Principal photography begins on new C4 drama The Fear

Fresh from his stunning turn in the critically acclaimed Tyrannosaur, Peter Mullan returns to C4 as Brighton crime boss turned entrepreneur Richie Beckett.  Harry Lloyd (Game of Thrones, The Iron Lady), Paul Nicholls (The Passion, Clapham Junction) Anastasia Hille (Snow White and the Huntsman, The Awakening) and Richard E Grant (The Crimson Petal & The White) also star in the 4 X 60 series written by Richard Cottan (Wallander, Hancock & Joan) and directed by Michael Samuels (Any Human Heart).  

Pursuing his dream of rebuilding Brighton's derelict West Pier, Richie Beckett's hard-earned respectability is threatened by two new enemies: An invading Albanian mafia and an aggressive form of early onset dementia. Struggling to contain the invasion, sons Matty (Harry Lloyd) and Cal (Paul Nicholls) need a peacemaker, but Richie's erratic and extreme behavior only inflames the situation.

As his sons and wife Jo (Anastasia Hille) deal with the fall-out of his worsening condition, we see further and further into Richie's decaying mind. In desperation, Richie turns to old adversary Seb (Richard E. Grant)for answers. But with his short term memory fading, Richie's dark past bleeds into the present, revealing unresolved traumas that echo the chaos that now surrounds him

What emerges is a spiraling battle to resist an implacable enemy, acted out on the streets of Brighton and inside the head of Richie Beckett. 

The Fear is commissioned by Roberto Troni for Channel 4, is executive produced by Simon Heath  (Line of Duty, United) produced by Tim Bricknell (Eric & Ernie, Cold Mountain) for World Productions, makers of Line of Duty, United, The Cops and Party Animals, in association with WW Entertainment.