National Treasure

5 September 2016

 

Robbie Coltrane, Julie Walters, Andrea Riseborough and Tim McInnerny star in NATIONAL TREASURE, BAFTA-winning writer Jack Thorne’s 4-part drama commissioned by Channel 4 and directed by BAFTA-winning director Marc Munden.

Examining the impact, both public and private, of accusations of historic sexual offences against a fictional much-loved public figure, the series is a timely exploration of truth, memory, trust and family. As the investigation and criminal trial work their way towards a verdict, those closest to Paul must deal with the effects of the investigation. Memories that have become muddied in the intervening four decades are dredged, doubts flourish, loyalties are tested, and truths, half-truths and lies are all exposed.

Series Outline

Jack Thorne’s (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, This is England, The Fades, The Last Panthers) compelling and timely new four part serial drama, commissioned by Channel 4 and directed by Marc Munden (The Devil’s Whore, The Crimson Petal and the White, Utopia), examines accusations of sexual misconduct against a fictional public figure and explores their impact on the accused and those most closely associated with him as he is brought to trial.

Paul Finchley is one half of a much loved comedy double act – a cherished household name with a career that spans several decades. He’s not quite as successful as he once was, but nevertheless he’s frequently recognised on the street, affectionately called upon by taxi drivers to repeat his famous catchphrase and is a familiar face in the TV schedules. He’s a bona fide national treasure.

Then he receives a knock at his door. Faced with an accusation of historical sexual offences, the life of this adored entertainer begins to unravel.

Paul and all those closest to him are put under the intense pressure of the investigation and the merciless media circus that accompanies it, from his wife and family to his manager to his loyal (and more successful) comedy partner.  And, of course, his accusers, must run the same gauntlet in parallel. 

BAFTA-winner Robbie Coltrane (Harry Potter, Cracker, Tutti Frutti) plays Paul Finchley, one half of a much-loved comedy double act – a cherished household name with a career that spans several decades. He’s not quite as successful as he once was, but nevertheless he’s frequently recognised on the street, affectionately called upon by taxi drivers to repeat his famous catchphrase and is a familiar face in the TV schedules. He’s a bona fide national treasure. But, in the face of accusations of historic sexual offences from the 1990s, the life of this adored comedian begins to unravel.

BAFTA- and Golden Globe-winner Julie Walters (Harry Potter, Mo, Indian Summers, Brooklyn) plays Marie. Married to Paul for over 40 years, Marie is a strong woman who’s supported her husband throughout his career, despite some tough times. As the investigation unfolds, Marie is forced to ask herself – is the man she’s spent her life with different to the man she thought she married?

BAFTA-nominated Andrea Riseborough (The Devil’s Whore, Birdman, Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley) plays Dee, Paul’s daughter. Deeply troubled and a recovering addict, the accusations levelled against her father threatens her recovery, and the public and private fallout from the case compounds the difficulties she her already faces from fragile state of mind.

Tim McInnerny (Notting Hill, Blackadder, Game of Thrones) plays Karl, Paul’s comedy partner for decades, the other half of the much-loved duo Karl & Paul. He’s known Paul and Marie for decades, but his relationship with Paul is a complex one, at once deeply loyal but also based on jealousy and resentment.

As the investigation and criminal trial work their way towards a verdict, memories that have become muddied in the intervening four decades are dredged, doubts flourish, loyalties are tested, and truths, half-truths and lies are all exposed.