The ending of 00s BBC drama brutally axed on cliffhanger finally revealed
For 12 years, BBC fans have been desperate to know the fate of a major character in an internationally acclaimed drama that only lasted two seasons.
The Hour, which starred the likes of Ben Whishaw and Dominic West and ran from 2011 until 2012, charted the dawn of the TV news era in the 50s, following the fortunes of a team working on a BBC current affairs programme.
However, the newsroom show was unexpectedly axed on a cliffhanger, with fans never finding out if Ben’s character, investigative journalist Freddie, survived a brutal attack.
Now, though, The Hour’s creator Abi Morgan, 56, who was also behind films Suffragette and The Iron Lady, has revealed her plans for the third season that never came into being.
‘You were going to discover that actually Freddie was a spy, that Freddie was the one who betrayed his country,’ the screenwriter told The Guardian, explaining season 3 would have been set in the 60s.
She also reflected on The Hour’s cancellation, revealing there was a disagreement within the BBC about the show’s future.
Abi said: ‘There was a split within the BBC. I know Ben Stephenson [the BBC’s then head of drama] was really upset and wanted it to go forward but the commissioner at the time [Janice Hadlow] had culled a whole load of shows of which mine was one.’
However, now she has mixed feelings about The Hour’s premature end but conceded it allowed her to work on other projects and freed up BBC funding for other showrunners.
In 2018, Paddington actor Ben, 44, revealed he would be keen to reprise his role in the shortlived drama.
‘I still haven’t lost hope, actually,’ he told EW when asked if The Hour could return.
‘It could come back as a kind of picking it all up 10 years later or something. That could be quite brilliant.’
During its short lifespan The Hour – which was also shown on BBC America – was nominated for four Golden Globes, which included two consecutive nods for best miniseries.
And it won the Emmy Award for outstanding writing in a miniseries, movie or dramatic special.
The Hour also starred actors including Romola Garai, Peter Capaldi and Joshua Maguire.
The Hour is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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