

After years of meticulous planning, a terrorist operation is reaching its final stages. The authorities have received no intelligence; they are in a race against time but don't yet know it. As the operation unfolds, we see the working lives of men and women directly affected by terrorism. Among them: a firemen worried about the increasingly dangerous conditions he and his men are expected to work under; the head of the anti-terrorist branch whose responsibility it is to protect London and a female Muslim detective brought into Scotland Yard to investigate another suspected terrorist cell. But it is too late to stop the attack.
Direction
Percival's documentary-style dread that feels illegally real
Writing
Procedural dialogue that trusts you to keep up
Acting
Elgadi's terrifying normalcy as Abu Abassi

Director
Daniel Percival
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Commissioned by BBC One in 2003, this was conceived as a 'what if' that became eerily prophetic—released months before the actual 7/7 London bombings.
The 'dirty bomb' threat was considered alarmist until 2004; this film's clinical realism helped shift UK counter-terrorism policy toward domestic preparedness.