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Hard Sun is another new BBC drama for a new year, and as we all look forward to see what this set of 365 days will bring, for the characters in this series, the end of the world is coming… in five years, precisely. Well, almost.
After a very violent altercation with an intruder, DI Elaine Renko (Agyness Deyn, making the leap from modelling to acting far better than Cara Deldoodah) somehow made it to safety, but that’s just the start of her problems. Meanwhile, DCI Charlie Hicks (Jim Sturgess) is also in a grump because his cop partner is brown bread, but that’s a plus in some ways, as it means he can continue to sniff around the guy’s missus, Mari (Aisling Bea), with impunity.
Meanwhile, two other characters have learned of something about the fate of the planet – called “Hard Sun” – which they can’t believe is happening, but which is of less surprise to us viewers who’ve seen the trailers for the past few weeks.
I love an ‘End of the World’-type drama, but this is far more violent than I was expecting, especially for BBC1. In one or two places, it was even starting to feel like the first episode of Channel 4’s Utopia!
There’s a load of cloak-and-dagger stuff, with with some decent banter between the characters, but while a lot of it feels like a daft chase movie, with renegade cops who have nothing to lose, this was hugely enjoyable and far more entertaining than I expected. It simply doesn’t take itself too seriously, despite the harsh subject matter… but that’s to its credit.
There’s inspired use of David Bowie’s Five Years in this, too.
Never mind McMafia, Hard Sun is where it’s at!
Hard Sun continues next Saturday on BBC1 at 9.35pm, and is available to pre-order on Blu-ray and DVD, ahead of its release on February 19th. If you missed it, you can watch it on BBC iPlayer for 30 days after transmission, and click on the packshot for the full-size version.
Episode 1 Score: 9/10
Director: Brian Kirk
Producer: Hugh Warren
Writer: Neil Cross
Music: Neil Davidge
DCI Charlie Hicks: Jim Sturgess
DI Elaine Renko: Agyness Deyn
Grace Morrigan: Nikki Amuka-Bird
DS Keith Greener: Owain Arthur
Mari Butler: Aisling Bea
Simone Hicks: Lorraine Burroughs
Daniel: Jojo Macari
DS George Mooney: Adrian Rawlins
DCS Roland Bell: Derek Riddell
DS Mishal Ali: Varada Sethu
DS Herbie Sarafian: Joplin Sibtain
Felix Nicholson: Mark Carlisle
BBC Newsreader: Clive Myrie
Hailey Hicks: Tamara Smart
Sunny Ramachandran: Tom Reed
Lily Ezekpo: Teri Ann Bobb-Baxter
John Gregor: Simon Thorp
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.