SS-GB (TV series)

Last updated

SS-GB
SS GB titlecard.JPG
Genre
Created by Len Deighton
Based on SS-GB
by Len Deighton
Written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade
Directed by Philipp Kadelbach
Starring
Composer Dan Jones
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes5
Production
Executive producers
  • Sally Woodward Gentle
  • Lee Morris
  • Neal Purvis
  • Robert Wade
ProducerPatrick Schweitzer
Production locationLondon
CinematographyStuart Bentley
EditorDavid Blackmoore
Running time60 minutes
Production company Sid Gentle Films Ltd
Original release
Network BBC One
Release19 February (2017-02-19) 
19 March 2017 (2017-03-19)

SS-GB is a 2017 British drama series produced for the BBC [1] and based on the 1978 novel of the same name by Len Deighton. It is set in a 1941 alternative timeline in which the United Kingdom is occupied by Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

Contents

Background

In the alternative world, it is November 1941, nine months after a successful German invasion of Britain. Winston Churchill has been executed, and King George VI is a prisoner who has not been seen in public for some time. His queen, Elizabeth, and their daughters Elizabeth and Margaret have escaped. A British government in exile, led by Rear-Admiral Conolly, exists but is not recognised by the United States. Germany has also maintained friendly relations with the Soviet Union, and Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov has just flown in to oversee the removal of the body of Karl Marx to the Soviet Union.

Douglas Archer, a Scotland Yard murder squad Detective Superintendent with a stellar reputation, is working under a German superior from the Schutzstaffel 's (SS) Security Service, the security force of the Nazi Party. Though his wife was killed by a German bombing raid in the Blitz, Archer avoids involvement in political crimes and views resistance to the Nazis as futile. A routine murder investigation becomes political when it appears to have been perpetrated by agents of the British Resistance. An aggressive SS officer arrives and takes control of the investigation, which is of interest to the SS because the victim may have possessed data from the German Army's programme to produce an atomic bomb. Archer also learns that his secretary and lover, Sylvia Manning, is a member of the British Resistance, and he is reluctantly drawn into a conspiracy against the Germans.

Production

In November 2014, it was announced that the BBC had commissioned writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade to adapt Len Deighton's novel SS-GB . [2]

In August 2015, it was announced that Sam Riley was in talks to star in the lead role of Detective Superintendent Douglas Archer of Scotland Yard. [3] Riley's casting was confirmed in late September 2015. [4]

Production began in October 2015 and ended in January 2016. The series was produced by Sid Gentle Films Ltd. It was broadcast on BBC One in five one-hour episodes from 19 February 2017 and 19 March 2017.

The series filmed various scenes for episodes 1 to 4 at the Chatham Historic Dockyard in Kent. The location was used as a double for London streets and the mortuary that is featured in episode 1. [5]

Cast

Episodes

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [9]
11"Episode 1" Philipp Kadelbach Neal Purvis and Robert Wade 19 February 2017 (2017-02-19)8.68
Detective Superintendent Douglas Archer is looking into a routine murder in German-occupied London when SS officer Oskar Huth arrives and assumes control of the investigation. Archer learns that his secretary and lover, Sylvia Manning, is involved with the British Resistance against the Nazis.
22"Episode 2"Philipp KadelbachNeal Purvis and Robert Wade26 February 2017 (2017-02-26)5.54
Archer and Huth foil a plot by the Resistance to abduct Archer's son for leverage. Archer later lets Sylvia escape again. He is approached by a cabal of British gentlemen who appear to be conspiring against the Germans, and he goes home with American reporter Barbara Barga. She warns Archer that if he refuses to co-operate with the Resistance, it may kill him. Archer deduces that his murder victim, William Spode, was an atomic physicist working for a German faction outside the SS and was presumably killed by the Resistance. Police Constable Jimmy Dunn is murdered by Resistance vigilantes, who believe that he collaborated with the Nazis.
33"Episode 3"Philipp KadelbachNeal Purvis and Robert Wade5 March 2017 (2017-03-05)4.30
A Resistance operative tries to kill Archer, who later interrogates Spode's brother, John, who is killed by cyanide cigarette. George Mayhew and General von Ruff are plotting to rescue King George from Nazi captivity as a means for the German Army to discredit the SS. Archer finds a film canister left behind by William and has its contents developed in secret. The Resistance detonates a bomb at a German-Soviet ceremony to remove Karl Marx's body to the Soviet Union.
44"Episode 4"Philipp KadelbachNeal Purvis and Robert Wade12 March 2017 (2017-03-12)3.79
Archer sends his son out of the city to the unoccupied zone. Harry Woods and Sylvia are picked up as the Nazis impose martial law on London. Archer agrees to help Mayhew free the king and entrusts Barbara with Spode's negatives, which contain images of atomic calculations. Fritz Kellermann arranges for Harry's release, and Archer shelters Sylvia at his flat. One of Mayhew's conspirators is murdered, but the rescue plan proceeds. Barbara is taken by the SS.
55"Episode 5"Philipp KadelbachNeal Purvis and Robert Wade19 March 2017 (2017-03-19)3.54
Archer and Harry transport King George, who is gravely ill, but they have engine trouble and call Sylvia for aid. The US embassy secures Barbara's release before Kellermann can interrogate her with torture. Archer, Harry and Sylvia flee with the King as Kellermann learns of the escape and sends men in pursuit. They are ambushed by Huth at the rendezvous point, and Sylvia and the King are killed. Working with the Resistance, an American battleship attacks and destroys the German atomic research centre at Bringle Sands, the King's escape being a diversion to lure the security forces. Having placed all blame on Huth, Kellermann executes him by firing squad. Archer escapes with the negatives into the countryside, with Kellermann uncertain whether he's dead or alive.

