Paapa Essiedu to star in The Capture Season 2
David Farnor | On 12, Aug 2021
Paapa Essiedu will co-star in The Capture when it returns for Season 2, alongside returning star Holliday Grainger.
Escalating from the CCTV thriller of Season 1, the second season of the surveillance thriller will again question if we can really believe what we see. Britain is under siege: hacked news feeds, manipulated media, and interference in politics. Entrenched in the UK’s own ‘Correction’ unit, DCI Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger) finds herself in the middle of a new conspiracy – with a new target. But how can she solve this case when she can’t even trust her closest colleagues?
The six-part run features “invisible” assassins, the rise of deepfake technology, the ever-growing tension between government and Big Tech, and corruption at the heart of the British media.
Also returning for Season 2 are Ron Perlman (Hand Of God, Sons Of Anarchy), Ben Miles (Devils, V For Vendetta,), Lia Williams (The Crown, Riviera), Cavan Clerkin (The Last Kingdom, Babylon), Ginny Holder (Avenue5, MotherFatherSon) and Nigel Lindsay (The Salisbury Poisonings, The Last Kingdom).
Essiedu (I May Destroy You, Gangs Of London, Hamlet) will play Isaac Turner, a young rising star MP with ambitions for the very top. Other new additions to the cast include Indira Varma (This Way Up, Game Of Thrones) and Andy Nyman (Hanna, Unforgettable).
Created and written by Ben Chanan, the first series of The Capture was a big hit for the BBC, growing its live BBC One audience across the series and attracting an average consolidated audience of 7.7 million viewers. On BBC iPlayer, it was 2019’s most requested new title across all genres.
Season 2 is once again written by Ben Chanan. James Kent (MotherFatherSon) and Philippa Langdale (A Discovery of Witches) have boarded Season 2 to direct. Executive Producers are David Heyman, Rosie Alison and Tom Winchester for Heyday Television, Tom Coan for NBCUniversal International Studios, with Ben Irving for the BBC alongside Ben Chanan and Derek Ritchie. The producer is Kristian Dench.
Essiedu says: “I’m so excited to be coming on board with The Capture. Ben has written one of the freshest and most prescient scripts of recent times and I can’t wait to see what this incredible cast and crew can do with it.”
Chanan adds: “I am thrilled to be working with Paapa Essiedu on The Capture series two. I’ve honed the story of Isaac Turner, a young, ambitious, idealistic British politician with Paapa in mind, and there’s no actor I’d rather collaborate with in bringing it to life. I also feel incredibly lucky to be welcoming Indira Varma and Andy Nyman to the show, where they join the brilliant Holliday Grainger, Ron Perlman, Lia Williams and the cast from series one. A dream cast, across the board.”
BBC renews The Capture for Season 2
4th June 2020
BBC One has renewed The Capture for a second season.
Written and directed by BAFTA winner Ben Chanan, The Capture is an acutely timed thriller that looks at a troubling world of fake news and the extraordinary capabilities of the intelligence services. In this ‘post-truth era’, can we really believe what we see?
“As unsettling as it is compelling”, we described the show in our review of Season 1.
Season 1 was a huge hit for BBC One, growing its audience across the series, and was BBC iPlayer’s biggest new title of 2019. It has had over 22 million requests on the platform to date. Now, with star Callum Turner nominated today for Leading Actor at the BAFTA TV awards, BBC One, Heyday Television and NBCUniversal International Studios have confirmed that the surveillance thriller is returning to our screens.
Holliday Grainger will reprise her role as Rachel Carey, with Season 2 picking up after the ending of Season 1 which saw Carey make a surprising decision. Chanan will also return to helm Season 2. Further details and casting will be announced in due course.
Grainger says: “I’m excited to be joining Ben Chanan and the team for series two of The Capture. Ben’s meticulously researched world challenges the boundary between possible and probable dark truths and constantly keeps you guessing. I can’t wait to explore what he has in store for Rachel Carey next.”
Chanan says: “I am thrilled to be joining forces with the BBC, Heyday and NBCUniversal International Studios again. The Capture series two will see Rachel Carey fall deeper into the dizzying world of fakery and disinformation. She has only just scratched the surface of this conspiracy.”
Season 1 of The Capture is available to stream on BBC iPlayer until October 2020.
Watch: BBC drops first trailer for The Capture
25th July 2019
The BBC has dropped the first trailer for new thriller The Capture.
Written and directed by BAFTA winner Ben Chanan, The Capture is an acutely timed thriller that looks at a troubling world of fake news and the extraordinary capabilities of the intelligence services. In this ‘post-truth era’, can we really believe what we see?
When Shaun Emery’s (Callum Turner) conviction for a murder in Afghanistan is overturned due to flawed video evidence, he returns to life as a free man with his young daughter. But when damning CCTV footage from a night out in London comes to light, Shaun’s life takes a shocking turn and he must soon fight for his freedom once again. With DI Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger) drafted in to investigate Shaun’s case, she quickly learns that the truth can sometimes be a matter of perspective. Should she trust Shaun?
