Utopia (British TV series)

Utopia is a British black comedy-conspiracy thriller drama television series that was broadcast on Channel 4 from 15 January 2013 to 12 August 2014.[2][3] The show was written by Dennis Kelly and starred Fiona O'Shaughnessy, Adeel Akhtar, Paul Higgins, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Alexandra Roach, Oliver Woollford, Alistair Petrie and Neil Maskell.[4][5] A second six-episode series was commissioned by Channel 4 and went into production in late 2013,[6] and was broadcast in July and August 2014.[7] The show has since gained a cult following.[8][9]

Utopia
Also known asIwtopia (Wales)
Genre
Created byDennis Kelly
Based onAn original idea by
Huw Kennair-Jones
Mark Aldridge
Clare McDonald
Written byDennis Kelly
John Donnelly
Directed byMarc Munden
Wayne Yip
Alex Garcia Lopez
Sam Donovan
StarringAlexandra Roach
Nathan Stewart-Jarrett
Paul Higgins
Fiona O'Shaughnessy
Adeel Akhtar
Oliver Woollford
Neil Maskell
Geraldine James
ComposerCristobal Tapia de Veer
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes12 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersKaren Wilson
Jane Featherstone
Dennis Kelly
ProducerRebekah Wray-Rogers
Production locationLiverpool[1]
CinematographyOle Bratt Birkeland (season 1)
Lol Crawley (season 2)
EditorsLuke Dunkley
David Charap
Running time45–62 minutes
Production companyKudos
DistributorEndemol Shine UK
Release
Original networkChannel 4
Picture format16:9 (1080i HDTV)
Original release15 January 2013 (2013-01-15) 
12 August 2014 (2014-08-12)
External links
Official website
Production website

In October 2014, the series' official Twitter feed stated there would not be a third series.[10][11] HBO had originally planned to make an American version of the show in 2014, but did not produce it due to budget disputes. Amazon then acquired the rights to the series as of April 2018, and an American version was released on 25 September 2020. Initially nearly inaccessible for viewing on the U.S. market, Amazon released both seasons of the original series on Amazon Prime on 1 November 2020.[12]

Synopsis

Series Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 6 15 January 2013 19 February 2013
2 6 14 July 2014 12 August 2014

A community of comic book fans believe the graphic novel The Utopia Experiments predicted several disastrous epidemics, such as mad cow disease (BSE). A rumoured unpublished sequel supposedly contains further information on future world events. When one Utopia enthusiast procures the manuscript, he invites four of his friends from an online forum to meet in real life. However, after getting their hands on the manuscript, the four – Ian, Becky, Wilson, and Grant – find themselves in over their heads, as a secret organisation only known as "The Network" is after it. They find their lives systematically dismantled, while Network operatives kill anyone in their way as they hunt for the manuscript and someone named Jessica Hyde.

Jessica, who has been on the run from The Network her entire life, meets with the group and helps them evade capture. Meanwhile, other characters find themselves ensnared in The Network's orbit, and through their interactions with its agents, the organisation's purpose and secret plot come into focus. The closer people come to understanding what's truly going on, the more dangerous things become. As rumours of "Russian flu" proliferate worldwide and a variety of groups and individuals close in on the protagonists, they try to solve the web of mysteries and conspiracies around them.

Cast

Main

  • Fiona O'Shaughnessy as Jessica Hyde, a woman who has been on the run from The Network for as long as she can remember. Her father, Philip Carvel, created the Utopia manuscripts. Aine Garvey portrays a young Jessica.
  • Alexandra Roach as Becky, a post-grad student. Convinced there is a conspiracy surrounding her father's death connected to the Utopia manuscript, she is determined to find out the truth. She suffers from the mysterious "Deel's syndrome," for which she has been taking medication.[13]
  • Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Ian Johnson, an IT consultant who still lives with his mother.[14]
  • Adeel Akhtar as Wilson Wilson, a survivalist conspiracy theorist. He finds his loyalties divided as he learns more about The Network's plans.
  • Oliver Woollford as Grant Leetham, a troubled 11-year-old boy. Originally pretending to be an adult online, he ends up with the Utopia manuscript. He is later framed for a school shooting and forced to go on the run.
  • Paul Higgins as Michael Dugdale, a civil servant who finds himself blackmailed by The Network over his affair with a Russian sex worker.[15]
  • Neil Maskell as Arby, a Network agent searching for Jessica Hyde and the Utopia manuscript. He is unstable and emotionally disconnected.[16] Mason and Harley Rooney portray a Young Arby.
  • Geraldine James as Milner, an MI5 agent whom the group turns to for help. Rose Leslie portrays a younger Milner.

