Culprits (TV series)
British heist series created by J Blakeson.
Culprits is a British heist television series from creator J Blakeson. It debuted as a Star Original on Disney+’s Star hub on 8 November 2023 in multiple countries. The plot centers on a group of elite criminals who split up after a major heist, hoping to start fresh, but a relentless assassin begins picking them off one by one, forcing their past to catch up with them.
The cast includes Nathan Stewart-Jarrett in the lead role, along with Gemma Arterton, Eddie Izzard, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste. Marc Canham composed the series’ score. Production began in February 2022, following Disney+’s April 2021 commission of several British-made series, including this one, which Blakeson was set to write and direct. Stewart-Jarrett was cast that August.
Filming took place across Europe and Ontario, Canada, with Canadian locations including Hamilton and Cambridge. In the UK, a house on Hickin Street in London’s Isle of Dogs—designed by Vandana Goyal of Studio 9 Architects—was used, along with Manchester streets (Dale Street and Paton Street) and a park off Paradise Street in Rotherhithe, London, during March 2022. On 23 March 2022, production company Character 7 closed off Little Lever Street and Bradley’s Court in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, with police help, to film a scene involving a S.W.A.T. team shooting at a fleeing car. Notices had been posted weeks earlier warning residents about loud gunfire and screeching tires; on the day, a production fire engine wet the roads to simulate rain.
The series premiered on Disney+’s Star on 8 November 2023 in several countries as a Star Original. In Australia, it aired on free-to-air channel SBS Television and SBS on Demand in January 2024.
- field
- Television
- nationality
- British
- known_for
- Heist series on Disney+
- creator
- J Blakeson
- premiere_date
- 8 November 2023
- network
- Star via Disney+
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Crime thriller / Heist
- Creator
- J Blakeson
- Based On
- Culprits: The Heist Was Just the Beginning / edited by Richard Brewer and Gary Phillips
- Director
- J Blakeson / Claire Oakley
- Starring
- Nathan Stewart-Jarrett / Gemma Arterton / Eddie Izzard / Kirby Howell-Baptiste / Niamh Algar / Kamel El Basha / Tara Abboud / Ned Dennehy / Kevin Vidal
- Composer
- Marc Canham
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Num Episodes
- 8
- Executive Producer
- Stephen Garrett / J Blakeson
- Producer
- Morenike Williams
- Cinematography
- Philipp Blaubach / Anna Valdez-Hanks
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Culprits was commissioned by Disney+ in April 2021 as part of a slate of British-produced series, with J Blakeson set to write and direct. In August 2021, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett was cast in the lead role. Production began in February 2022, with additional cast including Gemma Arterton, Eddie Izzard, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste. The score was composed by Marc Canham.
Filming took place in Europe and Ontario, Canada, with Canadian locations including Hamilton and Cambridge. UK filming occurred in a house on Hickin Street, Isle of Dogs, London, designed by Vandana Goyal from Studio 9 Architects. Further filming took place in Manchester on Dale Street and Paton Street, and in a park off Paradise Street in Rotherhithe, London, during March 2022. On 23 March 2022, the production company Character 7 cordoned off Little Lever Street and Bradley's Court in Manchester's Northern Quarter, with police assistance, to film a scene featuring a S.W.A.T. team shooting at a fleeing car. Notices had been placed weeks earlier warning residents of loud gunfire and a screeching car; a production fire engine sprayed the roads to simulate rain.
The series premiered on Star via Disney+ on 8 November 2023 in several countries as a Star Original. In Australia, it was shown on the free-to-air channel SBS Television and SBS on Demand in January 2024.
Reader's Guide
Culprits represents a notable entry in the British heist genre, produced under Disney+'s expansion into original British content. The series' international release via Star and subsequent free-to-air broadcast in Australia indicate its broad distribution strategy. The production's use of multiple locations across Europe and Canada, along with detailed on-location filming in London and Manchester, reflects the scale of the project. The casting of established actors such as Gemma Arterton, Eddie Izzard, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste, alongside lead Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, underscores the series' ambition. The involvement of composer Marc Canham adds to its production value. While critical reception is not covered in the source, the series' premise of a heist crew hunted by an assassin taps into popular thriller tropes. Its legacy will likely be assessed in the context of Disney+'s growing library of original series and the continued interest in British crime dramas.
Did You Know?
- The series was commissioned by Disney+ in April 2021 as part of a slate of British-produced series.
- Filming took place in both Europe and Ontario, Canada, including Hamilton and Cambridge.
- On 23 March 2022, a scene featuring a S.W.A.T. team shooting at a fleeing car was filmed in Manchester's Northern Quarter.
- The series was shown on free-to-air SBS Television in Australia in January 2024.
More in British thriller television series 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record