The series Hunted has come to an end with Melissa George in the lead role. It was originally to be start of a longer term series but the BBC decided against further support quite rightly in view of complicated story line which lacked credibility although the programme makers hope to find a new channel for a reconstituted series.
I had expected much from the same creative team that has Spooks to its credit along with having worked on the X Files and other class productions. As with similar series where the arching story is not resolved until the final; year series Hunted posed such a longer term story, but instead of having episodes with a beginning and end in terms of a separate stories with resolutions, had a single series story that was complex with too many tentacles which lacked credibility.
First the several years story concerned Sam Hunter who has witness the torture and killing of her mother as child and who understandably had blacked out event details. Year later as an adult she is working for a criminal security firm as a field operative, prepared to kill, use physical violence and break laws such as breaking entering, stealing, bugging and all forms of illegal surveillance on behalf of those with the money regardless of their motives or country allegiance. What we learn is that the head of this organisation wants Sam dead, as appears a second mysterious character, although paradoxically he wants to keep her alive, we presume until she is able to remember what her organizational boss has been ordered to kill her for. The organization, Byzantium, boss moreover is part of an international conspiracy to rule the World (another form of Spectre no less). One of the leading members of M16 possibility its head is killed because he has been investigating this international conspiracy called Hourglass for sometime
The series commenced with Sam sent to Algiers to rescue someone kidnapped only to hand him over for someone else to kill, although she does not know this and where she was supposed to have been killed after completing the mission. She goes into hiding for a year to recover from her wounds and to have a child by one of her colleagues in the organisation, She is then nearly killed by being drugged and drowned and during this time she remembers what happened in childhood although we are not disclosed what she remembers. She is then set up to be taken and killed but has a fake death instead organised by her fieldwork boss and carried out by the unit leader. We see her with her secret child at the home of her mother or at least brought to her by her mother in the wilds of Scotland where she had disappeared for the year after the first attempt on her life. This was meant to herald the next phase of the story until the BBC pulled the plug so we were and may be are, left in mid air. Do we care? If we did should we?
Sam tells the father of her baby that she lost the child and has him top the list of suspects behind the attempt on her life with all her other colleagues also listed. He was supposed to have been her back up in Tangier. In fact he is either a Member of British intelligence or the link person with British intelligence who understandably what to keep tabs on such a criminal organisation.The main issue of the first series is enabling the customer ( the Chinese?) to win a multi million contract and preventing this being won by a former small crime boss turned big time international investor, Hedge fund controller and business man called Turner. He has built his success by rigging the market for his product by causing a series of disasters which do not normally cause a loss of life, although in the latest which raises £30 million to win the tender, a passer by does.
However Turner uses a local crime boss who runs a snooker hall and who in turn employs a psychopathic younger man to carry out the work, who in fact is the illegitimate son of Turner and who is responsible for several killings in the process. A member of the organisation is sent to become a friend and work for the local crime boss to try and retrieve a case which seems to be important and this man is subsequently set up to take the fall for an assassination related to the tendering process. This leads to the killing of the local crime boss by the illegitimate son of Turner and who in turn is killed after he has also killed a police detective in the pay of Turner.
Sam participates in a fake kidnap attempt on the grand son of Turner in order to get the job as nanny/companion to the boy whose mother is suppose to have committed suicide while balance of mind was disturbed but in fact had been slowly drugged and then drowned by Turner and his henchman because she was threatening to leave the home with her husband and son. Turner’s son is a pathetic individual who does not stand up to his murdering father and with whom she has sex after gaining he confidence of the boy who begins to look upon her as a substitute mother. She walks away without regard to the impact of her involvement ion their lives
Turner has contempt for his son and tolerates him as long as he has overall control of the grandson. When they find they are being kept under surveillance by a member of the organisation they kidnap and torture the man in a secret lower basement to the family property and Sam is instructed to kill her colleague before he gives her up and her purpose
The Unit leader begins to have misgivings about his work and consults the local priest but still is involved in the killing of two innocent people in order to also protect the position of Sam, He is eventually offered to take over from the Fieldwork head who is dying of cancer and uses a high class whore from time to time and who appears to have no other function than to add some sex to the series, the whore that is although the same can be said for the fieldwork boss. Is everything clear
The Minister in charge of the British Secret service is hinted at being part of the International conspiracy or in the pay of the organisation
I mention this aspect because by comparison an excellent short series on Channel Four called The Secret State also involved secret relationships between government and International Corporations and Banks and which has the excellent Gina Mckee as an investigative Journalist
The British Prime Minister visits the Head of an American Company where an explosion at a factory based in a Northern Town has killed people and devastated several streets. The British want appropriate compensation. The company plane on which the Prime Minister flies home blows up killing everyone on board and the Black Box is not immediately found. In fact the explosion on the plane was caused by the same rocket fuel being developed at the factory which caused the explosion. However a conspiracy between the firm, a bank and several leading politicians at Cabinet level aided by a fascist General at the heart of Government make it look as if the Prime Minister was killed by someone on behalf of the Iranians as means of getting the government egged on by the media and populous to attack Iran.
