are an "antidote to simplistic thought" about radicalisation, and gives the audience "at least a chance to get inside the heads of those individuals".
The show's creator also said that there are "more similarities than you might imagine" between The State and his last TV project, BBC2 drama Wolf Hall.
He explained: "If you expressed religious dissent in Henry VIII’s England, you were quite likely to have various bits of your anatomy chopped off in public... to be imprisoned and tortured in various, truly barbaric ways.
"And this was for what we now would think of as unbelievably trivial deviations of doctrine or faith.
"For that you could be beheaded and have your head put on a stake on a pole on London Bridge for the maggots and crows to feast on.
"It’s not that different from the kinds of punishments and excesses and atrocities which we now see manifest in the Islamic State."
But Kosminsky has said none of his characters are "mad, unsympathetic" people, which is bound to confuse and anger viewers who've seen and experiences the atrocities of suicide bombers and ISIS operatives.
No ISIS atrocities like beheadings are shown directly in the drama, though Kosminsky has shot these scenes so that they have a "pretty intense, emotional impact".
