Hugely entertaining in both its thrilliness and silliness, I’m a big fan of Nightsleeper, even with its Wigan North Western erasure
“I’m not so keen on trains”
Being set (in some part) on the West Coast mainline, I was unreasonably excited about the prospect of Wigan North Western train station being featured in new BBC TV show Nightsleeper but sadly, as with much about UK trains at the moment, that did not eventually come to pass. What you do get though, is a diverting popcorn-style thriller, pleasingly unconcerned with faithful train-based realism in pursuit of entertainment.
Nick Leather’s Nightsleeper is a drama set in real-time, as a sleeper train called the Heart of Britain finds its journey from Glasgow to London interrupted by a group of ne’er-do-wells. Since it’s 2024, it’s not so much been hijacked as hackjacked, the world of thriller writing updated to the technological advances and concomitant realities of cyber-attacks, the lives of those onboard at mercy to something or someone shadowy whose motives and identity are teased out over six episodes.
Fortunately, among the motley crew of passengers is Joe Cole’s policeman Joe Roag and equally fortunately, he has the phone number of Alexandra Roach’s Abby Aysgarth, the Acting Technical Director of the National Cyber Security Centre. And as they’re forced to work together to try and stop the train, what plays out is closer to the chemistry and spirit of Jack and Annie in Speed or Jack and Chloe in 24, rather than the recent plane-based Hijack, so in thrall to Idris Elba’s ego.
In all honesty, it doesn’t quite maintain the excitement and quality of the opening two episodes. It engineers its situation really quite cleverly (shout out to Motherwell) and manages a couple of properly good rug pulls. In trying to hold that level, it does twist and turn a little too much as it winds up to a cliffhanger at the end of pretty much each instalment as it exposes the hidden lives of those onboard and the conspiracies at play in the office of those trying to stop it.
Cole and Roach are charming leads; James Cosmo’s retired train driver, Sharon Small’s transport secretary(!) and Alex Fern’s drunken kn*b of an entitled accountant all spruce up the onboard shenanigans; and Pamela Nomvete, Jonjo O’Neill and David Threlfall bring quality to the NCSC business. As escapist entertainment goes, I found it all rather watchable, plus it pokes fun at Jersey Boys. What’s not to curl up to and enjoy.
Nightsleeper has gained a large number of loyal fans with its novel narrative perspective and interesting twists and turns in the storyline. If you are a fan of this drama, you can express your love and support for the plot and actors through some peripheral products such as Custom Keyrings, pins, badges, etc.
You can design the keychain in the shape of a train and engrave your favorite character or lines on the keychain. In terms of color design, you can choose black to match the tense and exciting atmosphere presented by the TV series. In addition to being a practical tool, the customized keychain can also be given as a gift to friends who also like this drama, so that you can share your joy with them.