The thriller is made for BBC One by Heyday Television and NBCUniversal International Studios, and also stars Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Hand Of God), Famke Janssen (X Men, Taken) and Ben Miles (The Crown, Coupling). Here’s the trailer:
First look: Holliday Grainger in BBC One’s The Capture
18th June 2019
The first image of Holliday Grainger (Strike, Patrick Melrose) and Callum Turner (War & Peace, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald) in The Capture has been released.
When soldier Shaun Emery’s (Turner) conviction for a murder in Afghanistan is overturned due to flawed video evidence, he returns to life as a free man with his young daughter. But when damning CCTV footage from a night out in London comes to light, Shaun’s life takes a shocking turn and he must soon fight for his freedom once again. With DI Rachel Carey (Grainger) drafted in to investigate Shaun’s case, she quickly learns that the truth can sometimes be a matter of perspective. Should she trust Shaun Emery?
The BBC thriller looks at a troubling world of fake news and the extraordinary capabilities of the intelligence services. In this ‘post-truth era’, can we really believe what we see?
The six-part series is made for BBC One by Heyday Television and NBCUniversal International Studios, and also stars Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Hand Of God), Famke Janssen (X Men, Taken), Ben Miles (The Crown, Coupling), Laura Haddock (Transformers: The Last Knight, Guardians Of The Galaxy), Lia Williams (The Crown, Kiri), Sophia Brown (Clique, Marcella) and Paul Ritter (Chernobyl, Friday Night Dinner).
The Capture is written and directed by the Bafta award-winning filmmaker Ben Chanan. Executive Producers are David Heyman, Rosie Alison and Tom Winchester for Heyday Television, Tom Coan for NBCUniversal International Studios, Ben Irving for BBC One and Ben Chanan. It will air later this year on BBC One.
Ron Perlman joins BBC One’s The Capture
7th March 2019
Ron Perlman has joined the cast of BBC One’s new surveillance drama The Capture.
The modern series, set in London, looks at a troubling world of misinformation, fake news, and the extraordinary technological capabilities of the intelligence services. In the post-truth era and when criminal justice relies so heavily on video evidence, can we always trust what we see?
The six-part series is written and directed by Ben Chanan, and is produced by Heyday Television and NBCUniversal International Studios.
Callum Turner (War And Peace, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald) and Holliday Grainger (Strike, Cinderella) have already been announced as cast members, and now, they’re getting an extra star boost with the addition of Perlman (Hellboy, Hand Of God), who joins alongside Famke Janssen (X Men, Taken), Laura Haddock (Transformers: The Last Knight, Guardians Of The Galaxy), Ben Miles (The Crown, Coupling), Lia Williams (The Crown, Kiri), Sophia Brown (Clique, Marcella), Paul Ritter (Friday Night Dinner, Quantum Of Solace), Adelayo Adedayo (Origin, Some Girls) and Ralph Ineson (Harry Potter, Game Of Thrones).
Cavan Clerkin (The Last Kingdom, The Inbetweeners), Barry Ward (Jimmy’s Hall, Save Me), Ginny Holder (Death In Paradise, Holby City) and Nigel Lindsay (Four Lions, Victoria) will also star.
Chanan says: “I am incredibly excited to see The Capture brought to life by such a wonderful cast and crew. It’s an honour to come to work every day with these hugely talented people.”
The series is currently filming in London.
Callum Turner and Holliday Grainger to star in BBC One’s The Capture
31st October 2018
Callam Turner and Holliday Grainger will star in The Capture, BBC One’s new surveillance thriller.
Written and directed by Ben Chanan (Cyberbully) and produced by Heyday Television and NBCUniversal International Studios, the six-part series is set in London and follows a British soldier’s return home from Afghanistan, where he was convicted for murder.
When that conviction is successfully overturned due to flawed video evidence, the proud Shaun Emery (Turner) begins to plan for his life as a free man with his six year old daughter. However, when damning CCTV footage emerges from an incident in London, it isn’t long before he finds himself fighting for his freedom once more, with lies, betrayal and corruption spreading further than he ever could have imagined. With DI Rachel Carey (Grainger) drafted in to investigate in what could be a career-defining case, she must discover if there is more to the shocking evidence than first meets the eye. Rachel will soon learn that the truth is merely a matter of perspective – before deciding what hers is.
With an adamant Shaun battling with his tormented past in order to clear his name once and for all, The Capture looks at a world of misinformation, fake news, and the extraordinary technological capabilities of the intelligence services. In the post-truth era and when criminal justice relies so heavily on video evidence, can we always believe what we see?
Turner describes the script as “one of the best things I’ve ever read”.
“I jumped at the chance to join this wonderful team of people,” he says. “Shaun Emery is an antihero. He’s funny yet wounded, complex, visceral and dangerous. The epic journey he goes on was one I wanted to travel.”
Holliday Grainger adds: “I am thrilled to be joining the complex and intriguing world of The Capture. Ben Chanan’s scripts are totally absorbing – I’m excited to explore the mind of DI Rachel Carey.”
Chanan comments: “I am thrilled to have Holliday Grainger and Callum Turner leading our cast. As detective and suspect respectively, Rachel and Shaun must grapple their way through a world of deception and moral uncertainty. With Holliday and Callum, I feel blessed to have two such brilliant, dynamic and engaging lead actors taking us on that journey.”
Filming will begin next month and further casting will be announced in due course.