Mayday (UK TV series)

Mayday
Genre	Drama thriller
Created by	Ben Court Caroline Ip
Written by	Ben Court Caroline Ip
Directed by	Brian Welsh
Starring	Peter Firth Peter McDonald Leila Mimmack Aidan Gillen Sophie Okenedo Lesley Manville Max Fowler Tom Fisher Sam Spruell
Composer(s)	Stuart Earl
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	5
Production
Executive producer(s)	Jane Featherstone Polly Hill
Producer(s)	Chris Fry
Location(s)	Dorking, Surrey, England
Cinematography	Dirk Nel Zac Nicholson
Running time	57-59 minutes
Production company(s)	Kudos Film and Television
Release
Original network	BBC One
Picture format	16:9
Original release	3 March – 7 March 2013

Mayday is a British drama thriller, shown on BBC One, starring Sophie Okonedo, Aidan Gillen, Peter Firth, and Lesley Manville.

Development and production

The series' commission was announced on 27 April 2012 by the BBC Media Centre.^[1] The series was filmed in Dorking, Surrey, making use of street settings including the high street area and a kebab shop on the corner of Dene Street and Leigh Hill.^[2]

Plot

It's May Day and a small community waits excitedly for this year's pagan parade to begin. Local teenager and dark horse, Linus Newcombe (Max Fowler), watches woefully as the love of his life, Caitlin Sutton (Leila Mimmack), kisses a rival. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Caitlin's twin and the beautiful young May Queen, Hattie Sutton (Leila Mimmack), travels on her journey to appear as the town's symbol of new life.

Cast and characters

• Leila Mimmack as Hattie, the missing young May Queen, and as, Caitlin, Hattie's more rebellious twin sister who has always felt that she lived in her sister's shadow.
• Peter Firth as Malcolm, a very successful local public figure, proud of his achievements and self-made millions.
• Sophie Okonedo as Fiona, an ex police officer and has left the force to look after her three children.
• Aidan Gillen as Everett, a funny, irreverent and spontaneous person until his life was destroyed by the tragic death of his wife in suspicious circumstances.
• Lesley Manville as Gail, Malcolm's wife who is trapped in an almost loveless marriage.
• Peter McDonald as Alan, a tough, no nonsense and straight-laced policeman.
• Tom Fisher as Seth, a man with a personality disorder who spends most of his time in the woods.
• Sam Spruell as Steve, who is driven by a strong sense of responsibility and a need to prove himself.
• Max Fowler as Linus, an intelligent, funny and assured teenager who also has a darker side.

Episodes

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (million)[3]
1	"Episode 1"	Brian Welsh	Ben Court Caroline Ip	3 March 2013	7.68[4]
It's May Day and the members of a small community go about their business as they wait for this year's parade to begin. But when the May Queen - local teenager Hattie Sutton - fails to appear, several townsfolk are sent spinning by the suspicion that someone among them has taken her.
2	"Episode 2"	Brian Welsh	Ben Court Caroline Ip	4 March 2013	5.84
The day after Hattie's disappearance the locals unite to look for her, with Steve leading the search in the hope of winning favour with the girl's family, and also to conceal his worries about his brother. Routine questioning by the police gives Linus food for thought about his father, while Gail grows increasingly suspicious of husband Malcolm, so her son James goes rooting through his office for clues. Ex-cop Fiona ignores husband Alan's protests and embarks on her own unofficial investigation.
3	"Episode 3"	Brian Welsh	Ben Court Caroline Ip	5 March 2013	5.85
A devastating discovery throws the spotlight on a key suspect and forces Gail to face unwelcome facts about husband Malcolm. Caitlin and Linus's relationship deepens when she tells him a shameful secret about the day her sister went missing, while Fiona grows suspicious of Everett.
4	"Episode 4"	Brian Welsh	Ben Court Caroline Ip	6 March 2013	6.00
Linus makes a dangerous promise to Caitlin and discovers the true nature of Everett's connection to Hattie. Fiona and Alan come to blows over Charlotte's odd behaviour, while Gail's lack of forgiveness drives a wedge between her and James.
5	"Episode 5"	Brian Welsh	Ben Court Caroline Ip	7 March 2013	6.16
As the townsfolk gather for the memorial, things take a dark turn and a chaotic interruption has fatal consequences. Steve finally gets his moment with Angie - will he manage to win his family back? Fiona must face her old colleagues in a way she never thought she would, Caitlin makes an eerie transformation, and Everett and Linus have a confrontation that takes their relationship to a new level.

DVD release

The complete series of Mayday was released by Acorn Media UK on 8 April 2013.^[5]

References

1. "Sophie Okonedo, Peter Firth, Aidan Gillen and Lesley Manville to star in new BBC One thriller Mayday from Kudos Film and Television".
2. "Internet Movie Database - Mayday".
3. "Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)". BARB. Archived from the original on 8 November 2008.
4. "Top 30 Programmes". BARB. 2014-02-16. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
5. Mayday on DVD

External links

• Mayday at BBC Programmes
  
• Mayday at the Internet Movie Database