What is The Capture all about?
BBC One’s new six-part drama delves into the increasing reality of the “post-truth” era, looking into the effect that fake news and deep fakes have on the criminal justice system, if we can no longer trust what we see.
It tells the story of former soldier Shaun Emery, who was convicted of an unlawful killing during active duty amid a global media storm, but is acquitted on appeal because of flawed video evidence.
After returning to his life with his young daughter, Shaun must fight for his freedom once again when damning CCTV footage from a night out comes to light.
DI Rachel Carey begins investigating Shaun’s case but quickly learns that in an ever-changing world where the truth can be easily be distorted, it is hard to know what to believe.
Creator and writer Ben Chanan explains of the show’s concept: “When I began writing The Capture two years ago, these questions felt firmly like the stuff of hypothetical ‘what if’ drama. I think they still are, but maybe not for long.
“Now, barely a week goes by without a new warning about the potential horrors of facial recognition, deep-fakes or fake news. Perhaps we will soon have to find new ways to judge the veracity of video footage.”
Holliday Grainger, who plays DI Carey, describes it as “a detective show, a surveillance thriller and a dystopian vision turned social commentary”.
“It’s contemporary and it’s now. It’s very much set in the real world of Britain today, and Ben Chanan has done a lot of research so it does feel authentic,” she adds.
Who is in The Capture cast?
DI Rachel Carey – Holliday Grainger
Rachel Carey is a young Detective Inspector who’s just been promoted to work in Homicide, after a spell in Counter Terror. Having been on a fast-track scheme through the force, she is a fish out of water when she has to get to grips with day-to-day, feet-on-ground policing.
She’s keen to prove herself when she is tasked with taking on Shaun’s high-profile case, seeing it as a meal ticket to get her back into the world of Counter Terror.
However, as the case unravels, she begins to question what she’s always really believed in about the justice and legal system.
Where have I seen Holliday before? After her breakthrough role as a child in ITV’s Sunday night drama Where The Heart Is, Holliday has gone on to appear in a number of high-profile film and TV shows.
Holliday appears in Strike – the BBC drama based on the novels of J.K. Rowling – and has starred opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in Patrick Melrose.
Film-wise, she starred in 2012′s big-screen adaptation of Great Expectations, appeared opposite Rachel Weisz in My Cousin Rachel and most recently was on the silver screen in Animals.
Shaun Emery – Callum Turner
The series begins with Shaun in prison for unlawfully killing someone while on duty as a soldier. When he is released on appeal, he is on a mission to change people’s perceptions of him.
He is a father to a young daughter, Karen, and is determined to be a better father, having previously been an aggressive and angry person who’d not properly dealt with past trauma in his life.
However, just when it seems like he is getting things back on track, he is accused of another violent crime when damning CCTV footage from a night out comes to light.
Where have I seen Callum before? A model as well as an actor, Callum is perhaps best known for playing Theseus Scamander in Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
He’s also took the lead in 2014 war film Queen and Country and appeared in E4 series Glue.
Commander Danny Hart – Ben Miles
Commander Danny Hart is Rachel’s former boss who has been having an affair with her behind his wife’s back. Rachel decides to break off their relationship as she leaves his department to give herself a clean break.
Where have I seen Ben before? Ben is best known for his roles as Patrick Maitland in the sitcom Coupling, and as Peter Townsend in the first two series of The Crown.
Frank Napier – Ron Perlman
Details about Frank are few and far between, as viewers will find out more about him when he comes into the series.
What we do know is that he will take a great deal of interest in Shaun and his case, and how it could be useful to his own agenda.
Where have I seen Ron before? US actor Ron is a long-time collaborator of director Guillermo del Toro, having roles in a number of his films, including Cronos, Blade II and Pacific Rim. Arguably his most famous role was as superhero Hellboy in del Toro’s 2000s films.
Jessica Mallory – Famke Janssen
Jessica is Frank Napier’s boss and comes into the story towards the end of the series, seemingly to put him in his place – although, there appear to be larger things at stake.
While little other details are known, she is not directly connected to DI Rachel Carey or Shaun Emery.
Where have I seen Famke before? Dutch actress Famke rose to prominence in Bond film Golden Eye and has gone on to appear in other film franchises including X-Men as Phoenix and as Lenore Mills in the Taken trilogy.
TV-wise, she’s had long-running roles in Nip/Tuck and How To Get Away With Murder.
Hannah Roberts – Laura Haddock
Currently, all that is known about this character is her name. In fact, there aren’t even any pictures of actress Laura Haddock in action yet.
Where have I seen Laura before? Laura’s breakthrough role came as Alison in The Inbetweeners Movie in 2011. More recently, she’s played Meredith Quill in the Guardians Of The Galaxy films, and appeared in Transformers: The Last Knight.
She’s also had minor roles in a number of BBC dramas, including Luther, Ripper Street and The Musketeers.
Laura was also married to fellow actor Sam Claflin, but the pair announced their separation in August 2018.