Inside Men: Did the final episode live up to expectations?

Steven MackIntosh as John the man with a double life.

Apologies for the psychoanalysis in advance, but after reading an interview with writer Tony Basgallop, namely these two lines of explanation: “Inside Men’s warehouse manager John Coniston (played brilliantly by Steven Mackintosh) is a beta, but in order to orchestrate a heist he has to become an alpha” and “Inside Men isn’t just a story about a robbery, it’s about what it means to be a modern man,” I have trouble believing somebody can completely change their personality in a short space of time with no trauma or catalyst to set it off! I’m not saying somebody can’t display both characteristics, but it’s not sustainable in reality; you are either one or the other with occasional increases/decreases in confidence that may tilt the balance the other way. Not one minute mild-mannered John to ruthless robber and killer, with not an ounce of the old John in sight.
The action, suspense and emotion were all present and acted brilliantly, seeing the heist from each of the characters’ perspectives was an impressive way of giving the heist a fresh view, without it appearing needless. Out of all the characters Chris and Gina stand out as the reality of what they intend to do hits them the hardest. If anything Chris displayed more of a realistic impression of what the writer describes, in that he goes from a follower, to someone who takes control of the situation by informing the police of the robbery, but still having that cut-off switch where he managed to stop himself going too far when attacking John and being aware of the cost of their actions.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved every minute of it and have enjoyed the wonderful acting and the suspense of the story. The going back and forwards in time could have easily become tedious, or confusing, but it seamlessly flowed drip-feeding us enough information to make us want to join the dots of the plot, but not too much to stop us from coming back for more. All the leads Steven Mackintosh, Ashley Walters, Warren Brown, Kierston Wareing Leila Mimmack and Nicola Walker all deserve to be applauded for their acting, I just would like more of an explanation as to the why?

We ended with Marcus and Gina getting away with that one box of money, he may not have wanted more, but if you’re on the run for a heist that big he could have a least took a couple more boxes! Chris returns to Dita and the baby, in the eyes of the police a hero for tipping them off about the heist (although that’s probably not enough to repay the cost of losing a leg). And then we’re left with John, who explained to his daughter (through the medium of The Gruffalo no less) that being good and truthful means you get overlooked and doesn’t get you where you want to go in life! His explanation to Chris of his reasoning; “I have wasted so many years being scared you have no idea. Nothing in this world is gonna frighten me again! This is what I wanted…this is what I stole…This man!” “THIS MAN” has lost him his job, his freedom and his family, all to prove he’s Mr alpha male?! John’s idea of a macho man is a deluded vision! Will he still be an alpha winner when he’s banged up for years (which I was thoroughly disappointed we saw no arrest, or an indication of his sentence).


All in all an enjoyable ride, that I would watch again, with Chris being the only true winner of the heist as he quite literally got away with it, even if he didn’t get the money. Just remember kids, you don’t need to steal and terrorise to be noticed, I’m sure a cool haircut will do


Contributed by Debs over at insidemediatrack
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Thecustard Chats with Kimberly Nixon of Kidnap & Ransom, ITV

This Thursday sees the return of Trevor Eve as no nonsense hostage negotiator Dominic King in the second series of ITV's Kidnap & Ransom. This 3-part drama is set in India and sees Dominic desperately trying free tourists being held hostage on a tour bus.. The series is exciting, intriguing and action packed. I recently spoke to actress Kimberly Nixon about her character Flo who quickly becomes a crucial part of the 3-part drama about what it was like shooting on a cramped bus in the blazing sun and her recent success in Channel 4's student comedy Fresh Meat.
Click Play to watch a clip from episode 1

Did you shoot in India?
No Actually we shot in Cape Town so its really good you couldn't tell.

Oh Cape Town so how did filming there differ from the UK shoots you've worked on?
It didn't massively differ. Obviously the terrain and weather is very different but they did a fantastic job with the set dressing and everything so its great you couldn't tell.

