The Hour: Season 1

2011

Created by Abi Morgan
94%
91%
6 episodes
Drama

BBC UK drama series set at a London-based investigative news show during the Cold War era. Stars Dominic West (The... More

BBC UK drama series set at a London-based investigative news show during the Cold War era. Stars Dominic West (The Wire) and written by Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady).

Set in 1956, the six episode season examines the intense pressures felt by the broadcast crew, behind the scenes of a news show called The Hour. A wit-challenging love triangle emerges, a hunt for heavy and controversial stories persist and a murder investigation escalates with each episode.

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Where to watch The Hour: Season 1

The Hour: Season 1 is available to stream in New... More Zealand now on AMC+.

The Hour: Season 1 episodes

Episode 1

Bel and Freddie, who work as BBC reporters, are given... More the chance to escape from their boring jobs to run a topical weekly show instead. With only one of them being able to be the producer, and with Bel in pole position for the job, Freddie is not happy. After a debutante and a childhood friend end up asking him for help in investigating a murder, he ends up realising that the only way he can investigate it is to join the staff of The Hour.

Episode 2

It is July 1956 and The Hour is struggling as... More the ratings are down, the reviews are bad and Hector and Freddie are arguing like children. Freddie is still shocked following Ruth's death and is convinced that she was murdered. Peter's killer, Tom Kish, has started working as Lix's new assistant on the foreign desk. Bel and Hector end up being brought closer together under the watchful presence of Hector's wife, Marnie as they face their biggest challenge yet. n impromptu meeting with Ruth's devastated father, Lord Elms, ends up giving Freddie a vital clue brings him closer to the truth but also puts himself in further danger.

Episode 3

It is now September 1956 and Hector's brilliant interview with... More Mr Hafiz has caused the fortunes of The Hour to pick up.. The team are invited to spend a weekend at Hector's in-laws. The attraction between Bel and Hector continues to grow and Hector finds it hard to deal with his growing feelings for her, despite Marnie's presence. The suspicion about Tom Kish continues to grow back at the office and Isaacs on the case. Bel is surprised by the sudden appearance of Angus McCain. As the weekend away continues Freddie's crossword continues to baffle him and he believes that there is a hidden code which is an important clue as to who killed both Peter and Ruth.

Episode 4

It is now October, 1956 and Freddie is celebrating his... More birthday. The after effects of Tom's death are still being felt in the newsroom. Even though it was said that Tom had suffered a heart attack, MI6 are now a regular presence in the newsroom and it seems that Freddie in particular is being watched. Freddie goes to see Tom's widow, Jane and after realising that that she was the one behind the camera in Ruth's film, Freddie believes that she could hold some important information. Isaac believes that his latest idea for the programme could bring Sissy closer to him.

Episode 5

Public anger against the Suez crisis leads to violence in... More the streets. Marnie Madden reveals that she has found out about Bel's affair with Hector. And Freddie Lyons finally begins to get to the heart of the Ruth Elms murder case.

Episode 6

It is now November 1956 and The Hour is about... More to broadcast live and tensions increase for everyone. Bel wants to see the BBC's commitment to impartiality meaning that they cover both the arguments for and against the war in Egypt. Both McCain and Douglas have other ideas though. Freddie has lined up a mystery guest for the show but there is a chance he might not show up. Hector has been sleeping in the office and there is lots of tension between him and Bel following Marnie's visit. Freddie ends up in Clarence's office and is unsure what to do with the information he is given. After when Lix reveals the full scope of Peter and Tom's Egyptian mission, and the real reason for Ruth's death, Freddie is shocked.

The Hour: Season 1 | Ratings & Reviews

94_%33 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes® rating
91_%3 reviews
Audience score rating

"This is the kind of meticulously handsome period piece one would expect to find via the BBC--mostly because it would surely struggle Stateside. Judged by the most bottom-line measurement of all, The Hour is an hour well spent."

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Variety

"The plot twists of The Hour can at times be puzzling, but the series is never dull."

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The New York Times

"What makes it so engaging is not that the series finds anything new to twist, but that it works so well with and within the strictures of the well-thumbed genres it combines in equal parts: spy thriller, murder mystery, backstage drama, triangular romance."

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