The Hour is a British television drama series broadcast on BBC. The series was centred on a fictional current-affairs show being launched by the World Service in June 1956, at the time of the Hungarian Revolution and Suez Crisis. It stars Ben Whishaw, Dominic West, and Romola Garai, with a supporting cast including Tim Pigott-Smith, Juliet Stevenson, Burn Gorman, Anton Lesser, Anna Chancellor, Julian Rhind-Tutt, and Oona Chaplin. It was written by Abi Morgan (also one of the executive producers, alongside Jane Featherstone and Derek Wax).

The series premiered on BBC Two and BBC Two HD on 19 July 2011 each Tuesday at 9 pm. Each episode lasts 60 minutes, with Ruth Kenley-Letts as producer and Coky Giedroyc as lead director. It was commissioned by Janice Hadlow, Controller, BBC Two, and Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning and produced by Kudos Film and Television. Hornsey Town Hall was used for much of the filming.

Following the airing of the final episode of the first series, it was announced that a second series had been commissioned, which was co-produced by American network BBC America. It premiered on 14 November 2012 in the UK and on 28 November 2012 in the United States. On 12 February 2013, it was announced by the BBC that the series would not continue.

Cast

Romola Garai as Isabel (Bel) Rowley, producer of The Hour Ben Whishaw as Frederick (Freddie) Lyon, journalist and co-presenter of The Hour Dominic West as Hector Madden, co-presenter of The Hour Anton Lesser as Clarence Fendley (series 1) Julian Rhind-Tutt as Angus McCain, press liaison, Head of Press, for Prime Minister Joshua McGuire as Isaac Wengrow Lisa Greenwood as Sissy Cooper Anna Chancellor as Lix Storm, journalist and head of the foreign desk of The Hour Oona Chaplin as Marnie Madden, wife of Hector Madden Burn Gorman as Thomas Kish (series 1) Juliet Stevenson as Lady Elms (series 1) Tim Pigott-Smith as Lord Elms (series 1) Vanessa Kirby as Ruth Elms (series 1) Andrew Scott as Adam Le Ray (series 1) Adetomiwa Edun as Sey Ola, boyfriend of Sissy Cooper and a doctor Hannah Tointon as Kiki Delaine (series 2) Tom Burke as Bill Kendall (series 2) Peter Capaldi as Randall Brown (series 2), Head of News for The Hour Lizzie Brocheré as Camille Mettier (series 2) Morgan Watkins as Norman Pike (series 2) Peter Sullivan as Commander Laurence Stern (series 2)

Plot Series one In the autumn of 1956, Freddie Lyon (Ben Whishaw) is a reporter unhappy with his job producing newsreels for the BBC. Desperate to get onto television, which he feels offers greater immediacy, Freddie is unaware that his best friend Bel Rowley (Romola Garai) has been selected by their mentor Clarence Fendley (Anton Lesser) to produce a new news magazine, the eponymous "The Hour". Rowley selects experienced war correspondent Lix Storm (Anna Chancellor) to head the foreign desk for the programme, leaving Freddie to run domestic news, a position which he considers inferior. For anchor of the programme, Clarence selects the handsome and patrician Hector Madden (Dominic West). They are joined by Thomas Kish (Burn Gorman), a mysterious and taciturn translator for the BBC who helps them cover the developing Suez Crisis.

As the team struggles to put the show together, Freddie is approached by Ruth Elms, the daughter of a member of the House of Lords who had employed Freddie's mother. She asks him to look into the murder of Peter Darrall (Jamie Parker), a college professor whom she knew. Soon after, Freddie finds her dead in her hotel room, an apparent suicide.

As the Suez Crisis escalates, the production team strives to report on British involvement in the crisis, despite pressure from the administration and in particular Angus McCain (Julian Rhind-Tutt) to present a sanitised narrative for the public. Freddie becomes more and more convinced that Peter Darrall and Ruth Elms were killed for some sinister reason. He discovers a secret message that Darrall tried to pass on before he was murdered: "Revert to Brightstone" and finds a movie reel depicting Ruth, Darrall, and Thomas Kish on holiday together. When confronted, Kish intimates that the government is behind the murder of Darrall and Elms, but he kills himself after a struggle with Freddie before the latter can learn more. Bel begins an affair with Hector. Hector's wife, Marnie (Oona Castilla Chaplin) finds out, telling Bel that she wasn't the first woman to have been with him since they married. After Clarence tells Bel that the affair threatens to ruin her career and damage the show, she calls it off.

As the Suez Crisis flares into armed conflict, Freddie learns that Darrall had been a communist spy and had been involved in a program to recruit bright and susceptible young people, referred to as "Bright Stones" to the Soviet cause. Ruth had been one of these Bright Stones and Kish had been sent by MI6 to keep tabs on them. Freddie also discovers that he is marked as a "Bright Stone". As British troops move to seize the Suez Canal, Freddie does a live interview of Lord Elms, Ruth's father, who denounces the government. However, as the interview goes out Clarence, at the insistence of higher-ups in the government, orders it to be taken off air halfway through the show. Bel is then fired by the BBC and Freddie confronts Clarence, who tells him that he had put him on the Bright Stone list, and that he is a Communist spy. He then tells Freddie to run this information as a news story. Freddie leaves the studio with Bel, telling her that they have a story to write.

