Messiah V – The Rapture
Starts Sunday 20 January at 9pm on
91Èȱ¬ One
Introduction
Messiah returns to 91Èȱ¬ One with Marc Warren (Hustle) heading up a new team on the hunt of a sadistic and meticulous killer in a story that is as dark and entertaining as ever.
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The impressive new cast also includes Marsha Thomason (Lost) and Daniel Ryan (The Street) along with Nina Sosanya (Sorted), Niall Macgregor (Dalziel And Pascoe) and Rory Kinnear (Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk To Finchley).
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Messiah V was written by Oliver Brown (Bon Voyage), directed by Harry Bradbeer (Outlaws) and produced by Richard Broke (Tumbledown). The Executive Producer for 91Èȱ¬ Northern Ireland was Patrick Spence.
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Robert Cooper and Kate Triggs, Executive Producers for Great Meadow Productions (Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk To Finchley, Bradford Riots), have been involved with Messiah since its inception.
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For Robert, the decision to cast Marc Warren in the leading role was not a difficult one. He says:
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"We cast Marc Warren because we consider him to be the most exciting actor of his generation in the UK.
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"We did not want to simply replace Ken Stott but create a wholly new character by casting someone who would bring an original and younger presence to the series.
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"Marc has a combination of strength and vulnerability – a damaged and troubled quality – that is mesmeric."
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For Marc it is an opportunity to play a dark and isolated character far removed from the flamboyance of his role on Hustle. Director Harry Bradbeer agrees that Marc brought an original approach to the series.
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"He slipped into the new role perfectly," says Harry, "bringing a mood and attitude quite distinct from Ken Stott's. It felt like a fresh start and a wonderfully different one at that. Marc is an immensely watchable actor. There's always something going on behind his eyes."
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Messiah has built up a strong and loyal following over the course of four series, its fans drawn to an intelligent and unsettling drama set in a blood-soaked world.
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Those elements are still intact but Ken Stott's departure was seen as an opportunity to reinvent the show in terms of style and approach and lift it to new heights.
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Executive Producer Patrick Spence says: "It has been given the chance to feel fresh, dynamic, youthful, whilst still maintaining the key attributes of the Messiah brand, and the show has grabbed it with both hands."
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Robert Cooper is confident that fans of Messiah will not be disappointed with the new two-part story. He says:
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"Our audience expects the highest standards from Messiah – of story, character and suspense.
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"They want to be completely engrossed in a world where the killer is hidden in plain sight and which does what no other TV thriller does – creates a real, visceral tension that has them peeping through their fingers.
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"The challenge was to retain all these qualities whilst developing a bigger world at Messiah's centre with relationships that will power a series."
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Patrick Spence says: "Marsha and Dan were a huge part of the new lease of life given to Messiah. Getting two such charismatic, talented actors to come in alongside Marc was a sign of how special Messiah continues to be. They bring humour and passion to the piece in spades."
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The story, written by Oliver Brown, retains all the elements fans have come to expect from Messiah.
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"I love Oliver's writing" says Spence, "it was a real coup to get him to write this installment. What appealed to me most about the piece was his notion of Armageddon – it felt like a natural step for a Messiah to be dealing with the coming of the end of the world!"
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Director Harry Bradbeer's vision for the series grew out of Oliver Brown's script, as he explains.
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"It was a view of the world that I found compelling and complicated. The story is about redemption, loss and the collapse of society – truly biblical themes.
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"It's unsettling, epic, perverse and mysterious. Oliver's writing lends itself to the world of Messiah – its darkness and threat."
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In Messiah's fifth outing, a killer is intent on communicating a stark message to the world. It's a story inspired by prophecies from the world's three major religions.
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Executive Producer Robert Cooper feels that it's the rigorous attention to detail and creative storytelling that make this a classic Messiah tale.
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He adds: "It's the ambition and scale of what powers the centre of the story – the biggest moment in the world's history – and how what it reveals is absolutely relevant to the world now."
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It's also a personal story exploring the lives and troubled histories of the team trying to put an end to the nightmare.
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Harry Bradbeer thinks this is central to creating an engrossing and believable story. He says:
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"What you want – above all – is for your audience to be engaged in the characters, to care for them. And to be drawn into their fate."
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CM
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