The Control Room
A thriller about a call handler drawn into a personal emergency.
The Control Room is a British thriller miniseries from 2022, created by Nick Leather for Hartswood Films. Its three episodes aired on BBC One over three consecutive nights in July 2022, and were also released on BBC iPlayer. The show stars Iain De Caestecker and Joanna Vanderham.
The story follows Gabe Maver, a quiet emergency call handler whose past catches up with him when he receives a call from a childhood acquaintance. That caller, Sam Tolmie, was a close friend during a difficult childhood marked by absent mothers, and she now draws Gabe into covering up a crime. Other characters include Leigh, the duty manager and Gabe’s secret girlfriend, who grows frustrated with his behaviour; Anthony, the outgoing supervisor who blackmails Gabe; and DI Anna Breck, the detective investigating the call. Gabe’s estranged father, Ian, appears, as do colleagues Danni, Jat, and Ross, along with Sam’s former friend and bully Robbo, Gabe’s housemate Tah, and the criminal boss Sean.
Leather conceived the series after a real health scare involving his daughter. He reflected on the intense, anonymous relationship between an emergency caller and the handler, and wondered what would happen if that handler were personally pulled into the emergency. He wrote De Caestecker into the role early in the process. De Caestecker visited a live control room to ensure an accurate portrayal, feeling a responsibility to represent the job respectfully. Filming took place in Glasgow and at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum during September and October 2021.
The series received mixed reviews. Critics praised the acting, particularly De Caestecker and Vanderham, but criticised the frequent use of flashbacks. Positive reviews from *i*, *The Guardian*, and the *Radio Times* awarded four stars, noting the strong premise, character work, and atmospheric visuals, though the *Radio Times* found the twists occasionally frustrating and the flashbacks slowed the pace. A two-star review from *The Telegraph* agreed that the show slumped under the weight of its flashbacks, despite De Caestecker’s central performance.
- type
- Television series
- genre
- Thriller
- country
- United Kingdom
- creator
- Nick Leather
- production_company
- Hartswood Films
- broadcaster
- BBC One
- release_date
- 17–19 July 2022
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Thriller
- Creator
- Nick Leather
- Director
- Amy Neil
- Starring
- Iain De Caestecker / Joanna Vanderham / Sharon Rooney / Stuart Bowman
- Music
- Carly Paradis
- Cinematography
- James Aspinall
- Editor
- David Arthur
- Company
- Hartswood Films
- Executive Producer
- Gaynor Holmes / Elaine Cameron
- Producer
- Eric Coulter
- Network
- BBC One
- Country
- United Kingdom
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The series follows Gabe Maver, a reserved member of a control room, who is thrown back into his painful past upon receiving a call from someone from his childhood. The cast includes Iain De Caestecker as Gabe, Joanna Vanderham as Sam Tolmie, a former childhood friend who ropes Gabe into covering up a crime, and Taj Atwal as Leigh, the duty manager in a secret relationship with Gabe. Other characters include Daniel Portman as Anthony, the outgoing supervisor who blackmails Gabe, and Sharon Rooney as DI Anna Breck, the lead detective investigating the call.
Creator Nick Leather was inspired by a real-life health scare with his daughter, reflecting on the intense, anonymous relationship between an emergency call handler and a caller. He wrote the series with De Caestecker in mind for the lead role. Filming took place during September and October 2021 in southern areas of Glasgow, the city centre, and at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
Reader's Guide
The Control Room received mixed reviews, with specific praise for the acting but critique over the use of flashbacks as a stylistic device. Emily Watkins of i gave the first episode four stars, calling the performances exquisite and the premise fresh. Lucy Mangan of The Guardian also awarded four stars, praising the setup and cast. James Hibbs of the Radio Times gave four stars, noting the show's atmospheric quality but frustration with flashbacks. Anita Singh of The Telegraph gave two stars, citing the flashbacks as a flaw. Dan Einav of the Financial Times gave two stars, deeming the show prosaic. Sean O'Grady of The Independent gave three stars, finding the flashbacks annoying but the leads redeeming. Keith Watson of Metro and Helen Hawkins of The Arts Desk each gave three stars, with Hawkins calling the cast impeccable but the noir setting inauthentic. The series was distributed internationally by All3Media International, with a DVD release on 31 December 2022 by Dazzler Media.
Did You Know?
- The series was created by Nick Leather and produced by Hartswood Films.
- Iain De Caestecker was cast as Gabe Maver, a role Leather had in mind during writing.
- Filming took place in Glasgow and at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in September and October 2021.
- The series was released on DVD in the UK and Ireland on 31 December 2022 by Dazzler Media.
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