Deceit (2021 miniseries)

Last updated

Deceit
Genre Crime drama
Thriller
Written by Emilia di Girolamo
Directed by Niall MacCormick
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes4
Production
ProducerAdo Yoshizaki Cassuto
CinematographyJan Jonaeus
Running time48 minutes
Original release
Network Channel 4
Release13 August (2021-08-13) –
3 September 2021 (2021-09-03)

Deceit is a British four-part television drama miniseries, based on the true story of a controversial undercover operation carried out by the Metropolitan Police in 1992. Niamh Algar stars as the undercover police officer, codenamed "Lizzie James", who attempts to entrap a suspect in a murder investigation. It premiered on Channel 4 on 13 August 2021, and all subsequent episodes were made available for streaming on All 4 that same day after broadcast. [1] [2] The series, written by Emilia di Girolamo and produced by Story Films, received critical acclaim. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Cast

Production

In August 2020, Channel 4 Drama announced they had commissioned a new show with the working title My Name is Lizzie, examining the investigation into the killing of Rachel Nickell in 1992. [6]

Later retitled Deceit, the show includes scenes of verbatim dialogue as part of a fictionalised retelling of events. [7]

Release

It was first shown on Channel 4 each week, starting on 13 August 2021. All four episodes were made available on the channel's streaming service All 4 after the first episode was broadcast.

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air dateU.K. viewers
(millions)
1"Episode One"13 August 2021 (2021-08-13)N/A
During September 1992, DI Keith Pedder and forensic psychologist Paul Britton plan Operation Edzell, a sting operation against Colin Stagg, after making him the prime suspect due to criminal profiling. [1] Sadie pretends to be Lizzie James and that she is a friend of a former penpal of Stagg's. [1] Stagg believes 'Lizzie', who encourages him to reveal his sexual fantasies to her. Sadie's aim is to try to find out if he is likely to have carried out the sexual assault and stabbing killing of former model Rachel Nickell, a 23-year-old woman, on Wimbledon Common, South London, on 15 July that year. [1]
2"Episode Two"20 August 2021 (2021-08-20)N/A
The police would like arrest Stagg on suspicion of the murder of Rachel Nickell. He becomes increasingly attracted to 'Lizzie'. The police become aware that the existence of the sting has been leaked, but they do not know how that happened. The investigation team have 'Lizzie' arrange to meet Stagg, which she does as they watch them.
3"Episode Three"27 August 2021 (2021-08-27)N/A
'Lizzie' tells Stagg that she wants the man who killed Rachel Nickell. He tells her that he did not kill her. However, the police arrest him for her murder because he gave details of the position that she was in when found dead, which the media had not released. The pressure 'Lizzie' is under starts to affect her psychologically.
4"Episode Four"3 September 2021 (2021-09-03)N/A
The police's investigation rests on evidence from the controversial honeytrap. In November 1993, whilst Stagg is being held on remand, a young woman and her daughter, Samantha and Jazmine Bisset, are murdered in Plumstead, South London. The police disagree about how similar the Nickell and Bisset killings are. In 1994, the evidence gathered by 'Lizzie' is thrown out of court and the description of the position Nickell was found in is not close to what Stagg said it was. The case against Stagg collapses and he is freed. Sadie Byrne resigns. In 2008, Robert Napper, already serving life sentences for the Bisset murders, is convicted of the manslaughter of Rachel Nickell. Stagg receives £700,000 compensation.
Niamh Algar Niamh Algar in 2020.png
Niamh Algar

Critical reception

Lucy Mangan, writing for The Guardian , praises Algar's "phenomenal performance" and MacCormicks "magnificent and stylish" direction, and says the only problem the show has is that "it is dealing with events that are stranger than fiction." [5] Sara Wallis from Daily Mirror believes that the miniseries are "not hammer-blow viewing that reconstructs grisly murders" but a more detailed account of the impact of undercover work on Sadie. [4] During the BBC Radio 5 Live program, Algar expressed her opinion of Emilia di Girolamo's work, calling it "something unique" and "one of the most exciting dramas." [8]

Sean O'Grady, writing for The Independent , named Deceit "a gripping portrayal of a real-life undercover operation". [3] For her performance, Algar was nominated for Best Actress at the 2022 British Academy Television Awards. [9]

Related Research Articles

Rachel Jane Nickell was a British woman who was stabbed to death on Wimbledon Common in south-west London on 15 July 1992. The initial police investigation of the crime resulted in the arrest in controversial circumstances of an innocent man, who was acquitted. Her killer, Robert Napper, was identified by a later police investigation and convicted in 2008.

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Robert Clive Napper is an English serial killer and rapist. He has been convicted of two murders, one manslaughter, two rapes and two attempted rapes. He was sentenced to indefinite detention at Broadmoor Hospital on 18 December 2008 for the manslaughter of Rachel Nickell on 15 July 1992. He was previously convicted of the 1993 double murder of Samantha Bisset and her daughter Jazmine Bisset.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Rosseinsky, Katie (13 August 2021). "Deceit review: Niamh Algar continues hot streak in unsettling exploration of Lizzie James undercover case". Evening Standard . Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  2. ↑ "What's on TV tonight: The Hunt for a Killer, KGB: The Sword & The Shield and more". telegraph.co.uk. The Daily Telegraph. 4 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  3. 1 2 O'Grady, Sean (13 August 2021). "Deceit review: A gripping portrayal of a real-life undercover operation". independent.co.uk. The Independent . Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  4. 1 2 Wallis, Sara (14 August 2021). "'Channel 4's Deceit shows catastrophic police failings left Napper free to kill again'". mirror.co.uk. Daily Mirror . Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  5. 1 2 Mangan, Lucy (13 August 2021). "Deceit review – Rachel Nickell drama probes the ethics of entrapment". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  6. ↑ Dyche, Alex (6 August 2021). "Channel 4 Drama announces My Name is Lizzie (w/t)". Channel 4. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "Deceit - Programme Information". Channel 4. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  8. ↑ "Cooking with Paris Hilton, The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family, Deceit (with Niamh Algar)". bbc.co.uk. BBC Radio 5 Live. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  9. ↑ "Bafta TV awards 2022: full list of nominations". The Guardian . 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
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