Other narratives in this multilayered opener are a sniper terrorising London; a firearms officer returning to work after a fatal shooting; a film crew shadowing police for an on-the-job documentary; and the relationships between three members of the squad who manage street demonstrations. There's even a cameo for a suspiciously Boris Johnson-esque mayor.
Boyle and the producer, Robert Jones, had the idea for a new kind of police show four years ago. Their thinking, recalls Armstrong, "was sparked particularly by thinking about all the ways that cameras record the cops - documentary crews filming them, all those Police Camera Action-y shows. How, if any incident happens, people get their camera-phones out quickly. And then how the cops use cameras to film public order situations."
So what is the tone of Babylon? A comedy, like Armstrong and Bain's hit sitcoms? The Wire, with fart jokes?
"I think it [the tone] really is fascinating," says Marling. "When I read the script the first time, of course I was laughing - Sam and Jesse are very funny writers. But also it reads as a dramatic piece - there are very high stakes, and there's really intense stuff going on in there. There are elements that make me think of other things - there's a feeling of the original Traffik miniseries [about the illegal drugs trade], or the [Steven] Soderbergh film that followed, in that it's wrestling with lots of different facets of one problem. But then you're marrying that to an outrageous sort of office comedy."
Boyle doesn't direct any of the remaining six hour-long episodes. But he sets a very Boyle style on the opening one: kinetically exciting, stylish, and with images shot using a variety of camera styles (CCTV, drones, hand-held). And it's very Armstrong and Bain: moments of high tension are undercut by offbeat humour.
- Daily Telegraph
Mystery pick: Ripper Street season two
When: Monday, 8.30pm
Where: UKTV
What: The memory of Jack fades, but danger rises.
Set a year on since the first season, in 1890, a few things have changed for the men of Whitechapel's H-Division. Inspector Reid (Matthew Macfadyen) finds himself living alone, after his wife leaves, both of them still coming to terms with their daughter's drowning; Sergeant Drake (Jerome Flynn) has married one of the girls from Long Susan's brothel, and finds himself settling down somewhat; and Captain Jackson (Adam Rothenberg) is keen to leave London, but struggles to convince Susan. Of course, despite the fact the East End is no longer in the throes of Ripper fear, there are plenty of other forces threatening to throw society into moral collapse - including ruthless Inspector Jedediah Shine from K division. And society is facing some new challenges, such as the London match girls strike, the electrical War of Currents between George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison, the rise of interest in the study and practices of the occult.
Local pick: Making New Zealand
When: Sunday, 8.30pm
Where: Prime
What: Trains, tracks, and railways.
This week's episode of Prime's new local documentary selection looks at the building of New Zealand railways. They may not be such a dominant force now, but rail was once one of the country's biggest and most powerful businesses. The first European settlers came from places where rail was well-established, and an integral part of society. Here, they found a country that barely had roads let alone tracks that could carry trains. Given everyone saw rail as symbolic of a modern, technologically advanced nation, settlers were very keen to develop it - despite a crippling lack of money and dramatically difficult geography. This episode examines the huge effort that went into building the North Island main trunk line, including the engineering marvel that is the Raurimu Spiral. It also looks at how the King Country was opened up through the development of rail, and what that meant for the traditional Maori owners and the new Pakeha farmers.
Drama pick: House of Cards season two
When: Sunday, 10.30pm
Where: TV3
What: The most scheming couple in politics return.
Also: MediaWorks has released all of season two of House of Cards on its 3NOW app where it will be available for 28 days.
With Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) having manipulated, blackmailed, and murdered his way into the VP position in season one, it seems likely season two will have him aiming for the top chair in the White House, and you can bet the wily ways of Frank and his ambitious wife Claire (Robin Wright) are not going to soften any time soon. It looks likely Claire is going to get a little more limelight this season, although she'll have to share it with a couple of other new female faces too- including Jackie Sharp (Molly Parker) who it seems Frank is grooming for chief whip. Will any of the Underwoods' past scheming come back to haunt them? They're pretty good at tying up loose ends and taking out the trash so to speak, but will anyone be capable of joining the dots and turning the tables on them? Will call girl Rachel blab about the murder/suicide of congressman Peter Russo? Or will young gun reporter Zoe Barnes turn on her source and ally??
- TimeOut
