Airdate: Secret State

ABC1 will screen the four-part UK political thriller Secret State, which has previously aired on Pay TV.

Starring Gabriel Byrne, Charles Dance and Gina McKee, this doesn’t have the thrill-ride of Spooks, but wouldn’t be out of place alongside State of Play or Edge of Darkness.

In the run up to a general election, a devastating industrial accident on Teesside leaves 19 people dead and many others injured, and raises questions about the safety procedures of a US petrochemical company, PetroFex. The British Prime Minister claims to have secured a compensation package from them, but on his return from PetroFex HQ in the US, his plane crashes over the Atlantic under mysterious circumstances. Deputy Prime Minister Tom Dawkins (Gabriel Byrne) takes command, and during his quest to find the truth, and justice for the victims, he uncovers a conspiracy at the very heart of the political system.

9:30pm Friday July 18th ABC1.