ADVISORY

Ill. Back ASAP.

Loved Inside Men and the second series of The Indian Doctor. Disappointed by Kidnap and Ransom Series 2.

In the meantime you may find me here: http://twitter.com/#!/thierryattard

PHONE GAME

The 3 X 60-minute second series of Kidnap and Ransom started yesterday night. Trevor Eve (Waking the Dead) stars as international hostage negociator Dominic King in this ITV1 drama thriller from his prodco Projector Pictures and created by Patrick Harbinson (24, Law and Order, ER).

Written by Harbinson and directed by Andy Wilson, the first three-part series (aired in January 2011) was a very effective, well-researched and riveting TV equivalent of a good Frederick Forsyth novel. Eve played brilliantly a top professional facing doubts in his job and his personal life, and confronting the most dangerous adversary, the intelligent and invisible Alexander Willard (John Hannah at his best).

« Thank you for doing this.
- Don't thank me, thank the insurance company. »

Series two opens with Dominic King on a lake dumping what could be a body. Flashback two weeks earlier, King is in Srinagar (in Indian Kashmir) for the release of a British Asian family. But police arrives during the handover, the kidnappers board a tourist bus and take the passengers hostage. Dominic tries to negociate their freedom while his business partner Angela Beddoes (Helen Baxendale) must defend his position against the Foreign Secretary (Owen Teale) and Dominic's ex-wife and senior FO civil servant Sophie (Natasha Little). The identity of one of the Brit passengers could cause extra problems and the local officer in charge is rapidly joined by the special forces of the National Security Guard.

The biggest mystery of this premiere is why the drama is sponsored by Aviva and not by a mobile phone company. Trevor Eve seems like he's delivering a considerable amount of his lines to a cell phone in this fast-paced new installment written by Michael Crompton (Silent Witness). Very regrettably, Kidnap and Ransom wins in action what it loses in complexity and originality. The South African location doubles amazingly as Kashmir although with a side effect: Kidnap tends to resemble Strike Back: Project Dawn, also filmed there, minus the antics of Scott and Stonebridge. South African actor David Dennis, who plays Hiresh Mehta, was also in Strike Back.

For now this new series of Kidnap and Ransom looks like a rehash of previous on-screen hostage situations with their clichés, and Dom King as the Steve McGarrett of expert negociators (« I know you wanna go and shoot them because it's how you do things in Kashmir. ») Let's hope for the sake of our interest that the "body bag" contains his ex-wife, his associate, or - better - the Foreign Secretary. The cinematography by Mike Spragg and the score by Philip Miller (with a theme by Christian Henson) are superb.

Series 2 of Kidnap and Ransom is directed by David Drury (Ashes to Ashes) and produced by Trevor Hopkins (Strike Back: Project Dawn). Trevor Eve and Rachel Gesua are executive producers.

http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/pmkqp/kidnap-and-ransom--series-2---episode-1
http://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/kidnap-and-ransom-series-2-itv1
http://channelhopping.onthebox.com/2012/02/23/kidnap-and-ransom-series-2-episode-1-review/
http://www.televisual.com/blog-detail/Turning-Cape-Town-into-Kashmir-for-Kidnap-and-Ransom_bid-333.html

THE NEGOTIATOR

Kidnap and Ransom - Episode One. Dominic King is an expert hostage negotiator for a company specialised in hostage release situations on an international corporate level. His latest mission has gone wrong to the dismay of his boss Angela, and his marriage and family are in trouble.

When pharmaceutical botanist Naomi Schaffer is kidnapped in South Africa, King goes to Cape Town.

Kidnap and Ransom, a 3 X 60-minute primetime thriller whose first part was aired on ITV1 yesterday, is the first project from UK's leading TV actor Trevor Eve’s production company, Projector Pictures, whilst in partnership with Talkback Thames. It is written by scriptwriter Patrick Harbinson (24, Law and Order, ER) and directed by Andy Wilson. Trevor Eve, Rachel Gesua and Jonathan Young exec produce and Trevor Hopkins (Poirot, The Prisoner 2009) is the producer.

Last year ITV1 enchanted viewers with Downton Abbey and now they start this new year with a very effective, well-researched and captivating by-the-book thriller. Kidnap and Ransom is the TV equivalent of a good Frederick Forsyth novel. The excellent Trevor Eve stars as negotiator Dom King and happily escapes from BBC One's Waking the Dead. He's surrounded by a fine cast: Helen Baxendale as King's boss, Amara Karan, Emma Fielding, Patrick Baladi, etc. The always reliable John Hannah plays Alexander Willard (who does not appear in Part one) and the interesting South African actor Tumisho Masha is Cape Town cop Inspector Lanning.

Of course to film in South Africa is cheaper than in the UK but there's a really great use of Cape Town locations and cinematographer Mike Spragg (Waking the Dead, Bouquet of Barb Wire and the incoming Monroe) does a superb job. Like production designer Michael Pickwoad (The Prisoner 2009, Doctor Who). And Christian Henson provides a haunting score of the kind that suits perfectly to the thriller genre.

Well-packed and riveting.

http://www.itv.com/presscentre/presspacks/kidnapandransom/default.html
http://www.tvchoicemagazine.co.uk/interviewextra/trevor-eve-kidnap-and-ransom
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/last-nights-tv-kidnap-and-ransomitv1br-bhughs-big-fish-fightchannel-4br-michel-rouxs-servicebbc2-2184104.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/trevor-eve-nice-but-nasty-803091.html

See also:

http://christian.hensonmusic.com/home.php

KIDNAP AND RANSOM (ITV1)

[23.24 - French Time] ITV1 aired tonight the first part of Kidnap and Ransom, a very effective 3 X 60-minute thriller from scriptwriter Patrick Harbinson (24).

Trevor Eve (Waking the Dead) stars as expert hostage negotiator Dominic King in this drama produced by his production company Projector Pictures with Talkback Thames.

Directed by Andy Wilson and filmed in South Africa, Kidnap and Ransom brings all you can wish and expect from the thriller genre as an excellent TV equivalent of a good Frederick Forsyth book.

Update - Review: http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2011/01/negotiator.html