Radio Times: Review by:; David Butcher

Ever been tempted to steal something? Tony Basgallop’s four-part drama takes a sharp look at the dishonesties, big and small, most of us let into our lives somewhere, the corners we’re prepared to cut, and the consequences. It’s also a gripping thriller with a brilliantly tense opening: you don’t want to tune in late, as armed robbers in gruesome rubber masks mount a raid on a cash-counting depot.

The manager (Steven Mackintosh) has his wife and child taken hostage while he is forced at gunpoint to open the vault doors. Then at a crucial moment the action freezes and we flash back nine months. The depot is working smoothly and we begin to explore the lives of mild-mannered boss John, his security guard Chris (Ashley Walters) and warehouse worker Marcus (Warren Brown). John, we discover, has a habit of putting his own cash into the float when the numbers don’t add up, to ensure he wins manager of the month. It’s one sleight of hand among many in a story that works brilliantly as a microcosm of graft and greed.

About this programme

1/4. Cash depot manager John Coniston faces his worst fear when armed robbers attack, holding his family hostage while they force him to open the safe at gunpoint. As the tension reaches fever pitch, the action moves back nine months, revealing Coniston to be a responsible married man, proud of his untarnished work record. But when he discovers £50,000 has gone missing, there begins a search for the truth that ends with him thinking up a sudden, unexpected idea. Drama, starring Steven Mackintosh, Ashley Walters and Warren Brown.