Recurring

  • Ruth Gemmell as Jen Dugdale, Michael's wife.
  • Emilia Jones as Alice Ward, a schoolgirl who becomes embroiled in the conspiracy after Grant meets her and hides the Utopia manuscript in her bedroom.
  • Alistair Petrie as Geoff Lawson, Secretary of State for Health and Michael's boss, an inside man for The Network.
  • Paul Ready as Lee, Arby's partner. He takes a special delight in interrogation and torture.
  • Simon McBurney (series 1) and Michael Maloney (season 2) as Christian Donaldson, a scientist whom Michael asks for help.
  • James Fox as Letts' Assistant (series 1–2). Ed Birch portrays a younger Assistant.
  • Stephen Rea as Conran Letts (series 1), part of a biological sciences company and apparent head of The Network.
  • Anna Madeley as Anya Levchenko (series 1), a Russian sex worker with whom Michael is having an affair.
  • Mark Stobbart as Bejan Chervo (series 1), the finder of the Utopia II manuscript who invites Ian, Becky, Grant and Wilson to meet him. Before he can do so, he is murdered by Arby and Lee.
  • Sylvestra Le Touzel as Leah Gorsand (series 2), CEO of Rochane Foundation, an NGO funding the Russian flu vaccine campaign, underwriting the cost for countries that cannot afford it.
  • Ian McDiarmid as 'Anton' (series 2), a confused old Romanian who is in fact the scientist Philip Carvel, the long thought dead creator of 'The Utopia Experiments'. Tom Burke portrays a younger Carvel.

Guest

  • Michael Smiley as Detective Inspector Joshua Reynolds (season 1), a police officer investigating Bejan's death.
  • Alan Bentley as Scientist (series 1–2). Ian Porter portrays a younger Scientist.
  • Eleanor Matsuura as Bev (series 1), Michael's colleague who signs off on the purchase of the Russian flu vaccine.
  • Gerard Monaco as Joe (series 1–2), Ian's colleague.
  • Anca-Ioana Androne as Brosca (series 2), Philip Carvel's wife.
  • Emil Hostina as Marius (series 2), a Romanian translator whom Becky, Grant, and Ian use to communicate with Anton/Philip Carvel.
  • Kevin Eldon as Tony Bradley (series 2), a scientist and author of a book on Deel's Syndrome.
  • Will Attenborough as Ben (series 2), a member of a hacking collective member who assists the main characters.
  • Juliet Cowan as Bridget (series 2), a scientist colleague of Michael who notices discrepancies in government plans for the Russian flu vaccine.
  • Sacha Dhawan as Paul Simpson (series 2), a Network sleeper agent.
  • Steven Robertson as Terrence Truman (series 2), another Network sleeper agent.
  • David Calder as Dobri Gorski (series 2), Donaldson's former professor who attempted to fake his death to evade The Network.

Production

In April 2012, Channel 4 announced that it had commissioned a six-episode drama series titled Utopia.[17] The series was written by Dennis Kelly and produced by Kudos Film and Television. Marc Munden was chosen as the director, Rebekah Wray-Rogers the producer, and Dennis Kelly, Jane Featherstone and Karen Wilson the executive producers.[18]

Conception and development

Kudos Film and Television approached Kelly with an idea about a conspiracy hidden inside a graphic novel.[19] Kelly liked some of the idea, but changed some of the others. The story involved a shadowy organisation called The Network, and Kelly initially came out with an idea that The Network might be responsible for the rise in conspiracy theories because they thought it would be the best way to hide an actual conspiracy.[20] Kelly said he does not believe in conspiracy theories, but is fascinated by them.[21] The series took about two years to come to fruition.[20]

Post-production

To emulate the graphic novel printing process, Marc Munden chose to use a Technicolor palette: "The three-strip Technicolor process we use is comprised of the opposite colours – yellows, cyan, magentas. I was interested in Doris Day films from the 1950s that pushed those distinct elements." Colourist Aidan Farrell used grading software Nucoda Film Master to paint bolder colours into the shots. By the second series the production crew were preparing the film sets for grading.[22]

Filming locations

Utopia is set in London, but was filmed mostly in Merseyside and Yorkshire between April and October 2012, while the panning shot of the Mercury Hotel in the first episode was filmed in Westhoughton. Producer Bekki Wray-Rogers claimed the reason for this was that no other area in the UK could have provided them with such a variety of locations.[1] Some scenes, such as the office of Conran Letts, were filmed at Scarisbrick Hall near Ormskirk. Scenes for the school shooting in episode 3 were filmed at Alsop High School in Walton whilst the school was closed for summer in July 2012. The empty red sandstone stately home the group make use of from episode 4 is filmed at Woolton Hall. The café scene in the fifth episode is filmed at TC's Cafe & Take-Away on Southport New Road near the village of Mere Brow.[23] Many scenes were filmed in Crosby and Skelmersdale. Scenes set in the office of a fictional newspaper were shot in the offices of the Liverpool Echo newspaper on Old Hall Street in Liverpool. The final scene of the first series, with Jessica and Milner, was shot atop the Cunard Building, one of Liverpool's "three graces".

