O-T Fagbenle plays Marcus 'Ash' Ashton, a customs agent who joins UNIT, a clandestine surveillance squad targeting major drug traffickers after his partner is maimed during a routine bust. The eight-part series tracks Ash's transition from frustrated border cop to undercover operative as he and his new colleagues bug phones, tail suspects and stage elaborate stings across London and Kent docklands.
Created by former customs officer Tony Saint, the show borrowed its title and procedural detail from co-writer Kris Hollington's biography of real investigator Cameron Addicott. Cameras rolled in March 2014 until lead David Gyasi broke his leg; production restarted a month later with Fagbenle recast, shooting inside the disused BT tower at Vauxhall and around Gravesend's Nell's Café, redressed as 'Planet Thanet'. The production boasted the BBC's first all-electric support fleet, five leased Vauxhall Amperas trailing the action.
BBC One stripped the drama across Wednesday nights from 10 June to 29 July 2015, then quietly cancelled it after controller Charlotte Moore replaced the commissioning team. Ratings slid from 5.2 million for the opener to under 3 million by the finale, sealing its fate after a single run.
Production Details
BBC One / 1 Season / 8 Episodes / 2015
Created by: Tony Saint
Writer(s): Tony Saint, Simon Allen, Mark Catley
Producer(s): Patrick Schweitzer
Cinematography: Nick Dance, Shane Daly
Music: Paul Thomson
Main Cast
O-T Fagbenle as Marcus 'Ash' Ashton
Lorraine Ashbourne as Valerie
Lee Boardman as Michael 'Xavier' Duffy
Charlie de Melo as Martin
Jo Joyner as Lorna Ashton
Robert Lonsdale as Tommy
Anna Skellern as Kim
Trevor Eve as Roach
Jeany Spark as DI Gemmill
Anthony Grundy as Bernie
Melissa Johns as Sadie
Gary Beadle as Docker