Reception

SS-GB received highly-positive reviews, [10] with The Telegraph giving the series 4 out of 5 and saying that the "alt-history thriller deserves a follow-up series". [11] The main criticisms were against the sound quality and the reportedly-inaudible dialogue for some viewers in the first episode, which the BBC offered to "look at" for future episodes. [12] [13]

The first episode achieved good ratings, with over 8.5 million viewers tuning in. However, as the series went on, ratings gradually fell, with only 3.5 million watching the final episode. [9]

The review by The Guardian awarded three of five stars based on a viewing of the first two episodes. It commented that the series "holds up handsomely on the big screen, favouring film noir style over pulp content" but added that "it would be helpful to see more of the minutiae of London life under the Nazis, to get some fresh air after being confined to the corridors of power". [14]

The series was released on DVD and BD on 10 July 2018; approximately a year later, the Rotten Tomatoes site showed a Critic's Consensus of 89% favourable and commented, "SS-GB is a convincingly wrought slice of hypothetical history, drenched in noir style and dense with moral quandaries". [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

Leonard Cyril Deighton is a British author. His publications have included cookery books and works on history, but he is best known for his spy novels.

<i>SS-GB</i> 1978 alternative history by Len Deighton

SS-GB is an alternative history novel by Len Deighton, set in a United Kingdom conquered and occupied by Germany during the Second World War. The novel's title refers to the branch of the Nazi SS that controls Britain. It was first published in 1978.

David Troughton is an English actor. He is known for his Shakespearean roles on the British stage and for his many roles on British television, including Dr Bob Buzzard in A Very Peculiar Practice and Ricky Hanson in New Tricks.

Neal Purvis and Robert Wade are British screenwriters who co-wrote seven James Bond films, from 1999's The World Is Not Enough to 2021's No Time to Die, as well as other works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wenlock Edge</span> Limestone escarpment near Much Wenlock, Shropshire, England

Wenlock Edge is a limestone escarpment near Much Wenlock, Shropshire, England and a site of special scientific interest because of its geology. It is over 19 miles (31 km) long, running southwest to northeast between Craven Arms and Much Wenlock, and is roughly 1,083 feet above sea level. The deciduous woodland which runs along it covers much of the steep slopes of the escarpment and in parts it is very well preserved.

Simon Rouse is an English actor, known for playing the role of Detective Chief Inspector, later Superintendent, Jack Meadows in the long-running ITV police drama The Bill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bomber (novel)</span> War novel by Len Deighton

Bomber is a novel by Len Deighton that was published in the United Kingdom in 1970. It is the fictionalised account of "the events relating to the last flight of an RAF Bomber over Germany on the night of June 31st, 1943", a deliberately non-existent date, in which an RAF bombing raid on the Ruhr area of western Germany goes wrong. In each chapter, the plot is advanced by seeing the progress of the day through the eyes of protagonists on both sides of the conflict.

Robert Daws is an English actor, and crime fiction author. He is best known for his television roles, including Tuppy Glossop in Jeeves and Wooster (1990–93), gruff cricketer Roger Dervish in the comedy Outside Edge (1994–96), mini-cab firm owner Sam in the sitcom Roger Roger (1996–2003), and East Yorkshire GP Dr Gordon Ormerod in the period medical drama The Royal (2003–11).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural depictions of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson</span> Fictional and biographical depictions of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson in culture

Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson have been depicted in popular culture, both biographical and fictional, following his abdication in 1936 and their marriage the following year.

The third season of the Australian police-drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 12 February 1996 and aired on Monday nights, and later, Tuesday nights, at 8:30 PM. The 42-episode season concluded 26 November 1996. All main cast members from the previous season returned. Tasma Walton was introduced in episode 107 as Dash McKinley.

