State of Play (2003)
State of play is a gripping conspiracy thriller set against the background of Whitehall and Fleet Street. Stephen Collins (David Morrissey) is a high-flying, ambitious member of parliament and Chairman of the Government’s Energy Select Committee. Cal McCaffrey (John Simm) is a well-respected investigative journalist and Stephen’s ex-campaign manager.
When Stephen’s young research assistant, Sonia, falls to her death on the London Underground, it’s not long before revelations of their affair hit the headlines. Meanwhile a suspected teenage drug dealer named Kelvin Stagg is found shot dead. The discovery that Kelvin and Sonia shared a two-minute phone call on the morning of their deaths draws Cal into an investigation that’s always one step ahead of the police. But friendships are tested and lives are put on the line as an intricate web of lies unfolds.
When Stephen’s young research assistant, Sonia, falls to her death on the London Underground, it’s not long before revelations of their affair hit the headlines. Meanwhile a suspected teenage drug dealer named Kelvin Stagg is found shot dead. The discovery that Kelvin and Sonia shared a two-minute phone call on the morning of their deaths draws Cal into an investigation that’s always one step ahead of the police. But friendships are tested and lives are put on the line as an intricate web of lies unfolds.
Philip plays...
DCI William Bell
No-nonsense, tough talking DCI Bell is called in to investigate the murder of one of his officers assigned to the original case.
DCI William Bell
No-nonsense, tough talking DCI Bell is called in to investigate the murder of one of his officers assigned to the original case.
Episode Guide
State of Play had one series. Please see our episode guide for further information about each episode.
State of Play had one series. Please see our episode guide for further information about each episode.
Media
Trivia
- In State of Play, Philip starred with several actors whom he would go on to work with in the future; John Simm and Marc Warren (Life on Mars, Mad Dogs), and Amelia Bulmore (Ashes to Ashes).
- The writer, Paul Abbott, was also the writer of one of Philip's previous television projects, Clocking Off.
- A second season was commissioned by then-BBC Commissioner Greg Dyke before the first season had even been transmitted. The second season never materialized, however, because Paul Abbott felt he didn't know how to make the story work and he had already had tremendous success with Shameless.
- This was adapted into a feature film that was released in the United States in April 2009. The plot retained substantial similarities to the original six-hour series, retaining the main characters, but with its location changed to Washington, D.C., and with certain aspects condensed and changed in order to fit the two-hour format.
- State of Play was one of the first shows, along with Spooks, to have a BBC Interactive website to accompany it. Viewers were able to join in the intrigue by guessing what happens next in a series of games which ran in conjunction with the series. Users had to choose between a number of possible scenarios and find out if their intuition was accurate by watching the action unravel in subsequent episodes. At the end of the series, viewers were asked to send in their ideas for future plot lines. The winning story line received a mystery prize central to events in the drama.
Locations
State of Play was filmed on location in and around London. If you have any information on specific locations used in this series then please contact us.
State of Play was filmed on location in and around London. If you have any information on specific locations used in this series then please contact us.
Thanks to Tina for this information