By Any Means (2013 TV series)

Lore & Background

The series centers on a team of four operatives: leader Jack Quinn (Warren Brown), Jessica Jones (Shelley Conn), digital expert Thomas 'TomTom' Tomkins (Andrew-Lee Potts), and Charlie O'Brien (Elliot Knight). They receive information from a mysterious police contact, Helen Barlow (Gina McKee). Filming began in Birmingham on 26 April 2013, with locations including Spring Grove House, Victoria Law Courts, and Cannon Hill Park. Arsenal F.C. banned the show from using its branded shirts in the first episode due to a storyline portraying fans as criminals.

Reader's Guide

By Any Means received mixed critical reception. Jasper Rees of The Daily Telegraph noted its similarity to Hustle, while Matt Baylis of the Daily Express called it 'revoltingly poor.' Radio Times described it as 'ridiculous yet strangely likeable.' Overnight ratings declined from 4.11 million viewers for the first episode to 2.91 million for the third. Warren Brown confirmed on Twitter that the series was not commissioned for a second series. The show was released on DVD in the UK on 8 September 2014, though as of June 2015 it remained unreleased in the UK, with a Dutch DVD featuring edited 50-minute episodes.

Did You Know?

• The series was not commissioned for a second series, confirmed by Warren Brown on Twitter.
• A Dutch DVD exists with edited 50-minute episodes, compared to the 60-minute UK broadcast.

The Team and Their Mission

By Any Means debuted on BBC One in late September 2013, presenting viewers with a covert four-person unit that operated in the murky space where legal authority and personal justice blurred together. The group, led by the sharp and enigmatic Jack Quinn, took on the criminal underworld by employing the same devious tactics their targets used, wrapping themselves in layers of cunning and deception to ensnare and expose the guilty. Quinn was supported by the blunt and direct Jessica Jones, the tech-savvy Thomas "TomTom" Tomkins, and Charlie O'Brien, each bringing a distinct skill set to the team's elaborate schemes. Their intelligence pipeline ran through Helen Barlow, a mysterious figure connected to the police who fed them the names of their next marks. The drama was set against the backdrop of well-known London neighbourhoods, giving the high-stakes cat-and-mouse games a grounded, urban feel. Creator Tony Jordan, best known for Hustle, shaped the show's DNA, and the premise of a maverick team playing the criminals at their own game was designed to deliver surprise twists and richly layered characters to the BBC One audience.

Production and Filming Challenges

Principal photography kicked off in Birmingham on 26 April 2013, with Red Planet Pictures serving as the production company. Executive producer Belinda Campbell described the project as a gripping, edgy drama built around intricate plots and a strong ensemble, while BBC's head of Independent Drama Polly Hill praised the cast's chemistry and the maverick team concept. Although the story was set in named London locations, the physical shooting spread across the West Midlands, utilising Birmingham Film Studios, the Victoria Law Courts, Hotel La Tour, the Hyatt on Colmore Row, New Street, the Mailbox, Cannon Hill Park, and Sutton Park. Spring Grove House was selected to stand in for a Colombian embassy, with producer Tim Key noting that after scouting numerous alternatives, the building's interiors matched exactly what the key scenes required. An unusual production hurdle arose when Arsenal Football Club refused permission to feature their branded shirts in the opening episode, objecting to the storyline's portrayal of their supporters as criminals. The production team substituted unbranded generic tops to keep the scene intact without violating the club's image concerns.

A Divisive Critical Response

The six-episode run drew sharply divided opinions from reviewers. Overnight ratings told a story of gradual erosion: the premiere pulled in 4.11 million viewers (16.4% share), but by episode three the audience had fallen to 2.91 million (11.8%), with the final three episodes hovering around the 12% mark. Critics were equally split. Jasper Rees of The Daily Telegraph acknowledged the show's clear Hustle lineage—trickery, quips, and kinetic editing—but warned the leads' self-satisfied banter risked alienating viewers. Matt Baylis of the Daily Express was far harsher, calling it a "revoltingly poor" action drama that made him question how it secured a commission. Alice Jones in The Independent found it promising yet derivative, settling into "lowest common denominator" territory. Metro felt it never escaped its clichés, while Yahoo! faulted a lack of direction and an over-reliance on imitating recent hits. On the positive side, Radio Times called it ridiculous yet strangely likeable, a noisy blend of Hustle, Spooks, and Charlie's Angels, and Alison Graham ultimately concluded it was a thick-eared, purely entertaining adventure yarn she could not help but enjoy.

Aftermath and the Road to Home Media

The series' brief run ended without renewal. Warren Brown personally confirmed on Twitter that By Any Means had not been commissioned for a second series, closing the door on any further adventures for Quinn, Jones, TomTom, and O'Brien. The show's afterlife on home media proved equally troubled. A UK DVD release was initially scheduled for 8 September 2014, yet as of June 2015 the disc had still not appeared on British shelves. The only physical edition available internationally was a Dutch pressing, and even that version came with a notable compromise: each episode had been trimmed from the original sixty-minute runtime to fifty minutes, altering the pacing and structure of the broadcast version. For fans who had followed the six-episode arc on BBC One, the absence of a domestic disc meant the series existed primarily as a streaming or broadcast memory. The combination of a single-season lifespan, a cancelled follow-up, and a delayed physical release left By Any Means as a curious footnote in Tony Jordan's otherwise prolific television career, a show that generated passionate debate among critics but never quite found a permanent home beyond its initial airing.