Stephen Graham signs up to star in Channel 4 thriller The Watchman

Channel 4

Hollywood actor Stephen Graham is to take centre stage in a brand new Channel 4 drama The Watchman.

“This is a fascinating project with a compelling narrative; I’m looking forward to seeing how Dave will bring his documentary storytelling techniques to this dark drama.” – Stephen Graham

Written and directed by Dave Nath, who has previously won acclaim for his direction of major documentaries tackling challenging subjects through unprecedented access such as Bedlam and The Murder Detectives is turning his hand to fiction in this new project. The Watchman is a thought-provoking thriller set on one night, in one location and seen through the eyes of one man.

“It’s a film about a good man who makes one terrible mistake. But it also asks whether CCTV can distort our view of the world and our place within it.” – Dave Nath

Graham, whose extensive acting credits include This Is England – for which he is Bafta-nominated, Pirates of the Caribbean and Boardwalk Empire will play father-of-two Carl – a CCTV operator who views the world through a series of screens. Working alone, he has gradually become intoxicated by the power of being the ‘all-seeing eye.’ Carl’s growing frustration with the local police comes to a head when they refuse to tackle a group of local drug dealers. Carl decides to intervene in the world he is supposed to be just watching. What follows is a terrifying chain of events played across one night shift.

“After the success of Cyberbully and The People Next Door, Channel 4 Documentaries is keen to continue to give our very best factual talents opportunities to explore the modern world in drama. Dave is absolutely in that category, and has written an exceptionally powerful script which is a ‘what if’ psychological thriller of our times. – Channel 4’s Head of Documentaries Nick Mirsky

Channel 4