Flo is your average Hostage.

Your character Flo at the beginning just appears to be another hostage on the bus but by the end of the opening episode you start to wonder who is she really is. What can you say about her?

Well she's kind of the bus by accident she wasn't meant to be there. She's asked last minute and sort of goes with the flow. Then this hijacking happens and because of who she is and her connections she has to act really quickly and keep her real identity a secret from the hostages on the bus and from the hijackers because it could cause real problems.


What kind of person is Flo because she struck me as someone who takes risks but can also take charge?
Yes. I think she finds out things about herself in that situation that she didn't know before. I don't think she realises how strong she is but when faced with this hostage situation things come out of her that she didn't know were there.  She's in India trying to find out more about her mum who passed away when she was younger and this is the trip that her mum took so she's on it as a slight pilgrimage really.

Kimberly Nixon in Kidnap & Ransom

Not only is she trying to protect herself but she's also trying to keep her identity a secret from the other people on the bus was that a challenge for you sort of acting within acting?
Yes it was difficult because she can come across as quite selfish at times but its because she's trying to stay quiet about who she is. She has to make very difficult decsions at times throughout the first episode. She could give herself up and let all the others go but the ramifications of that are bigger than anyone there realises so its really difficult for her.

She's certainly an interesting character what interested you about the script when you first read it?
Well I was filming a comedy at the time so it was really nice to get something so different. Its an actor's dream really isn't it to be in something action packed and a bit sweaty. The action in it was something I hadn't done before so I was really really excited and I couldn't believe I got part the really.

The scenes with the hostages on the bus look very cramped and as you say hot and sweaty what was the atmosphere like on the bus?
We well shot for eleven days on the bus in very very hot weather and by the end we nearly killed someone! It was incredibly cramped it was an actual bus and you've got the twenty hostages, two people with guns and obviously what you can't see is that there's an entire camera crew on there. So everyone's sweating but it was perfect for the scenes we were trying to create. 


Did anyone sing The Wheels on the Bus?
I think if anyone had started to sing the wheels on the bus we'd've all jumped or killed someone! I think that would've just pushed all over the edge.


Had you seen last year's series?
I was actually in America when it was last year but when I was out there filming I was given a DVD of the first series and I absolutely loved it! It was great to be making it but to see last year's finished product. I thought it was great, really slick and cool and I hope ours looks like that. 


What was it like working with Trevor Eve? Is still daunting working with people you've seen on TV?
A little bit yeah. Its still quite weird isn't it? Having someone you've seen on screen for such a long time and then suddenly they're in a room with you that's a bit weird. I loved Waking the Dead that's right up my street. 

The cast of Channel 4's hit comedy Fresh Meat which will return in 2012

You're probably best known for playing Josie in Fresh Meat. Do you have a preference between doing drama or comedy?
Well hopefully I'll never have to choose. Hopefully I can do both. Before Fresh Meat I'd never done comedy before and two of the main cast are stand-ups I remember thinking before we started that I don't what I'm doing. I didn't know anything about timing or anything like that but it was so great. Its so different filming a comedy because you can actually laugh but drama is where I came from so I'm always going to be more comfortable in that maybe.


Fresh Meat will be back in 2012. What are your hopes for series 2 and what reaction have you had from fans?
The reaction to it has been incredible and I couldn't be more because we loved making it and we worked so hard making it because we knew it was great and we wanted to make it as great as it could be.  I think Josie needs to make some better decisions in the next series but I have no idea at all. Sam and Jessie the writers won't tell us anything! 


What do you think made it huge a success? As a viewer you could tell that the cast all bounced off it each other really well does this help do you think?
Yes! It was a very long audition process. The producers and the writers really wanted to get six people who were all a bit different, all a bit weird but who would gel and that's incredibly difficult task but they pulled it off. The six of us really adore each other and we had an amazing time and you can't fabricate that.  We're all from very different backgrounds but there's something in us as a group and we all love spending time together. You really care for the characters.



