Before We Die (Channel 4)

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Channel 4 has commissioned six-part crime thriller, Before We Die, starring Lesley Sharp, Vincent Regan and Patrick Gibson.

The remake of the Swedish series it’s produced by from newly formed production company, Eagle Eye Drama, launched by the same team behind global drama brand, Walter Presents.

Set in Bristol, it Sharp leads the cast as detective Hannah Laing who becomes deeply conflicted when she discovers her son is playing a crucial role as an undercover informant in a brutal murder investigation. Gibson plays the role of her mixed-up son, Christian, while Croatian actor Toni Gojanović will take on the role of Davor Mimica the leader of the criminal gang. Regan stars as Billy Murdoch, a non-conformist investigator, who is seconded to Hannah’s unit to advise on Eastern European drug gangs.

Channel 4 Head of Drama Caroline Hollick, who commissioned the series, says: “Every episode of Before We Die is a rollercoaster of excitement – and I’m so delighted to have Lesley Sharp bring her trademark gravitas and charisma to Channel 4. It’s a privilege to be part of this truly inspiring European collaboration.”
 
Just watched a few short clips of this for a Channel 4 Core4 survey and it looks bloody good!

I plan to watch the original Swedish series shortly, which is streaming on All 4



The full press release from September ...
Channel 4 has commissioned six-part crime thriller, Before We Die, starring Lesley Sharp, Vincent Regan and Patrick Gibson, from newly formed production company, Eagle Eye Drama, launched by the same team behind global drama brand, Walter Presents.

Based on the hit Swedish series of the same name, Before We Die is set in Bristol and is Eagle Eye’s second drama commission.

Lesley Sharp (Scott & Bailey, Three Girls, Bob & Rose) leads the cast as detective Hannah Laing who becomes deeply conflicted when she discovers her son is playing a crucial role as an undercover informant in a brutal murder investigation. Patrick Gibson (The Tudors, The OA) plays the role of her mixed-up son, Christian, while Croatian actor Toni Gojanović, who starred in HBO Europe’s recent hit series, Success, will take on the role of Davor Mimica the leader of the criminal gang. Vincent Regan (Troy, 300, Wallander) stars as Billy Murdoch, a non-conformist investigator, who is seconded to Hannah’s unit to advise on Eastern European drug gangs.

Channel 4 Head of Drama Caroline Hollick, who commissioned the series, says: “Every episode of Before We Die is a rollercoaster of excitement – and I’m so delighted to have Lesley Sharp bring her trademark gravitas and charisma to Channel 4. It’s a privilege to be part of this truly inspiring European collaboration.”

Jo McGrath, Executive Producer and CCO of Eagle Eye Drama, commented: “Before We Die is a powerful and original series which uses the grammar and architecture of a nail-biting crime thriller to tell the compelling emotional story of a mother and son’s dysfunctional relationship, beautifully juxtaposed against the close-knit ties of the crime family they are trying to bring to justice. Before We Die stands out as truly distinctive crime drama and I can think of no better actress than Lesley Sharp to bring this complex lead character to life.”

Commissioned by Channel 4 Head of Drama Caroline Hollick and Commissioning Editor Gwen Gorst, the series will be directed by leading Belgian director, Jan Matthys (Baptiste, The Last Kingdom, Our Girl), and has been adapted by Matt Baker. Before We Die will be filmed in Bristol and Belgium during Autumn/Winter 2020 with Jo McGrath, Walter Iuzzolino and Bert Hamelinck as Executive Producers.

The series is produced by Eagle Eye Drama in association with Caviar and is supported by Screen Flanders, DPG Media and the Belgian tax shelter via Caviar Film Financing. PBS Distribution holds the North American rights and ZDF Enterprises will distribute the series worldwide.
 
Channel 4 premiere 9pm this Wednesday
- when full series boxset will also be streaming on All 4
19 May 2021

When Detective Inspector Hannah Laing (Lesley Sharp) kisses her married lover Sean Hardacre (Bill Ward) goodbye one morning, she never imagines it will be the last time she will see her fellow detective alive. But Sean goes missing and his brutalised corpse is recovered the following day.

Determined to find whoever is responsible for killing him, Hannah accesses one of Sean’s confidential contacts and persuades ‘Issy’ to help her unpick the tangled threads of Sean’s investigation into the Mimicas a tight-knit family who left Croatia for Bristol and now run a successful restaurant, where Christian (Patrick Gibson), Hannah’s son now works. But under the guidance of the ruthless eldest son, Davor (Toni Gojanović), the family are ambitious to expand their criminal activities, which risks stretching family bonds to breaking point. The Mimicas closeness as a family provides a painful contrast to Hannah’s fractured, dysfunctional relationship with her own son.

