Crossfire, is a major new three-part drama from Dancing Ledge Productions starring Keeley Hawes. Created and written by Louise Doughty (author of Apple Tree Yard), her first original series for television, Crossfire is set in a luxurious resort in the Canary Islands. It is being made in co-production with Spanish free-to-air broadcaster TVE, in a deal struck by Fremantle, and in association with Buddy Club Productions.
Sunbathing on her hotel room balcony while on a dream holiday with her family and friends, Jo’s (Keeley Hawes) world is turned upside down when shots ring out across the complex. Gunmen, out for revenge, have, in an instant, turned a slice of paradise into a terrifying heart-breaking hell. A story of survival and resilience, Crossfire is an edge-of-your-seat nail-biting thriller yet also emotional, intimate and relatable. With the unsuspecting holidaymakers and hotel staff forced to make monumental split-second life or death decisions, the consequences will linger long after the final shots are fired.
Crossfire will also star Josette Simon (Riviera, Small Axe), Anneika Rose (Deadwater Fell, Line of Duty), Lee Ingleby (The A Word, The Serpent Queen, Criminal UK), Daniel Ryan (The Bay, Home Fires), Vikash Bhai (The Stranger, Limbo), Hugo Silva (Nasdrovia, The Cook of Castamar), Alba Brunet (Operation Mincemeat, Paraiso, The Mallorca Files), Shalisha James-Davis (Alex Rider, I May Destroy You) and Ariyon Bakare (His Dark Materials, Good Omens).
It is directed by Tessa Hoffe (Kin, Wayne, Majority), and produced by Alex Mercer (Inside Man, Doctor Who).
Commissioned by Charlotte Moore, BBC Chief Content Officer, and Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama, Crossfire is a 3 X 60 drama made by Dancing Ledge Productions, in association with Buddy Club Productions for BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with the participation of RTVE, Spain.
“Keeley Hawes’s new thriller barrels along like a train on rocket fuel
This edge-of-your-seat thriller will have you biting your nails
…explosively, edge-of-your-seat tense, and plugs directly into every fear you’ve ever harboured about terrorist attacks…neatly bringing the attention away from questions of geopolitics to the really meaty stuff…Did I mention it was tense? God, it’s so tense…trailing the protagonists as they venture down corridors and around blind corners without any inkling of who might be lurking in wait. Every move these characters make could be their last…gripping television – less shouting at the screen, more peering through fingers…It’s a neat way of establishing relationships and tensions without sacrificing any momentum…thing barrels along like a train on rocket fuel…be warned: you’ll want to binge it all if only so you can breathe again.”
“Keeley Hawes turns gun-toting saviour in gripping thriller
Who says that action heroes can’t be middle-aged mums?
… gripping new three-part drama is full of similar meditations on the fragility of life… Crossfire suddenly switches from the picture of tranquility to the height of sheer terror. Be prepared: the five minutes of confusion that follow provide perhaps the most gut-punching, tension-fuelled scene you’re likely to see on the Beeb all year…Crossfire is just as compelling…often overwhelming nail-biting tension, viewers will find the third and final either a much-needed breather or anti-climactic… Crossfire isn’t your typical ‘stripped across the weeknight’ drama. It can be harrowing and heart-wrenching and it asks you to consider all kinds of impossible questions about instinct, vengeance and self-sacrifice. But its intensity, anchored by Hawes’ brilliantly resilient performance, never fails to transfix.”
“This Keeley Hawes series will have you on the edge of your seat
Crossfire is not only nail-biting and tense, it also holds a mirror up to our human thought processes and fight-or-flight mode of survival – that’s what makes it great…the title of ‘truly unmissable’ show this autumn…isn’t your typical crime drama…It feels like you’re being pulled along by a heavy freight train; seeing things unfold in real time while also getting a glimpse of the reason why…Even in an episode that manages to remain fast-paced and high octane, it is made up of painstakingly long silences. The kind where you’re left holding your own breath or squeezing your fists together in order to remain calm, reflecting the rising anxiety and stress of the holiday-goers in the series…”