City of Vice

Synopsis

Diving deep into eighteenth-century London’s criminal underworld, through the eyes of a pair of crime-fighting brothers, this bold 5-part series follows the adventures of John and Henry Fielding, the magistrates of Westminster (the bow street runners) as they battle to establish the world’s first police force, against a rising tide of filth.

With politicians sceptical about the new police force and the criminals running large parts of the city, the Fielding brothers and their team of constables have to work very hard to justify their existence. As the series progresses, the cases become increasingly challenging for the brothers, eventually leading their team of Runners into direct conflict with a powerful, ruthless and organised enemy.

Reviews

Justin Hardy’s engrossing 5-part series tells the crime stories (dramatized from events well documented at the time) apace and in Ian McDiarmid and Iain Glen he has two actors who give beautifully reined-in performances as characters that at this remove appear larger than life. The scripts’ subtlety and humour keep one entertained:a gem of a programme.

The Observer, Veronica Lee

This turns out to be an unusual, intelligent and informative period thriller, part-police detective mystery and part-docu-drama.

The Daily Mail

With the long, greying hair and round, dark glasses, the principles actors Ian McDiarmid and Iain Glen come on like refugees from the reanimated Led Zeppelin in this absorbing and innovative new series.

The Sunday Times, Martin James

Awards

• Winner Judges’ Award – RTS Awards
• Nominated Best Drama Series – Writers Guild of Great Britain Awards

Credits

Ian McDiarmid

Henry Fielding

Iain Glen

John Fielding

Francis Magee

Saunders Welch

Steve Speirs

William Pentlow

Alice O’Connell

Mary Fielding

Sam Spruell

Lord Newcastle

Peter Mcdonald

Tom Jones

Sean Francis

Daniel Carne

J.D. Kelleher

Quin

Ian Peck

Talbot

Juliet Aubrey

Jane Fawkland

Nigel Harman

Thomas Deacon

Gary Lewis

Robert Anderson

Barry Ward

Patrick Jones

Matt King

Salt

Director

Justin Hardy
Dan Reed

Writers

Clive Bradley
Peter Harness

Producers

Justin Hardy (Hardy & Sons)
Rob Pursey (Touchpaper)
Lachlan MacKinnon