Against the odds but with the apparent support of the Chief Whip played by Charles Dance, the existing deputy Prime Minister (and who is offered the same position or another of his choosing by the two leading candidates to replace the Prime Minister) is elected by his colleagues and soon after taking up the position is faced with demands to take out a terrorist with a smart rocket, fuelled by the international company, as he man attempts to reach the Iran border and safety. The new Prime Minister hangs fire but eventually gives the order only to find that the death occurs on or at the border with Iran understandably calling the event an act of war
He then finds himself under pressure from the media egged on by those in the Cabinet who want to replace him for a strike on Iran, supported the majority of his backbenchers and the official opposition. In an heroic stand at the Despatch Box in the last episode he stands up to elements in the secret services engaged in killing opponents to their view of things, including the illegal holding of McKee, and arrest of an Government employee anxious to spill the beans to the Prime Minister
The head of the International company is also ousted by the board as the public sacrifice and replaced by the plotting government Minister supported by a bank under fire from the Prime Minister in order to force the company to pay appropriate compensation. Under fire the Bank gets behind strikes and the Company announced a move to Poland. However armed with some information provided by the former head of the company who has gone to McKee the Prime denounces his own in the confrontation in the House of Commons as well as attacking the war mongering opposition. It is all splendid stuff inspired by the Chris Mullin’s A Very British Coup
There is just time to emntion the excellent 100th Royal Variety Performance opened with Girls Aloud looking amazingly slim as well as gorgeous followed by the Comedian Bill Bailey who was amusing rather than funny. The excellent Kylie Monogue also looked gorgeous and whose standing in my eyes went in leaps and bounds after her amazing show at the O2 arena which I saw in 3D and which still is used by the channel from time to time. Bruce Forsythe had his moment with a sitting step dance before performing with the host David Wallians. One Direction the latest Boy Band creation via the X Factor were pleasant enough. Amanda Holden introduced Britain’s Got Talent latest winners and star performers who included Diversity. Then someone called Rod Gilbert who I have not heard but whom provides the wittiest sketch of the evening on why he could not by a single jacket potato. Ata supermarket, Ronnie Corbet was less successful with David Wallians and some word plays before Katherine Jenkins performed with Placido Domingo in a light and boring duet. I just do not appreciate her voice
Robbie Williams achieved the loudest applause of the night to that point and sung This Time I will be different I promise you followed by the boring Mr Bojangles, an odd selection. After this three 9 to 11 year olds are interviewed called Matilda in the RSC show of the same name and which has no appeal apart from enabling children to perform. Just as lacking in entertainment value Alan Carr pretended to be Ashleigh and Wallians the winning Britain’s Got Talent Dog singing the Flintstones number before the real Duo were excellent performing against a background of James Bond Music theme music
The singer Heather Headley performed the famous song, I will Always Love you from the film the Bodyguard which is now a stage show in London, She is OK but no Witney Houston. Andrea Botchelli sand La Dona e mobile. Jimmy Tarbuck looked back at great comedy performers . Alicia keys played piano while singing
Rod Stewart sang when you wish upon a star and has a Christmas Album out. Wallians appears as a aerial star after he has finished his number A new dancing group Ballet revolution performed and then the Violinist Nicola Bedetti reminded of previous stars at the show now departed with Peter Sellers The Gibb brothers, Norman Wisdom, Frank , Dusty Springfield’s, Arthur Askey Harry Secombe, Gracie Fields, Danny la Rue, Leslie Crowther, Marti Caine, Roy Castle, Peter Cooke and Dudley Moore, Tony Hancock, Ronnie Barker John Inman Bob Monkhouse, Eric Sykes, Max Bygraves and Larry Hagman were photos I spotted
Neil Diamond closed the show after Placido Domingo returns to introduce the Three Tenors, from China, quirky but good
The best top ten tunes voted buy the British public were played on ITV again on Sunday with Bohemian Rhapsody and Queen heading t he list. I was not surprised but disappointed that Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean was two but pleased that Adele’s Someone Like you was 3 Hey Jude 5 Imagine, Abba’s Dancing Queen and Houston’s I Will always love you. Kylie, Spears and Oasis were also there.
Last word must go to the couple now in the Eighties where he made a pile selling out his software company and she bought into Google early on, have spend each Christmas at Claridges in a suite costing over £5000 a night for at least thee past four decades, Sadly the wife passed away after the film was made. The couple only left the hotel twice in their two week stay
A party of a Royal princess/wife from the middle east and an entourage of 25 booked a whole floor where the doorways had to be sealed so that men could not look in and the staff all had to be female. Three suites were cleared for shopping bags. Amazing stuff for the few.