When do you start filming series 2?
We're filming May-August so hopefully it good be back on the TV in September.



Whenever I ask anyone who works in the industry this question they never want to answer it so.. what do you love and loathe on TV?
I love murder mysteries they're my passion! I had the Colombo boxset for Christmas and I love it! I hate things like Question Time because its always people shouting and nothing ever seems to get resolved.


That's because you like murder mysteries and you like a nice neat ending at the end!
Exactly! I like one bad person and by the end the of Question Time they're always too many bad people and nothing gets resolved.


Do you have an opinion on British Television?
I love it. I'm a real British comedy buff. Things like Fawlty Towers. The Office, Peep Show. That's what made doing Fresh Meat so daunting as we've such a good history of comedy you want to be able to carry on the trend.


What else are you working on the moment?
I've got two films out in the spring. One's called Hunky Dory with Minnie Driver and another film called Elfie Hopkins with Jamie Winstone. 


Kidnap and Ransom begins Thursday at 9.00pm on ITV1


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The TVWEEK: Saturday 25th February - Thursday 1st March 2012

Saturday
6.15pm Pointless: Celebrity Edition BBC1 - Alexander Armstrong hosts a celebrity edition of the gameshow featuring Lesley Joseph and Christopher Biggins
9.20pm I'm in a Boy Band BBC2 - Documentary exploring boy bands from the inside out. How do they work and what is it like to be in one? What is the secret of their popularity? A star-packed, cross-generational cast speak frankly about what it is really like to follow the boy band dream, from pioneering Motown legends like The Four Tops and the Jackson 5, to 21st century boys like One Direction and JLS.
Sunday
Continuing series include Upstairs, Downstairs 9.00pm BBC1
                                           Homeland 9.00pm Channel 4
                                           Being Human 9.00pm BBC3
Monday
2.15pm The Indian Doctor BBC1 - The comedy drama set in a Welsh mining village in the 1960s returns for a second series. Dr Prem Sharma and his wife Kamini nervously await the arrival of his dreaded mother-in-law, Pushpa. With India gripped by the chaos of a smallpox epidemic, Pushpa is taking the opportunity for a long-overdue inspection of her daughter's new life - and the son-in-law of whom she doesn't approve. Meanwhile, evangelist preacher Reverend Todd is struggling to control his pretty teenage daughter Verity, who is home from boarding school for the summer.
8..00pm The Dales ITV - Second series showcasing life on the Yorkshire Dales fronted by Adrian Edmunson
9.00pm Empire BBC1 - Jeremy Paxman traces the story of the greatest empire the world has ever known: the British Empire. In the first programme, he asks how such a small country got such a big head, and how a tiny island in the North Atlantic came to rule over a quarter of the world's population. He travels to India, where local soldiers and local maharajahs helped a handful of British traders to take over vast areas of land. Spectacular displays of imperial power dazzled the people and developed a cult of Queen Victoria as Empress, mother and virtual God. In Egypt, Jeremy explores the bit of Empire that never was, as Britain's temporary peace-keeping visit turned into a seventy year occupation.  
9.00pm Stop for My Stammer BBC3 - Documentary that follows a group of young people who have taken that important decision to tackle their stammers by enrolling on an intense speech therapy course led by pop star Gareth Gates. At the end of the course, they have to face an audience and deliver a speech. Can Gareth help them take control of their stammers?
9.00pm Pedigree Dogs Exposed: 3 Years On BBC4 - In 2008, Pedigree Dogs Exposed lifted the lid on the true extent of the health and welfare problems faced by pedigree dogs in the UK. The startling expose of harmful breeding practices generated a massive reaction from the public and from those involved in dog breeding. The programme's producer Jemima Harrison returns to explore what has happened since she made the original film. Now a campaigner on dog welfare, Jemima takes a personal look at the positive changes that have been introduced since the original film and investigates areas of continuing concern, particularly among breeds like the pug, the bulldog and the Cavalier King Charles spaniel
10.00pm Proud & Prejudiced Channel 4 - Documentary telling the story  of two of the most controversial men in Britain. Tommy Robinson, a tanning salon manager, is the leader of the English Defence League, the biggest far-right street protest movement for a generation. Sayful Islam, a former tax inspector, heads a small group of Muslim extremists, who have become notorious for abusing British soldiers and burning poppies on Remembrance Day. Both men enjoy a cult-like status with loyal followers, both are specialists in making highly inflammatory speeches and defying the authorities, and both are from the same town: Luton. Caught in the middle is Sarah Allen, the leader of Luton Borough Council's 'Luton in Harmony' initiative, the official fight back against the town's reputation as a hotbed of extremism.
10.35pm The Agenda ITV - ITV News political editor Tom Bradby hosts a new series of talk shows looking at the controversies and talking points of the week ahead. He is joined by studio guests to discuss stories ranging from politics to popular culture.
Tuesday
8.00pm Supersize vs Superskinny Channel 4
9.00pm Horizon: The Truth About Exercise BBC2 -  Michael Mosleyuncovers new research which suggests many of us could benefit from just three minutes of high intensity exercise a week. He discovers the hidden power of simple activities like walking and fidgeting, and finds out why some of us don't respond to exercise at all. Using himself as a guinea pig, Michael uncovers the surprising new research about exercise, that has the power to make us all live longer and healthier lives.
Wednesday
7.30pm The Food Inspectors BBC1 - Matt Allwright and Chris Hollins present a series following the work of food inspectors as they protect the nation from rogue restaurants and poisonous food. In this first episode, Matt investigates the countrywide problem of bootleg booze. Chris teams up with food inspector Ben Milligan, and drops in on an unsuspecting family at mealtime. Are they cooking clean, or risking their health with bad food hygiene

