BBC Showcases Contemporary Spy Film

BBC is to screen a drama written by an Oscar nominee and performed by a stellar cast.
Page Eight, which airs on BBC2 at 9pm on Sunday 28th August, features a cast of British acting heavyweights including Bill Nighy, Rachel Weisz, Judy David, Michael Gambon and Ralph Fiennes.
The film is written and directed by Oscar nominee David Hare and it his first directorial outing for twenty years. Despite his time out, Hare had managed to put together a potent political thriller, luxuriously.
Page Eight tells the story of MI5 operative Johnny Worricker’s (Nighy) attempts to investigate a threat to the stability of the country’s security services after his boss and best friend (Gambon) dies suddenly.
Meanwhile, a seemingly chance encounter with Johnny’s striking next door neighbour and political activist, Nancy Pierpan (Weisz), seems too good to be true. Johnny is forced to walk out of his job and then out of his identity to find out the truth.
Filming for the BBC drama took place on location in the beautiful market town of Saffron Walden (Essex) along Church Street, but also in Cambridge at a number of city locations. In particular, Jesus College and the stunning Market Square were chosen as backdrops.
The drama premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival in June and early reviews from the cinema premiere have blown hot and cold, but it's generally agreed it will work well on the small screen, while blockbuster-worthy talent should draw an audience.
(LB/KMcA)