<i>Blue Heelers</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of the Australian police-drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 24 February 1998 and aired on Wednesday nights at 8:30 PM. The 41-episode season concluded 25 November 1998. The 41-episode fifth season saw the show move to Wednesday nights at 8:30 PM, making way for All Saints on Tuesdays at 8.30 PM.

George VI is depicted in art and popular culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural depictions of Winston Churchill</span> Winston Churchill as depicted in culture

Named the Greatest Briton of all time in a 2002 poll, and widely regarded as being among the most influential people in British history, Winston Churchill has been regularly portrayed in film, television, radio and other media. The depictions range from minor character to the biographical centerpiece, exceeding 30 films, more than two dozen television shows, several stage productions, and countless books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hypothetical Axis victory in World War II</span> Alternate history scenario

A hypothetical military victory of the Axis powers over the Allies of World War II (1939–1945) is a common topic in speculative literature. Works of alternative history (fiction) and of counterfactual history (non-fiction) include stories, novels, performances, and mixed media that often explore speculative public and private life in lands conquered by the coalition, whose principal powers were Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy.

There is a significant body of fiction set in an alternate history or a secret history, where the Operation Sea Lion, a German plan to invade Britain during World War II, is attempted or successfully carried out. However, analyses by experts during a wargame conducted in 1974 concluded that there was little chance of the plan succeeding.

James Northcote is an English actor and producer who has appeared in Wuthering Heights (2011), Anna Karenina (2012), Nymphomaniac (2013), The Imitation Game (2014), and The Last Kingdom (2017–2022).

<i>Jamaica Inn</i> (2014 TV series) 2014 British TV series or programme

Jamaica Inn is a British drama television series that was first broadcast on BBC One for three consecutive nights from 21 to 23 April 2014. The three-part series, written by Emma Frost, is an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's 1936 gothic novel Jamaica Inn set in Cornwall. It was poorly received, becoming a subject of controversy and making national news over its mumbling cast and other sound problems.

<i>The Missing</i> (British TV series) 2014 British television drama

The Missing is a British anthology drama written by brothers Harry and Jack Williams. It was first broadcast in the UK on BBC One on 28 October 2014, and in the United States on Starz on 15 November 2014. The first eight-part series, about the search for a missing boy in France, was directed by Tom Shankland. It stars Tchéky Karyo as Julien Baptiste, the French detective who leads the case, with James Nesbitt and Frances O'Connor as the boy's parents.

The Man in the High Castle is an American dystopian alternate history television series created for streaming service Amazon Prime Video, depicting a parallel universe where the Axis powers of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan rule the world after their victory in World War II. It was created by Frank Spotnitz and produced by Amazon Studios, Ridley Scott's Scott Free Productions, Headline Pictures, Electric Shepherd Productions, and Big Light Productions. The series is based on Philip K. Dick's 1962 novel of the same name.

Philipp Kadelbach is a German film and television director. In discussing Kadelbach, actor Jürgen Schornagel stated "He's in the top five of the 116 directors I've worked with. He helps young people and experienced actors - and he lets us make mistakes".

References

  1. Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (10 February 2017). "SS-GB's dystopian parallel universe – a drama for our time". The Guardian . Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  2. "James Bond Writers to Adapt Len Deighton NovelSS-GB for BBC". Variety . 19 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  3. "Sam Riley In Talks To Star, Philipp Kadelbach On Board To Direct James Bond Scribes Purvis And Wade's SS:GB". Deadline Hollywood . 7 August 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  4. "Maleficent and Control star Sam Riley to play the lead in new BBC Nazi thriller SS:GB". Radio Times . 29 September 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  5. Kent Film Office (14 February 2017). "Kent Film Office SS-GB Article".
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Sam Riley and Kate Bosworth take the lead in ambitious new BBC One Drama SS-GB". BBC. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  7. "Meet the cast of SS-GB". Radio Times. 9 June 2017. p. 4. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  8. "BBC - SS-GB - Media Centre". BBC.
  9. 1 2 "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Barb.co.uk. (Search relevant dates for figures.)
  10. "SS-GB: Miniseries". Rotten Tomatoes.
  11. Rees, Jasper (19 March 2017). "SS-GB, episode 5, review: alt-history thriller deserves a follow-up series". The Telegraph .
  12. "SS-GB: BBC to 'look at' sound levels after mumbling complaints". BBC News. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  13. Weaver, Matthew (19 February 2017). "'I will mumble this only once': BBC's Nazi drama SS-GB hit by dialogue complaints". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  14. "SS-GB review – London is falling in chilling alt-history of second world war". the Guardian. 15 February 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  15. "SS-GB". Rotten Tomatoes .