In the second series, locations used included Barnsley Interchange in Barnsley, Temple Works in Leeds, The Chocolate Works in York, the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield, and various spots in Leeds city centre, which doubled as London by superimposing London landmarks on the horizon.[24][25] The scene in which Mr Rabbit and Philip Carvel meet was filmed at Allerton Castle near Harrogate. The abandoned building in the second episode of series 2 was shot in Abbotsford School in The Gorbals, Glasgow.

Referencing real world events

The TV drama referenced a number of real world events, and incorporated these events into the story of the conspiracy. In the second series, the show used various news footage from the 1970s including the assassinations of Aldo Moro, Carmine Pecorelli, Richard Sykes, and Airey Neave.[26] The TWA Flight 841 disaster is also referenced in this episode. In particular, several events from a 10-day period in 1979, including the Three Mile Island accident and the collapse of the Labour government, had been combined as a jumping off point for the second series.[27]

Cancellation

Utopia was cancelled by Channel Four on the 12 August 2014. The network's official statement was:[28]

Utopia is truly channel-defining: strikingly original, powered by Dennis Kelly's extraordinary voice and brought to life in all its technicolor glory through Marc Munden's undeniable creative flair and vision, the team at Kudos delivered a series which has achieved fervent cult status over two brilliantly warped and nail-biting series. It also has the honour of ensuring audiences will never look at a spoon in the same way again. It’s always painful to say goodbye to shows we love, but it’s a necessary part of being able to commission new drama, a raft of which are launching on the channel throughout 2015.

Reception

The first series was generally well received by the critics, with some high praise for its striking visuals, but also some expressions of concern about its violence. Aidan Smith of The Scotsman noted both its "astonishing visuals" as well as its "astonishing violence",[29] while Tom Sutcliffe of The Independent thought it a dystopian fantasy "delivered with great visual style" but was not convinced that its violence is necessary.[30] Mark Monahan of The Daily Telegraph described it as "a dark, tantalisingly mysterious overture",[31] while Sam Wollaston of The Guardian called it "a work of brilliant imagination", "a 21st-century nightmare" that "looks beautiful", but also wondered about the gratuitousness of its violence.[32]

Controversy

UK media regulator Ofcom received 44 complaints about the television series including complaints about violence, offensive language and child actors being involved in scenes of adult content. Thirty-seven of the complaints related to a scene at the beginning of the third episode where a shooting takes place in a secondary school.[33]

In the second series, the use of real life events including the assassination of Airey Neave prompted criticisms of the show by a number of people, including members of the murdered politician's family.[27][34] In response, Channel 4 issued a statement and said that the drama series is "entirely fictional" and "it is not [Channel 4's] intention to cause offence and Utopia does not suggest that any other real organisation was responsible for the death of Airey Neave."[35]

Awards and nominations

In 2014, the series was nominated for and won the International Emmy Award for best drama series.[36][37]

YearAwardCategoryRecipientResultsRef.
2013 RTS Craft & Design Awards Effects – Picture Enhancement Aidan Farrell Won [38]
Music – Original Score Cristobal Tapia de Veer Won [39]
Production Design – Drama Kristian Milsted Nominated [40]
2014 RTS Programme Awards Drama Series Utopia Nominated [41]
Writer – Drama Dennis Kelly Nominated [41]
BAFTA TV Craft Awards Writer – Drama Dennis Kelly Nominated [42]
Photography And Lighting – Fiction Ole Birkeland Nominated [42]
Director – Fiction Marc Munden Nominated [42]
Digital Creativity TH_NK Nominated [42]
International Emmy Best Drama Series Utopia Won [37]
RTS Craft & Design Awards Costume Design – Drama Marianne Agertoft Nominated [43]
Effects – Picture Enhancement Aidan Farrell Nominated [43]
Music – Original Score Cristobal Tapia de Veer Nominated [43]
Production Design – Drama Jennifer Kernke Won [43]
Photography – Drama Lol Crawley Won [43]
2015 RTS Programme Awards Best Actor – Male Adeel Akhtar Nominated [44]
BAFTA TV Awards Supporting Actor Adeel Akhtar Nominated [42]

