The world of British action thrillers is enriched with the arrival in Italy of Nightsleeper – Out of Control, distributed in the UK in 2024 by BBC but renewed for a second season only in June 2026. The series combines some elements of Apple TV Hijack with others coming directly from Speed and immerses them in a United Kingdom increasingly immersed in the populist and anti-politic drift, where distrust in institutions is prevalent and appearance wins on the substance.
In the middle there is a night train between Glasgow and London that is hacked, remotely controlled by a mysterious hacker who calls himself Driver and who took control of the entire railway system. The TV series also highlights the flaws of a world where we are too dependent on technology. Nightsleeper arrives on Sky and NOW from September 4 with its six episodes divided in 3 weeks and available on demand.
The series is built as a real-time thriller and managing the situation is Joe Roag, former police officer who is on board the train and Abby Aysgarth, interim technical director of the British National Cyber Security Centre. The stories of passengers on the train, those of the two protagonists, enrich a high-voltage thriller that develops between twists of scene and cliffangher from end bets, as in the best tradition of this genre. There is also a pinch of typically English sarcasm, although it is less convincing than other situations and the whole series appears a little too conventional.
La trama
The train journey that connects Glasgow and London takes a dramatic turn when a cyber attack allows someone to take control. The convoy continues to run along the rail network while, on board, passengers try to understand what is happening. At the same time, from the outside, Abby Aysgarth tries to intervene through the National Cyber Security Centre.
Joe and Abby become the two points of reference of a race against time. The problem is that they must not only find the way to stop the train: they must also understand who is hiding behind the attack and who can trust. In fact, driving the operation is a mysterious figure known as “Driver”, which seems to be able to anticipate every attempt to counter it.
Il cast
The two main characters are Joe Cole and Alexandra Roach. Cole wears the shoes of Joe Roag, a former policeman who finds himself in spite of the emergency directly from the train. Roach instead interprets Abby Aysgarth, a cybersecurity expert called to manage the crisis from the ground.
Parth Thakerar, Gabriel Howell, Pamela Nomvete, David Threlfall, Daniel Cahill, Scott Reid, Sharon Rooney, Lois Chimimba, Sharon Small, Katie Leung, Leah MacRae, James Cosmo, Alex Ferns, Ruth Madeley and Adam Mitchell. The series was conceived and written by Nick Leather, with the collaboration of Laura Grace to the screenplay. The director is entrusted to Jamie Magnus Stone and John Hayes, while production is curated by Euston Films, Fremantle production company.
L’articolo Nightsleeper – Out of control, on Sky and NOW the British populist thriller reminiscent of Hijcack proviene da Dituttounpop.it.
