Tom Hardy before he was famous, absolutely feral and terrifying as a London crime boss.
8.060 minSeason 1 • Episode 4
LatestJimmy forces Freddie to take responsibility for his son's actions when Little Jimmy is found dead at the hands of Little Freddie. Maggie finally reveals the truth about Little Jimmy's parentage, ending in a showdown between herself and her rapist
Freddie Jackson is released from prison in 1984 having served a four-year sentence for armed robbery. His wife Jackie, who has been waiting for him on the outside in the mistaken belief that that he wants to go straight, soon finds herself disappointed: Freddie is in fact raring to get back into the game and has set his sights on becoming top dog in the East End underworld.
Acting
Hardy's Freddie is unpredictable, charismatic, genuinely frightening.
Production
Authentic 80s East End grime, no romanticized gangster gloss.
Writing
Martina Cole's dialogue cuts like a Stanley knife.
Creator
Martina Cole
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Hardy and Riley met on this set and later married. Their explosive chemistry as Freddie and Maggie is... complicated in retrospect.
Martina Cole's novels dominated British airport fiction in the 90s/00s; this adaptation finally captured her unflinching class commentary that glossy crime dramas usually sanitize.
GB
