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Airdate: False Witness

A new two part thriller from the people behind Underbelly will have its World Premiere on the UKTV Channel in January.

A new two part thriller from the people behind Underbelly will have its World Premiere on the UKTV Channel in January.

False Witness starring Dougray Scott, Rachael Blake, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, Claire Forlani, Don Hany and Richard Roxburgh weaves terrorism, espionage, conspiracies and action sequences into a story set in Sydney, Tajikistan and London.

With Screenwriter Peter Gawler and AFI-awarded director Peter Andrikidis, this is a mammoth co-production by the local channel,produced by Screentime.

It’s largely due to local content rules that UKTV has to produce local drama -it previously delivered Make or Break. You can catch this on Sunday January 11 at 8:30pm, concluding Monday night January 12th.

Press Release:
Set against the back drop of bickering intelligence agencies, fallible police forces and international tensions; False Witness is a supercharged two part thriller with factual foundations.

False Witness is set in present day Sydney, Tajikistan and London. The mini-series is inspired by real incidents known to international security agencies, including the 1997 theft of five Soviet built nuclear “suitcase bombs”, and explores a scenario that could lead to the West’s worst nightmare – a nuclear attack.

British diplomat Ian Porter is apprehended at Heathrow airport in possession of 20 kilos of heroin. Porter’s unwillingness to co-operate leaves Scotland Yard Inspector Julie Hales believing he is doing business with Russian arms and drugs trafficker Sergei Krousov.

Unaware that Krousov has intentions to sell a suitcase bomb, Scotland Yard offers to cut Porter a deal to turn on Krousov. In return, they’ll grant him immunity from prosecution and entry into their International Witness Protection Scheme.

Chief Inspector Hales accompanies Porter and his wife Pippa to Sydney, where chameleon Porter believes his handler at MI6 (Richard Roxburgh as Van Koors) can manipulate the Australian Federal Police protection team to allow him to complete his mission.

Australian Federal Police agent Mark Wilson and Hales have no idea of Porter’s MI6 links, so when their security is stunningly breached all hell breaks loose.

Taking you to the edge of your seat and beyond, False Witness navigates the murky world of international intelligence with an explosive and unstoppable chain reaction of events.

Stars: Dougray Scott as Ian Porter (Desperate Housewives; Mission Impossible II); Rachael Blake as Chief Inspector Hales (Lantana; Suburban Shootout); Jeremy Lindsay Taylor as Mark Wilson (Sea Patrol, Something in the Air); Claire Forlani as Pippa Porter (CSI:NY); Richard Roxburgh as Van Koors (Like Minds; Mission Impossible II) and Don Hany as Sergei Krusov (Underbelly, East West 101)

Writer, Peter Gawler; Director/Producer, Peter Andrikidis; Producer/Concept, Greg Haddrick; Executive Producers, Des Monaghan and Brendan Dahill.

18 Responses

  1. To Russell..

    I just thought i’d mention.. that UKTV dont actually chase ratings very much… I’ve met their head programmer and this production is purely for the purpose of spending their money for being a drama channel…

  2. craig, 2 reasons

    1.UKTV is considered a drama channel and is thus subject to spend a certain amount of their programming budget a year on original Australian productions

    2. Original Australian productions rate. UKTV like everyone is chasing ratings

  3. @Craig
    Yeah there is a chance the abc might show it eventually, stupid stupid man, which aired originally on TV1, was one example of FTA channels airing Pay programs.

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