Release

DVD/Blu-ray

Series Episodes Original air dates DVD/Blu-ray release dates and details
Series premiere Series finale Region 2/B Region 4 Special features
1 6 15 January 2013 19 February 2013 11 March 2013[45][46]
DVD & Blu-ray
20 December 2013[47]
DVD only
  • Audio commentary on episode one with Dennis Kelly (writer), Marc Munden (director) and Rebekah Wray-Rogers (producer)
  • The World of Utopia – with writer Dennis Kelly
  • Fly on the Wall of director Marc Munden filming
  • Analysis of stunt scene with directors Wayne Yip & Alex Garcia
  • Deleted scenes[48][49]
2 6 14 July 2014 12 August 2014 18 August 2014[50]
Blu-ray in Germany only 26 June 2015[51]
TBA Deleted Scenes

Soundtrack

Utopia (Original Television Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by
Cristobal Tapia de Veer
Released7 October 2013
LabelSilva Screen Music

The series soundtrack was composed by Cristobal Tapia de Veer.[52] The album entitled Utopia (Original Television Soundtrack) was released 7 October 2013, on both CD and MP3 download by Silva Screen Music. In August 2014 a contest was announced on Facebook to create a remix of the "Utopia Overture".

Cristobal Tapia De Veer announced via Twitter that the Series 2 soundtrack was coming December 8. It was then released that day, and is now available on major music streaming services. It is also available for purchase as a CD/DVD.

  1. "Utopia Overture" (3:32)
  2. "The Network" (3:21)
  3. "Dislocated Thumbs (Pt. 1)" (2:17)
  4. "Mr. Rabbit's Game" (1:05)
  5. "Conspiracy (Pt. 1)" (2:53)
  6. "Meditative Chaos" (3:10)
  7. "A New Brand of Drug" (2:13)
  8. "Samba De Wilson" (2:15)
  9. "Slivovitz" (1:43)
  10. "Bekki On Pills (Pt. 1)" (1:01)
  11. "Where Is Jessica Hyde? (Pt. 1)" (3:39)
  12. "Arby's Oratorio" (1:38)
  13. "Jessica Gets Off" (3:18)
  14. "Mr. Rabbit It Is" (2:51)
  15. "Lovechild" (1:03)
  16. "Mind Vortex" (2:48)
  17. "Twat" (2:02)
  18. "Bekki On Pills (Pt. 2)" (3:16)
  19. "Fertility Control" (1:50)
  20. "Janus Saves" (2:51)
  21. "Evil Prevails" (2:55)
  22. "Conspiracy (Pt. 2)" (4:56)
  23. "Dislocated Thumbs (Pt. 2)" (1:28)
  24. "Utopia Descent" (2:42)
  25. "Where Is Jessica Hyde? (Pt. 2)" (4:08)
  26. "Utopia's Death Cargo" (1:38)
  27. "The Experiment" (6:16)
  28. "Utopia Finale" (2:35)

American adaptation

In February 2014, HBO ordered an American adaptation of Utopia, to be co-created and directed by David Fincher, with Gillian Flynn as the writer.[53] Fincher planned to direct all episodes of the series, and said "I like the characters – I love Dennis’s honesty and affinity for the nerds."[54] In June 2015, it was announced that Rooney Mara was negotiating for the role of Jessica Hyde.[55] On July 30, 2015, it was reported that the series would not go into production because of budget disputes between Fincher and HBO, and that the cast had been released from their contracts.[56] After HBO lost rights to the project, Amazon ordered a nine-episode first season directly on April 19, 2018, with Flynn said to adapt the project from the original.[57]

The American adaptation was released on Amazon Prime Video on the 25th September 2020 and was created by Gillian Flynn.

References

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  4. Arnold, Ben (12 January 2013). "Utopia: inside Channel 4's new unsettling thriller". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  5. Gilbert, Gerard (15 January 2013). "Utopia: They're coming to get you". The Independent. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
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  8. Seale, Jack (25 September 2020). "Utopia review – sanitised remake is no match for cult TV original". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
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  20. Phil Harrison. "Interview: Dennis Kelly on 'Utopia'". TimeOut.
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  22. Kelly, Stephen. "How TV series Utopia got its comic book look".
  23. "'Utopia' filming in Mere Brow". Q Local Tarleton. 15 October 2012.
  24. "Where Was Utopia Series 2 filmed? Our Production Services Team Have The Answers..." Creative England. 14 July 2014.
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  57. Andreeva, Nellie (19 April 2018). "Amazon Orders 'Utopia' Drama Series From Gillian Flynn Based On UK Format".
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