The State (British TV series) explained

Genre:Drama
Director:Peter Kosminsky
Composer:Debbie Wiseman
Country:United Kingdom
Num Series:1
Num Episodes:4
List Episodes:
  1. Episodes
Executive Producer:Andrew Boswell
Liza Marshall
Kris Thykier
Producer:Steve Clark-Hall
Cinematography:Gavin Finney
Editor:David Blackmore
Runtime:48 mins[1]
Company:Archery Pictures
Channel:Channel 4

The State is a four-part British television drama serial, written and directed by Peter Kosminsky, that dramatises the experiences of four young British Muslims who fly to Syria to join Islamic State. The series was originally broadcast in the UK by Channel 4, with all four parts airing on successive nights between 20 and 23 August 2017. The series was green-lit in July 2016, following extensive research by Kosminsky.[2] [3]

Ony Uhiara, Sam Otto, Shavani Cameron and Ryan McKen were later cast as the four principal characters, Shakira, Jalal, Ushna and Ziyad.[4] Most of the series's location filming was undertaken in Spain later that autumn.[5] The series was broadcast worldwide by National Geographic, airing in Australia from 23 August,[6] and premiering in the United States as a two-night special event on 18 and 19 September,[7] [8] In France, the series was broadcast by Canal+ from 4 September.[9] [10] [11] The series was released on DVD in the United States on 28 November 2017.[12]

Reception

The first episode was watched live by 1.4 million viewers, which was described by Broadcast magazine as a "solid start".[13] However, Channel 4 is unlikely to make money from the series; according to outgoing chief creative officer Jay Hunt, the channel needs to cross-subsidise such dramas with more populist programmes such as Great British Bake Off.[14] The figure increased to 2.33 million taking into account catch-up viewing over the next seven days, and 2.49 million after a month.[15]

The series was widely praised by viewers and critics.[16] [17] The Guardian wrote that "this Isis drama is ... gripping and genuinely enlightening",[18] and The Telegraph noted that "viewers on Twitter praised its stars and creators for 'capturing how barbaric and evil ISIS are'."[19] Before the drama aired, Richard Kemp, a former advisor to the UK government on counter-terrorism, warned that it would be a "recruiting sergeant" for ISIS, a view prominently reported by several tabloid newspapers.[20] However, the idea that the drama made ISIS glamorous or attractive was rejected by most reviewers.[21] [22] [23] [24]

Most reviewers found the drama powerful, immersive, and compelling, with both its direction and acting widely praised. However, many questioned the portrayal of the protagonists' apparent initial ignorance and naivety, and of their subsequent antipathy to brutality and hatred, and doubted that either were representative of real jihadis. Although a few references were made to IS's online engagement and misinformation, the decision not to present detailed back-stories for the characters led some critics to suggest that the series failed to explore why people might become radicalised, and that such apparently reasonable people would never have gone to Syria to support it.[25] [26] On the other hand, as former Conservative minister Baroness Warsi commented, "There are many proud parents who cannot understand why their children find an affiliation with Isil... So often we have lazily defined those attracted to violent ideologies promulgated in far-off countries as mad, bad misfits and yet the reality is far more complicated."[27]

Cast

Main cast

Supporting cast

Episodes

EpisodeTitleDirected byWritten byViewers
(millions)		Original airdate

External links

Notes and References

  1. Tom Houghton, Nine-year-old to star in Channel 4 ISIS drama, Wales Online, 1 March 2017
  2. Leo Barraclough, National Geographic, Channel 4 Greenlight ISIS Drama, Variety, 20 July 2016
    Lucy Morris, Channel 4 taps Wolf Hall's Peter Kosminsky to write new scripted ISIS drama, Digital Spy, 20 July 2016
  3. Georg Szalai, U.K.'s Channel 4 Developing ISIS Drama, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 October 2014
  4. Lisa de Moraes, Peter Kosminsky Made ‘The State’ As Antidote To Simplistic Thinking About ISIS Recruits – TCA, Deadline Hollywood, 25 July 2017
    Reid Nakamura, Nat Geo’s ISIS Drama ‘The State’ Aims to Humanize Terrorist Group, The Wrap, 25 July 2017
  5. [Peter Kosminsky]
  6. https://web.archive.org/web/20170823165037/http://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/tv/the-state/episodes.aspx The State
  7. Stewart Clarke, First Look at Channel 4 and Nat Geo’s ISIS Drama ‘The State’, Variety, 13 July 2017
  8. https://web.archive.org/web/20170807121932/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/the-state/ The State
  9. http://www.canalplus.fr/series/news-series/cid1458622-the-state-a-partir-du-4-septembre-sur-canal.html THE STATE à partir du 4 septembre sur CANAL+
  10. http://tvmag.lefigaro.fr/programme-tv/canal-achete-the-state-une-serie-sur-l-etat-islamique_8192aa32-737b-11e7-86f9-876508e701df/ Canal+ achète The State, une série sur l’État islamique
  11. https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/fox-natgeo-isis-drama-the-state-canal-plus-1202514627/ Fox Seals First Sale for Nat Geo ISIS Drama ‘The State’ With Canal Plus Deal
  12. Web site: The State. Amazon .
  13. Alex Farber, The State recruits 1.4m, Broadcast, 21 August 2017
  14. Tim Dams, Jay Hunt warns of impact of ad downturn on budgets, Televisual, 23 August 2017
    Cameron Clarke, Channel 4 chief expects Great British Bake Off ratings to fall well short of BBC's 14m, thedrum.com, 23 August 2017
  15. http://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/weekly-top-30/ Weekly top 30 programmes
  16. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/entertainment-arts-41035251 The State: Viewers and critics praise Channel 4 IS drama
  17. Joe Nerssessian, Channel 4’s The State lauded for ‘important’ insight into Isis, Press Association, 23 August 2017 (via Irish Independent)
  18. News: The State review – this Isis drama is clever, gripping and genuinely enlightening. The Guardian . 21 August 2017. Saner . Emine .
  19. News: 'Gut wrenching and haunting': Channel 4's the State lauded for 'important' insight into Isil. The Telegraph. 24 August 2017.
  20. News: Channel 4 defends Isis drama the State after criticism. The Guardian . 21 August 2017. Grierson . Jamie . Ruddick . Graham .
  21. eg Ben Lawrence, The State, finale review: Kosminsky's Isil drama was no recruitment video, The Daily Telegraph, 24 August 2017
  22. Keith Watson, Daesh drama tells a story that the world needs to hear, Metro, 24 August 2017
  23. http://www.private-eye.co.uk/issue-1451/columnists "EYE tv" column
  24. Jamie Grierson and Graeme Ruddick, Channel 4 defends Isis drama The State after criticism, The Guardian, 21 August 2017
  25. [Rachel Cooke]
  26. Rachel Cooke noted that "somewhat weirdly" some further motivating back-story information was available, but only in a press pack
  27. [Baroness Warsi]
  28. http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/an-interview-with-ony-uhiara-who-plays-shakira-boothe Interview with Ony Uhiara, who plays Shakira Boothe
  29. http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/the-characters-of-the-state Character biogs for The State
  30. http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/an-interview-with-sam-otto-who-plays-jalal-hossein Interview with Sam Otto who plays Jalal Hossein
  31. http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/an-interview-with-shavani-cameron-who-plays-ushna-khaleel Interview with Shavani Cameron, who plays Ushna Khaleel
  32. http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/an-interview-with-ryan-mcken-who-plays-ziyaad-kader-in-the-state Interview with Ryan McKen who plays Ziyaad Kadar

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