'This Is England' Stars Vicky McClure, Stephen Graham Reunited For BBC Political Thriller 'The Secret Agent' With Toby Jones
'This Is England' Stars Reunited For BBC Political Thriller
Caroline Frost— The Huffington Post UK
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Fresh from recent triumphs in dramas 'Marvellous' and 'The Girl' as well as his comedic turn in 'The Detectorists', Toby Jones will star in the BBC's forthcoming adaptation of Joseph Conrad's thriller 'the Secret Agent'.
Alongside him will be two stars of 'This is England' Vicky McClure and Stephen Graham. Vicky has also starred in both series of 'Line of Duty' while Stephen has made his name in the States with 'Boardwalk Empire'.
In the thriller, set to be a three-parter, Toby Jones will play Verloc, whose seedy Soho shop hides his role as an agent of the Russian Embassy, spying on a group of London anarchists.
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Stephen and Vicky appeared together in 'This is England'
Furious that Britain tolerates violent extremists, the Russians want Verloc to provoke a bomb outrage that will trigger a government crackdown. Caught between the Russians and the British police, Verloc drags his unsuspecting family into a tragic terror plot.
At the helm will be director Charles McDougall, making his first UK drama for a decade, following success with 'Queer as Folk' and 'The Good Wife'.
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Toby Jones has found a new fanbase with McKenzie Crook in 'The Detectorists'
Toby Jones says: “I am both excited and intrigued by the challenge of playing Verloc the eponymous hero of Conrad’s startlingly relevant novel The Secret Agent.”
Vicky McClure will play Verloc's previously loyal wife Winnie, while Stephen Graham is his adversary Chief Inspector Heat. Meanwhile, Ian Hart is also on board in what is sure to be one of the BBC's most highly-anticipated series of the coming months.
Joseph Conrad published his tale of espionage in 1907, setting events in 1886. In his book, the country for whom Verloc is working is unnamed, but presumed to be Russia. The Secret Agent is notable for being one of Conrad's later political novels in which he moved away from his former tales of seafaring.
The novel, once ranked the 46th best novel of the 20th century by the Modern Library, has at its centre a theme of terrorism, and was noted as one of three works of literature most cited in US media in the fortnight immediately following the attacks on New York's Twin Towers in 2001.
'This Is England': Where Are They Now?
(01 of22)
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Thomas Turgoose stared as Shaun Field... (credit:ITV/REX)
(02 of22)
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Thomas was just 13 when he scored the lead role, and he later admitted to having no idea how huge the film would be. Since then he's made just a handful of appearances in short films since 'This Is England', and also appeared in the TV mini-series 'Birdsong'. (credit:Dave J Hogan via Getty Images)
(03 of22)
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Stephen Graham starred as Combo... (credit:ITV/REX)
(04 of22)
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TV fans will recognise Stephen, seen here with his wife, from the hit show 'Boardwalk Empire', in which he played Al Capone.In 2017, he'll star on the big screen in 'Pirates Of The Caribbean 5'. (credit:Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
(05 of22)
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Jo Hartley starred as Shaun's mum Cynthia... (credit:FilmFour)
(06 of22)
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What a difference a lack of a perm makes, eh?! After reprising her role for the two 'This Is England' TV spin-offs, Jo turned her attention to something a little lighter, starring in the comedy series 'The Mimic'. (credit:Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
(07 of22)
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Vicky McClure starred as Lol... (credit:FilmFour)
(08 of22)
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Thanks to two huge roles in 'Broadchurch' and 'Line Of Duty', Vicky's become a familiar face with plenty of TV fans. (credit:Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
(09 of22)
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Joseph Gilgun starred as Woody... (credit:FilmFour)
(10 of22)
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Joseph stuck with Channel 4, and landed himself a lead role in 'Misfits'. He's also dabbled in soaps, starring as the troublesome Eli in 'Emmerdale'. He was reportedly offered a role in the film 'Kick-Ass', but turned it down due to scheduling clashes. (credit:Dave Hogan via Getty Images)
(11 of22)
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Andrew Shim starred as Milky... (credit:FilmFour)
(12 of22)
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Andrew Shim, seen here with Thomas Turgoose, has tried his hand at a whole host of things since the film. As well as working in IT (yup, really), he's also trained as a mixed martial artist. (credit:Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images)
(13 of22)
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Rosamund Hanson starred as Smell... (credit:FilmFour)
(14 of22)
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Thanks to her relationship with Shaun, Rosamund's character Smell took a central role in the two 'This Is England' TV series. Her other work includes Ricky Gervais's Netflix show 'Life's Too Short' and 'Shameless'. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
(15 of22)
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Michael Socha starred as Harvey... (credit:FilmFour)
(16 of22)
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Like Joe, Michael made the move to 'Misfits' and he's also experienced success across the pond, thanks to appearances in the US show 'Once Upon A Time In Wonderland'. His other credits include 'Being Human' and 'Casualty'. (credit:Angela Weiss via Getty Images)
(17 of22)
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Jack O'Connell starred as Pukey... (credit:FilmFour)
(18 of22)
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Nowadays, Jack spends plenty of time rubbing shoulders with Hollywood A-listers. He was hand-picked for the lead role in Angelina Jolie's directorial debut 'Unbroken' and in 2015, scooped the Rising Star Bafta. Before LA came calling, he also rocked up in 'Skins', and the TV adaptation of Martina Cole's book 'The Runaway'. (credit:Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
(19 of22)
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Chanel Cresswell starred as Kelly... (credit:FilmFour)
(20 of22)
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Chanel recently wrapped filming the movie 'Strangeways Here We Come'. Her castmates included Michelle Keegan and her 'This Is England' castmate Michael's younger sister Lauren. (credit:Danny Martindale via Getty Images)
(21 of22)
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Andrew Ellis starred as Gadget... (credit:FilmFour)
(22 of22)
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Andrew's branched out within the entertainment industry and now describes himself on his Twitter page as an actor, writer and director. He's also become a father and frequently shares super-cute family snaps on Instagram. (credit:David Fisher/REX)