State of Play

2003 • BBC
4.1
8 reviews
Eligible
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Season 1 episodes (6)

1 State Of Play - Episode 1
5/18/03
Season-only
When Sonia Baker, a young political researcher, falls on the Tube tracks and is killed, it devastates her high-profile boss, Labour MP Stephen Collins. The press smells blood and questions are asked about the nature of his relationship with Sonia. But when journalist Cal McAffrey discovers a surprising link to the murder of a black teenager that same morning, he begins to suspect that someone wanted Sonia dead.
2 State Of Play - Episode 2
5/25/03
Season-only
After the murder of DI Brown, the Metropolitan Police puts the tough-minded DCI Bell on the investigation. He knows Della is withholding information and is determined to find out what she and Cal know. Meanwhile, Stephen Collins' story becomes more complicated when an anonymous fax reveals that his affair with Sonia was far from being superficial.
3 State Of Play - Episode 3
5/25/03
Season-only
Cal is released from jail by DCI Bell and colludes with him in a plan to smoke out the hit man. As Cal waits it out, his team pins the author of the anonymous letters to a City wideboy named Dominic Foy. The discovery that he had a sexual history with Sonia leads the team to suspect that he is guilty. But is Stephen also hiding something from them?
4 State Of Play - Episode 4
6/1/03
Season-only
Cal and Anne's affair prompts Stephen to instruct Andrew Wilson to spin the news around the press and ruin Cal's reputation. Meanwhile, Cal and his team corner Dominic Foy, who is edgy, obstructive and constantly changing his story. He is clearly running scared, but why? Could the connection between Foy and a firm who lobby on behalf of the oil industry also implicate Stephen?
5 State Of Play - Episode 5
6/8/03
Season-only
When the UK's largest oil company gets wind of where the newspaper's investigation is heading, Cameron finds himself under pressure from his Board and makes a startling decision. Sensing that his team is close to snaring their prey, Cal invites Stephen to listen in to an interview with Dominic Foy, hoping that, with a few well-aimed questions, the increasingly paranoid Foy will crack.
6 State Of Play - Episode 6
6/22/03
Season-only
Stephen is obsessed with finding out who is protecting George Fergus. Cal and Cameron plan to print the story, in spite of the editor's opposition. On the morning that Cameron's explosive headlines hit the news-stands, Cal travels to Manchester to see Anne. Meanwhile, spin-doctor Andrew Wilson goes into overdrive masterminding an approach to the crisis.

About this show

Stephen Collins is an ambitious politician. Cal McAffrey is a well-respected investigative journalist and Stephen's ex-campaign manager. En route to work one morning, Stephen's research assistant mysteriously 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 is found shot dead. These apparently unconnected events expose shocking and illegal collusion between government and the corporate world. Friendships are tested and lives are put on the line as an intricate web of lies unfolds.

Ratings and reviews

4.1
8 reviews
Kim Aitken
August 18, 2019
really good