Series synopsis
State of Play is a British mystery drama crime television series that premiered on BBC One on May 18, 2003. It ended on June 22, 2003. It was created by Paul Abbott. It stars Bill Nighy, David Morrissey, Kelly Macdonald and John Simm.
The murder of Sonia Baker, a young political researcher, leads journalist Cal McCaffrey to uncover complex links between government and big business.
Premise
The murder of Sonia Baker, a young political researcher, leads journalist Cal McCaffrey to uncover complex links between government and big business.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Bill Nighy as Cameron Foster
- David Morrissey as Stephen Collins
- Kelly Macdonald as Della Smith
- John Simm as Cal McAffrey
- Polly Walker as Anne Collins
- Philip Glenister as DCI William Bell
- James McAvoy as Dan Foster
- Michael Feast as Andrew Wilson
Supporting cast
- Amelia Bullmore as Helen Preger
- Marc Warren as Dominic Foy
- Rebekah Staton as Liz
- Benedict Wong as Pete Cheng
- Johann Myers as Sonny Stag
Guest cast
- Shauna Macdonald as Sonia Baker
- Geraldine James as Yvonne Shaps
- Pui Fan Lee as Joy Cipriani
- Rebecca Ryan as Karen Collins
- Tom Burke as Syd
- Rory McCann as DI Stuart Brown
- David Ryall as Bob Coutts
- Sean Gilder as DS Mark 'Chewy' Cheweski
- Michael Pennington as Richard Siegler
- Madeleine Potter as Professor Tate
- Stuart Goodwin as Robert Bingham
- Cara Kelly as Della's Double
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 6 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 6 | May 18, 2003 | June 22, 2003 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Teenager Kelvin Stagg is shot dead in a London street. Then politician Stephen Collins breaks down when he hears his assistant Sonia Baker has been killed by falling under a train. A newspaper editor asks his journalist Cal McCaffrey (Stephen's former campaign manager) to look for a connection between the two deaths, and McCaffrey finds the dead teenager had stolen a silver metallic briefcase. McCaffrey traces the briefcase and in it he finds pictures of Stephen and Sonia - and a gun. |
May 18, 2003 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Spin-doctor Andrew Wilson has a letter which shows Stephen Collins was about to leave his wife Anne and move in with Sonia Baker - so Collins has been lying to Cal. The Collinses give a press conference, and Anne says she knew about Sonia. Cal's team wants to know who leaked their story to a rival paper. Journalist Dan leads them to Dominic Foy. Meanwhile, Stella's flat is raided by the man who shot at the courier who witnessed Stagg's murder. Then Anne and Cal begin an affair. The newspaper finally hands the stolen briefcase over to the police, but Cal refuses to say where he got it and is arrested. |
May 25, 2003 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Cal is released on bail. In order to get a decoy for Della, Cal arranges to get a story to the press about his release. Cal has now become a target for the hit man and needs police protection. DCI Bell questions Stephen Collins and suggest that Sonia Baker was blackmailing him and had threatened to make their affair public knowledge. Both Bell and The Herald want to interview Dominic Foy, especially when they discover he has had a past relationship with Sonia Baker. |
June 1, 2003 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | BBC One |
|---|---|
| First aired | May 18, 2003 |
| Last aired | June 22, 2003 |
| Status | Ended |
| Schedule | Sunday |