Roadkill is set to heat up Sunday nights

We’ve had murder, mayhem and relationship dramas pop up on our screens lately, but now it’s time for a little political intrigue.

It’s a topic award-winning playwright and screenwriter David Hare enjoys – you may know him best for his Worricker Trilogy, in which Bill Nighy played a long-serving MI5 officer embroiled in all manner of political machinations. Hare also wrote satirical play Pravda, set in the world of journalism – another topic that pops up in his latest project.

It was a very different production to either of those that introduced him to Hugh Laurie, who takes the lead role in Roadkill. They first worked together on Strapless, a 1989 movie about an ex-pat US doctor living in London. Back then Laurie was best known for his work as one half of Fry and Laurie with his best pal Stephen Fry.

More than 30 years on, he’s now an established actor, having won numerous plaudits for his central role in US medical drama House, The Night Manager, Veep and Catch-22.

“I first worked with Hugh Laurie as he set off on his riveting change of direction from adroit comedian to commanding dramatic actor,” says Hare. “I can’t wait to see him embody the fictional future of the Conservative Party in Roadkill.”

In this four-part tale Laurie plays Peter Laurence, a charismatic politician who, when we first meet him, is a rising star with a bright future ahead of him after winning a newspaper libel case. While celebrating his triumph, he receives a call from the Prime Minister, who has big news – she’s considering promoting him, which would mean swapping his current role as Minister for Transport for a more eye-catching office of state.

But Laurence shouldn’t be feeling too pleased with himself, or resting on his laurels – already vultures are circling. The most notable of them is Charmian Pepper, the journalist who wrote the offending article. Her career now lies in tatters, but she’s determined to regain her credibility.

Despite being fired, she persuades her former editor and the newspaper’s owner to send her to Washington DC, where she’s convinced she can find the evidence she needs to prove she was right.

Meanwhile, Laurence’s barrister receives a mysterious anonymous phone call from somebody claiming to have information on the case, just as his special advisor reveals an inmate in Shephill women’s prison claims to have a secret about Laurence’s past that he will undoubtedly want to keep quiet because if it came to light, it would have a disastrous impact on his future…

Helen McCrory, Iain De Caestecker, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Saskia Reeves, Sarah Greene, Patricia Hodge and Ophelia Lovibond are also among the impressive supporting cast.

“The casting of Roadkill illustrates the extraordinary depth and range newly on show in British film acting,” claims Hare. “Hugh Laurie is leading a great ensemble.”

With the nights drawing in and the weather taking a turn for the worse, Roadkill looks set to heat up Sunday evenings a treat – expect it to make an appearance at various awards ceremonies next year too.

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