Series two The second series takes place in 1957. A new Head of BBC News, Randall Brown (Peter Capaldi) has taken over, to whom Bel must report while attempting to prevent the programme's now famous and increasingly dissolute presenter Hector Madden from defecting to rival ITV. Freddie, having spent time in France and married a French woman, Camille, is taken back as a co-presenter to the fury of Hector. In trying to hold on to Hector, Bel becomes involved with the ITV magazine producer Bill Kendall. Two big issues dominate the series and join together: vice in London's Soho and the nuclear race.

Despite marital problems, Hector frequents a Soho nightclub run by Raphael Cilenti, El Paradis, whose leading dancer is Kiki Delaine. During a party hosted by Hector and his wife Marnie at their apartment, two policemen arrive to arrest Hector on suspicion of beating up Kiki, which Hector denies. Marnie leaves Hector at the police station and spends the night alone before auditioning for a cookery show. She finally goes to bring him home, but is now determined not to endure his extra-marital affairs, telling him their marriage is now for appearances only. Freddie and Bel pursue the story about the attack on Kiki.

Racial tension is on the rise across London, following the arrival of Commonwealth immigrants, and Freddie is keen to feature the issue. He decides to interview a fascist, Trevor, on the same day that board members come to the studio. Camille suffers xenophobic abuse from fascists. Bel meanwhile decides that The Hour will run on the Wolfenden Report, but she finds it impossible to get participants.

Show-girl Rosa-Maria visits Bel to tell her that Kiki has disappeared; Hector calls Laurie for help, unaware that he has contacted the person who assaulted her. Freddie is sure that he is on track to uncovering the truth about Kiki, despite a warning from Commander Laurence Stern to stay away from the story. An argument with McCain leads to a drunken Hector being escorted home by Stern. Hector then begins to recall an incident from their military past which throws doubt on his friend's character.

Freddie and Bel continue their search for Kiki; they pitch the exposé of Cilenti's criminal activities coupled with anti-nuclear policy, but Randall challenges them to get sources to show that the first story is ready. Bel meets Rosa-Maria, who puts herself in danger, and reveals how Cilenti has power over some of the country's most influential leaders. Meanwhile, Randall and Lix, who had worked together in Spain during the civil war, grow closer over their adopted daughter.

Bel continues her relationship with Bill, to the annoyance of Freddie, who is soon abandoned by Camille. Photos from a recent NATO summit contain a face which Freddie deduces forms the connection between Cilenti and the nuclear stories. Bel's source is murdered. Shaken, she tries to stop the pursuit of the Cilenti story. Freddie and Hector, however, follow the story further to establishment corruption involving a mystery company aiming to profit from nuclear bases. Finally Hector's face hits the tabloids in connection with the vice scandal, making it more difficult for The Hour to cover such a major conspiracy. Freddie's determination to follow the story to the very end puts him in mortal danger.

Episodes

Series 1 (2011)

Series 2 (2012)

Cancellation The show was officially cancelled by the BBC on 12 February 2013. The BBC commented: "We loved the show but have to make hard choices to bring new shows through." It was commented that while the show had received good reviews, its viewing figures were low and therefore a third series was not merited. The second series only managed to muster an average of 1.24 million viewers per episode, compared to the first series which managed an average of 2.02 million.average figures based on tables above For BBC2, primetime shows normally require an average audience of at least 1.75 million to be recommissioned. Producers commented that they were upset to see the show cancelled, as they had plans for a third series. On 18 April 2018, The Hour writer Abi Morgan revealed in an interview with RadioTimes that she was trying to resurrect the series for a third series set in 1960s London. The Hour's Executive producer Jane Featherstone also said that she would be keen to revive the show.

Reception Critical reception of the first episode was mixed, with Sam Wollaston of The Guardian expressing scepticism over a popular comparison with Mad Men, calling the episode a "slower starter" and "a bit of hotchpotch – Drop the Dead Donkey meets Spooks", but overall stating that "there's enough intrigue there to whet the appetite for more". However, AA Gill in The Sunday Times called it " guff" with "a script that would shame a Bruce Willis movie", and Michael Deacon of The Telegraph criticised it as "an exercise in upbraiding the past for failing to live up to the politically correct ideals of the 21st century", although he praised Morgan's writing and concluded by stating "I wouldn't want to give up on The Hour too soon". Even so, there were some criticisms of the script as being riddled with anachronisms,For example, A. A. Gill in the Sunday Times, 24 July 2011Belle and Freddie affectionately call each other "James" and "Moneypenny", referencing a relationship that only happens in the James Bond films which began in 1962, and not in Ian Fleming's novels: http://jamesbondmemes.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/another-anachronism-in-bbcs-hour.html with the show's writer Abi Morgan admitting some lines "haven't worked".