State Of Play : Complete BBC Series 1 [2003]

SHAMELESS writer Paul Abbott’s acclaimed BBC drama follows the connection between the death of a politician’s research assistant and the death of a drug dealer. Stephen Collins (David Morrissey, BASIC INSTINCT 2) is an ambitious, high-flying British politician. Cal McAffrey (John Simm, LIFE ON MARS) is Collins’ former campaign manager who is now an investigative journalist. One day, Collins’ research assistant mysteriously falls to her death on London Underground. A revelation about Collins’ relationship with his assistant soon hits the headlines. A young suspected drug dealer is murdered. The two apparently unconnected deaths lead to a web of intrigue. Friendships are tested and lives are put on the line as it unfolds. The drama is a taut six-part conspiracy thriller looking at the relationship between politics, big business and the press. Also stars Bill Nighy (LOVE ACTUALLY) and Kelly MacDonald (TRAINSPOTTING).
Philip played DCI William Bell.