Summary

is Channel 4's new four-part political thriller inspired by former Labour MP Chris Mullin's novel , previously adapted for television in 1988.

The story concerns Deputy Prime Minister Tom Dawkins (Gabriel Byrne); a politician who uncovers evidence of a conspiracy involving an American-owned petrochemical firm, after 19 people are killed in a UK plant's explosion, shortly before the Prime Minister (Tobias Menzies) dies in plane crash after fighting for compensation in Houston, Texas...

Highlight

The opening scene was definitely memorable, with Dawkins at the scene of the Teeside plant's devastation; a scene of localised apocalypse, where he discovers a little girl's mitten in the debris, still containing her tiny pale hand.

Lowlight

No particular scene was singularly terrible, there was just an inescapable feeling that slick visuals and revered actors were there to hide a prescribed and rather clichéd story.

Full review

Secret State had the intention of being a landmark British drama, but this first part ends up falling very short.

It may have glossy visuals, an updated villain in a faceless petrochemical firm (unlike the novel's Cold War backdrop of nuclear disarmament), and big name actors (Charles Dance's post-Game of Thrones comeback continues), but there's the unmistakable whiff of a drama trying too hard.

It certainly moved along snappily, with ad break crescendos big enough to draw you back, but it cumulatively felt oddly insubstantial.

There was just too much here that felt horribly clichéd, such as Gina McKee's know-all journalist with an inside source, dropping Dawkins breadcrumbs every time they meet.

And if it wasn't unintentionally funny (the PM's surname's Flyte and he died during a plane flight - haha!), it was either oddly forced (Dawkins' supposedly rousing, improvised speech in front of No10 to announced the PM's death), or slightly fantastical (wire-taps are created with a few clicks of a computer mouse by MI5 spooks).

In praise of Gabriel Byrne

It's a shame because Gabriel Byrne's a superb actor who deserves to be headlining something more cutting edge on UK TV - not a reheated version of a 30-year-old book, which doesn't really have anything fresh to say, just a different way of saying it.

He was astonishingly good in HBO's In Treatment,tv show t. His natural charisma certainly pulls Secret State through weak areas as he's such an easy actor to sympathise with, but there's only so much he could do.

As the plot thickened in largely conventional ways (the coroner hanged himself,cheap blue ray dvds!), it remained true that you wanted to see Dawkins get to the bottom of the conspiracy, or at least become more proactive in exposing the truth of the matter, which will hopefully come in future weeks.

Fair's fair, this was only part one and it was an hour mostly spent introducing the array of characters and explaining the set-up.

The remaining hours may go down some unexpected avenues, or generally keep us on our toes with some fun twists.

I just hope it doesn't become outright preposterous in an attempt to entertain... or maybe that would be actually be desirable, if a disappointment considering the potential for something worthwhile and less open to ridicule.

A few effective sequences and moments aside, Secret State gave us little reason to care about anything (where were the victim's faces?), as it sacrificed clever storytelling and political insight for a grim tone and hackneyed ideas.

What other reviewers said

The Guardian - "Secret State is Spooks with its head in a bucket of dumb."

The Telegraph - "Involving, if not always wholly convincing drama."