Would you cross the line? (From The Northern Echo)

Would you cross the line?

2:46pm Thursday 2nd February 2012 in TV By Steve Pratt

Inside Men (BBC1, 9pm)
Confessions from the Underground (C4, 10pm)
Holiday: Heaven on Earth (Channel 5, 7pm)

WITH the exception of nabbing the odd packet of Post-It notes and telling the repairman that the coffee machine swallowed your pound when it was really only 20p, most people have never really taken their company to the cleaners.

Sure, we’ve read about people who mailed computers to themselves at home using the outgoing mail service, but by and large, our fantasies of getting one over on the boss remain in our heads.

That’s not the case in gripping new drama Inside Men, which shows what happens when three employees of a security depot plan and execute a multimillion pound cash heist.

This new four-part drama serial, written by Tony Basgallop, stars Steven Mackintosh as John, manager of the cash counting house, a character too scared to confront the humdrum normality of his life. Joining him in the robbery are depot security guard Chris, played by Ashley Walters, and forklift driver Marcus, played by Warren Brown. They’re not seasoned criminals but everyday, hardworking men who see an opportunity, weigh up the risks, and take a leap.

Each has their own reason for doing the job. John realises that the only way to change his life is to start taking risks, and a risk this big would mean a massive change. Chris is lonely. The only significant woman in his life is his alcoholic mother, until he meets 17-year-old Polish immigrant Dita. For him, the money could help make their lives better.

Meanwhile Marcus is in financial peril.

Five years ago he borrowed everything he could from friends and family to invest in a hairdressing salon, and lost the lot. By involving wife Gina (Kierston Wareing) in the heist, the two of them enjoy the element of adventure while dreaming of the carefree life that lies ahead.

“Inside Men is the story of an oldschool cash robbery but with the ‘geezer’ element removed,” says Basgallop. “It’s a study in what it takes for a modern man to step up, assert himself, and have the courage to take something by force. How do you go from being a beta male to an alpha male, and what are the implications on your everyday life?”

CONFESSIONS From The Underground goes behind the scenes at the London Underground, which plays host to over a billion passengers a year, while it provides jobs for 19,000 employees, but behind closed doors, workers face all kinds of dilemmas and pressures just to keep the system up and running.

The documentary hears from those workers (all voiced by actors) – train drivers, maintenance workers, station staff as well as controllers. And they offer a frank account of the effort that goes into making sure commuters get to work on time.

They do it all, from dealing with the difficulties of storing dead bodies after suicides and negotiating the hazards of ageing infrastructure, to confronting aggressive passengers.

THE days are still dark and gloomy, the weather is miserable, yep, we might not have been back at work after the festive break for that long, but many are probably wishing they were lazing on a beach somewhere.

Unfortunately, only a few can maybe afford to do that at the moment. But if you don’t mind living vicariously for a while, then the new ten-part series Holiday: Heaven on Earth could be for you.

It features a variety of destinations, with travel guides involving hotels, hidden-gem restaurants and off-the-beaten- track adventures included too.

The opening edition finds Emma Wilson in St Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean. Don’t you wish you were there? This break is all about pampering and relaxation, although diving and cycling activities can be booked for the more adventurous.

Darren Kennedy’s destination is Macau, where foot power is the main mode of transport and everyone has a sweet tooth.