Golden Globe(r) winner Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment) stars in Secret State, a compelling four-part miniseries premiering on Super Channel, Canada’s only national English pay television network, on Tuesday, July 2 at 10 p.m. ET.
Byrne stars as Deputy Prime Minister Tom Dawkins, a reluctant hero who finds himself thrust into the spotlight of front-line politics when he least expects it and risks everything by taking on the might of the establishment, in this contemporary conspiracy thriller based on the novel “A Very British Coup” by Chris Mullin.
The series also stars a roster of Britain’s best-known acting talent including Douglas Hodge (Robin Hood, Unforgiven), Gina McKee (The Silence, Vera), Charles Dance (Gosford Park, Merlin), Lia Williams (The Last Detective), Rupert Graves (Sherlock), Sylvestra Le Touzel (Case Histories) and Ruth Negga (Love/Hate, Misfits).
A massive industrial accident in Teesside leaves several people dead and raises awkward questions about the safety procedures of the US petrochemical company involved. As a man who has a profound belief in transparency and open government, Dawkins (Byrne) will have to tackle vested interests, financial, media, and military, both domestic and international, in his pursuit to uncover the truth and get justice for the families affected by the disaster. Along the way, he will struggle to keep his party onside and the electorate behind him, as he also weathers damaging revelations about his personal life. And as the investigation into the Teesside disaster proceeds, Dawkins becomes aware of the establishment’s secret ties to the petrochemical company and comes to realise that there are bigger powers at play behind the scenes.
Secret State is written by Robert Jones (Lennon Naked, Cops, Buried), directed by Ed Fraiman (The Philanthropist, ShakespeaRE-told, A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and produced by Johann Knobel (The Shadow Line, Shameless). Executive Producers are Jason Newmark, Ed Fraiman, George Faber and Charles Pattinson.
