The Honourable Woman
A political spy thriller about an Anglo-Jewish businesswoman and peace activist.
The Honourable Woman is a 2014 British political spy thriller television miniseries in eight parts, written and directed by Hugo Blick for the BBC and SundanceTV. Maggie Gyllenhaal stars as the title character. The series won a Golden Globe Award for Gyllenhaal, a British Academy Television Award for Stephen Rea, and a Peabody Award in 2015.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Political thriller; Spy thriller
- Writer
- Hugo Blick
- Composer
- Martin Phipps
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Episodes
- 8
- Executive producers
- Greg Brenman; Polly Hill
- Producer
- Hugo Blick; Abi Bach
Facts from the source article.
Synopsis
Eight years after taking over the family company from her brother Ephra Stein, Anglo-Jewish businesswoman Nessa Stein is made a life peer for her commitment to the Middle East peace process. When her new business partner dies in a mysterious suicide, she must delay connecting the West Bank with optical fibre cables. Kasim, the son of her close friend and housekeeper Atika Halabi, is kidnapped, revealing secrets about his parentage.
Cast and characters
Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Nessa Stein, Baroness Stein of Tilbury, an Anglo-Jewish businesswoman who became head of the Stein Group after her brother stepped down eight years earlier and was appointed a life peer for her philanthropic work. Andrew Buchan portrays Ephra Stein, Nessa's brother, who ran the family business until handing it to his sister. Stephen Rea is Sir Hugh Hayden-Hoyle, Bt, the outgoing head of MI6's Middle East desk. Lubna Azabal plays Atika Halabi, a Palestinian translator and close friend who works as Nessa's and Ephra's housekeeper. Janet McTeer appears as Dame Julia Walsh, the head of MI6. Katherine Parkinson plays Rachel Stein, Ephra's pregnant wife. Tobias Menzies is Nathaniel Bloom, Nessa's chief of security. Eve Best plays Monica Chatwin, a British Foreign Office tactician in Washington, D.C. Igal Naor portrays Shlomo Zahary, an Israeli businessman and surrogate uncle to Nessa and Ephra. Genevieve O'Reilly plays Frances Pirsig, Nessa's private secretary. Lindsay Duncan is Anjelica, Lady Hayden-Hoyle. Philip Arditti plays Saleh Al-Zahid, a Palestinian who commits malevolent acts toward the Stein family. Hugo Blick re-uses several actors from his previous series The Shadow Line, including Stephen Rea, Tobias Menzies and Eve Best. Other cast members include Nasser Memarzia, Oliver Bodur, Adnan Rashed, Raad Rawi, Julia Montgomery Brown, Nicholas Woodeson, Richard Katz, John MacKay, Lachele Carl, Laurel Lefkow, Paul Herzberg, Martin Hutson, Martin McDougall, George Georgiou, Uriel Emil, Claire-Louise Cordwell, Jacob Krichefski, Justin Shevlin, Aidan Stephenson, and Lois Ellington.
Production
The eight-part series was announced in June 2013, commissioned by Ben Stephenson and Janice Hadlow, and co-funded by the Sundance Channel. Written and directed by Hugo Blick, it was produced by Drama Republic and Eight Rooks, with Hugo Blick and Abi Bach as producers. Filming began in July 2013 in London and Romney Marsh in Kent, with additional filming in the Middle East and the United States. Maggie Gyllenhaal made private decisions about her character, such as imagining Nessa was 104 years old and high on mushrooms in one scene, which she did not share with Blick.
Reception
The series was warmly received upon its UK debut, with The Guardian's Gabriel Tate calling it 'the most satisfying, densely plotted TV series for years.' In the United States, it received a Metacritic score of 82 out of 100, indicating universal acclaim. Matt Roush of TV Guide described Blick's work as 'written and directed with ruthless intelligence,' and Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter called it 'a spectacularly well-constructed story.' Critics praised Gyllenhaal's performance; Hank Stuever of The Washington Post called it 'remarkably measured and moving,' and Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times said she was 'remarkable playing a principled but conflicted woman.' Sara Stewart of Indiewire credited the series with 'upending the sexy spy drama.' UK responses to the conclusion were extremely positive, with Julia Raeside of The Guardian writing that it concluded as a 'taut and perfectly controlled thriller.'
Frequently Asked Questions
When did The Honourable Woman first air?
The Honourable Woman first aired on 3 July 2014.
When did The Honourable Woman end?
The Honourable Woman last aired on 21 August 2014.
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