Gritty new London-based show Informer is coming to BBC One – a counter-terrorism thriller coupled with a complex, character-driven drama.
Created and written by newcomers Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, Informer tells the story of Raza, played by Nabhaan Rizwan (in his first television role), a young second generation British-Pakistani man from East London who is coerced by Counter-Terrorism Officer Gabe Waters, played by Paddy Considine, into becoming the titular informer.
The impressive cast also includes Sharon D Clarke (Holby City), Call the Midwife‘s Jessica Raine, Arsher Ali (The Missing, Line of Duty) and Bel Powley (The Diary of a Teenage Girl).
Ahead of Informer‘s debut next week, the cast have been praising the show’s diversity, representation and just why it’s important that it airs on BBC One.
Sharon D Clarke, who was recently seen as Grace in Doctor Who, plays no-nonsense and ruthless DCI Rose Asante, the “head honcho” of London’s Counter-Terrorism Special Unit.
She told Digital Spy and members of the press at the Informer launch: “To see something like that on the BBC? I’ve been waiting a long time to see it. It’s funny, it’s glorious, it bigs up London, it bigs up Londoners in all their facets and all their glory. I love it. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
The actress, known for playing Lola Griffin in the medical drama Holby City, said she was “ecstatic” to get the part and commented on the casting of a black woman in such a senior role. Clarke joked: “As a black actress – I play nurses, I play night nurses.”
Jessica Raine plays “borderline alcoholic” Emily Waters, who is married to secretive policeman Gabe (played by Paddy Considine). She spoke about just why it was important that Informer was on BBC One at this moment.
“It’s just time, isn’t it? You just need it right now. You look at the landscape of television and you can’t avoid it. It’s being talked about all the time, it’s in our culture that we’re talking about: women and television, diversity and television. It’s a sigh of relief that this is it, exactly what you need.
“It’s a brilliant piece of television. It’s now and it positively reflects London.”
BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter Mim Shaikh (pictured below) also appears in Informer, swapping DJ-ing for a return to acting.
Shaikh, who also worked on the show’s soundtrack, praised its “close depiction of reality”, but hit out at period dramas and shows BBC One is famous for, saying: “I don’t necessarily watch [them] because they’re not for me, they’re not attractive to me in any way.”
However, Informer seems to have changed his mind with regards to the channel.
When the multi-talented artist first read the script, he was surprised to discover it was destined for BBC One, remarking: “This actually speaks to me.”
Shaikh continued in his praise for the show and its representation of London and its diverse inhabitants: “If I wasn’t in this, I would be watching a programme like this because it shows the London that I know, and the London that I’m part of, and the London that my friends are a part of. And the way that people speak and the way that people interact.
“And the fact that it’s so diverse, I think is great. I think a show like this needs to be made, in order to show how you can actually attract audiences that you’re trying to attract, [with a show] that speaks to them; the black and ethnic minority audiences that all these broadcasters really want access to.”
Informer airs from Tuesday, October 16 at 9pm on BBC One.
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