8.00pm The Fisherman's Apprentice with Monty Halls BBC2 - Monty Halls travels down to Cadgwith to live and work as a fisherman, to find out what's really involved in getting seafood onto our plates. As his apprenticeship continues, he learns more about the situation facing our traditional fishing fleet. 

Thursday

9.00pm Children of the Tsunami BBC2 -  Through compelling testimony from 7-10 year-old survivors, this film reveals how the deadly wave and the Fukushima nuclear accident have changed children's lives forever. The story unfolds at two key locations: a primary school where 74 children were killed by the tsunami; and a school close to the Fukushima nuclear plant, attended by children evacuated from the nuclear exclusion zone.

9.00pm Make Bradford British Channel 4 - Major two-part series exploring what it means to be British. It brings together some of Bradford's residents - all British citizens, but from different races and backgrounds - to see if they can come up with a common notion of the thread that binds them all together; what it means to be British. To define what it means to be British the series begins with the Government's own UK Citizenship Test; the Life in the UK Test. Over 100 people from across Bradford, all British citizens, are invited to sit the test, which includes the questions: What percentage of the British population is under the age of 19?; and: When were women given the right to vote? Eight people who fail the test are then invited to live together in a microcosm of multicultural society. 

10.00pm Our Man in... Ibiza Channel 4 - In this new series British consulates have opened their doors to TV cameras for the first time, giving unique access to consulates in some of Spain's busiest resorts From the ex-pat paradise of the Costa Blanca to Barcelona, Tenerife, Mallorca, and the party island of Ibiza. Under pressure and under fire, consulate staff are the thin red, white and blue line that lies between Brits in trouble and Brits in even more trouble. The first episode visits the party island of Ibiza where the consulate deals with the fallout from a new drug invading the club scene - the so-called 'pink pill'. One young tourist is found lost, nearly naked, and unable to recall anything but his name. Then the Brit dealers who supply the pills also need help after they're arrested. 

10.35pm My Dad is a Woman ITV - Documentary following two families in which one member goes through gender reassignment.