Forced to operate undercover for fear of a criminal informer at Police HQ, Hannah and her sceptical new partner, Billy Murdoch (Vincent Regan), uncover a daring plot by the Mimicas to smuggle an enormous quantity of cocaine into the country. When Hannah also discovers Issy’s identity, however, she quickly realises there is far more at stake than bringing Sean’s killers to justice.

Before We Die is a breathless crime thriller, full of heart-stopping jeopardy and unpredictable twists. It is adapted from the hit Swedish series of the same name and stars Lesley Sharp as Hannah, Patrick Gibson as her son Christian, Vince Regan as Billy and Croatian actor, Tony Gojanovic, as Davor, the boss of the Mimica crime family.

The cast also stars Issy Knopfler as Bianca Mimica, Rebecca Scroggs as Tina Carter, Steve Toussaint as Leonard Kane, Kazia Pelka as Dubravka Mimica, Petar Cvirn as Stefan Vargic and Ryszard Turbiasz as Zvonomir Mimica.

The series is produced by Eagle Eye Drama in association with Caviar and is supported by Screen Flanders, DPG Media and the Belgian tax shelter via Caviar Film Financing. PBS Distribution holds the North American rights and ZDF Enterprises will distribute the series worldwide.

Before We Die starts Wednesday 26 May at 9pm on Channel 4. All episodes will be available on All 4 after transmission of episode 1.









EDIT:
Original Swedish series All 4 link has switched to this UK adaptation
- so it's got a new one
 
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I have just finished watching the final episode and really enjoyed it. There has been a fair bit of criticism on a certain other forum saying how poor it is compared to the original but I have not seen that version so cannot compare but I certainly found this gripping.
 
I have just finished watching the final episode and really enjoyed it. There has been a fair bit of criticism on a certain other forum saying how poor it is compared to the original but I have not seen that version so cannot compare but I certainly found this gripping.
I got a warning for saying that your warning was ridiculous, lol.

I think it's fair enough to say you enjoyed something ... I've often stuck with something I'm not enjoying because others who've said they watched the whole thing enjoyed it. As long as you don't go into specifics of why you enjoyed it I really don't see the problem.
 
I really enjoyed the original, but the fact Lesley Sharp is in it is putting me off.
 
I really enjoyed the original, but the fact Lesley Sharp is in it is putting me off.
Still not sure what I said wrong exactly but hey ho, I did ask but got no reply. Anyway, I have since tried to watch to original but I have never been able to get into films with subtitles, so only gave it 10 minutes...
 
I really enjoyed the original, but the fact Lesley Sharp is in it is putting me off.
She isn’t too bad in it, surprised me actually!

We’ve just finished this and it’s quite enjoyable. Worth watching id say.
 
She isn’t too bad in it, surprised me actually!

We’ve just finished this and it’s quite enjoyable. Worth watching id say.
Ok, well I may give it a go. I really enjoyed the original but it was a while ago that I watched it.
 
Before We Die: Of Absurdity.
This has some crazy plot devices and needing you to leave your brain at the door.
The only leak that wasn't exposed any time soon, was that the entire force knew she nicked her own son, is a cop and not an accountant but no one thought to pass that on but there is a criminal informant. Wow. Just. Wow. His time off for shooting mate was hilarious. Oh that's fine. It's not like we're a hell bent drug operation or anything. Have as much you time as you need, luv. An operation that can be written in as, Oh, it was the spook guy's all along so that's fine and shootings that don't count. Everything else like illegal taps and behaviour are fine too and admissible when we care to share.
Appalling writing and some dodgy acting. Channel 4's ad placement with 18 minutes per episode doesn't exactly scream to attempt a binge.
 
I really enjoyed the original, but the fact Lesley Sharp is in it is putting me off.

She certainly is benefitting from the longer retirement age for cops. She looks about 70!
 
I'm watching it on Channel 4, saw the second episode last night. Some of the dialogue is questionable, but I'll stick with it. Didn't realise it was a remake of a Swedish drama. I love scandic dramas, just finished watching the first series of The Killing.
 
She certainly is benefitting from the longer retirement age for cops. She looks about 70!
She is 61, I checked cos I thought the same. Good luck to her though for having no 'work' done...:)
 
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Series 2 starts on Channel 4 at 9pm on Sunday night (25th June), continuing nightly at 9pm, five parts, concluding next Thursday night. Series 1 is still streaming.



 
Lesley Sharp is starring as the dummy in the next Saw installment.
yikes.JPG
 

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