This programme contains strong language from the outset
and scenes some viewers may find upsetting.
All radio and radar contact has been lost with the plane
carrying the Prime Minister back from the US.
Nothing to report on the investigation?
No black box, no story.
Sayed Khan's cousin.
He'd been downloading structural diagrams of the plane
Charles was killed in.
Tony Fossett! I need your help, Tony.
I had a call from the pathologist. PetroFex are obstructing his investigation.
I need to know what they're hiding.
This is Dr Ashcroft, Pathology.
I need the test results again for the Matthews family.
We need you looking at the devastation on Teesside,
and telling us what you are going to do about it.
You know, I think I'll wait till after the election.
If you're saying you're standing... I'll break your fucking nose.
What if I stand?
Don't, Tom.
Good luck, sir.
Well, I...I haven't done anything to deserve this yet, but...
thank you so much.
Let's be frank. There isn't another person here who could have pulled this off, hmm?
It was tight, but we are still in government.
If you're at the table,
you owe this man your job!
(VARIOUS) Hear, hear!
Well, the good news is that the country still believes in us.
Obviously, there's a great deal of work to be done.
Just one word of caution before we all get our sleeves rolled up.
(Hodder) Briefly.
Tom scored a lot of points in the election with the way he spoke out
against the excesses of big business.
No-one would disagree.
But that was electioneering. This is government.
Meaning?
Meaning... let's remember who our friends are.
Yes, by all means, let's remember who our friends are.
But let's also remember the people who voted for us.
(WOMAN) Don't pull your ear when you're agitated.
And if your hands are going to shake, keep them on the podium.
Remember, stay on the road and don't mention the scenery.
Yes?
What's the latest on the flight recorder
from Charles Flyte's plane, Prime Minister?
It hasn't been found.
Surely there's something to report. It's been three weeks now.
If there was something to tell, I would tell you.
With respect,
a lot of times government does know but doesn't tell.
Not this government.
Phrases That Will Come Back To Haunt Him - number one.
Tweeting, Ros?
Don't you follow me?
(REPORTER) The PM's aide, Sayed Khan - his cousin was released last week.
Does that mean that area of the investigation is closed?
Sayed Khan was a trusted member of the late Prime Minister's advisory team.
So why did he email his cousin details of Charles Flyte's plane?
He was an aeroplane geek, and his cousin was, too.
LAUGHTER
You can scoff, but it's true.
And the doubts about the plane's safety record?
That model doesn't have an exemplary record,
but without the black box, we are in no...
(REPORTER) On the black box,
will the Americans be making all their findings available to you?
Why wouldn't they?
Number two! So soon.
What's happening with Scarrow, Prime Minister?
You said you're pressing for the highest compensation.
The HSE report is now imminent.
As you know, I have appointed Lord Justice Holbeck to chair the public inquiry.
He's the man. What he says goes. He says, "Jump," we jump.
And that includes you, too, by the way, Nightlight.
BEEPING
(ELLIS) Will Lord Holbeck be looking
into the circumstances of the pathologist's death?
Into his suicide? Yes.
The pathologist was an honourable man
doing a trying job in difficult circumstances.
The treatment he received was, in my opinion, quite shameful.
Is it true you spoke to him the day he died?
Yes.
And I know that there were toxicology anomalies...
Toxicology anomalies?
(JOURNALIST) When will Lord Holbeck make his findings available?
(JOURNALIST) Will there be a statement from the coroner's office?
I'm asking the Lord Justice to look into them, and why they created such an impasse
between the company and the coroner's office.
What about the Scarrow Inquiry?
No more questions.
Thank you for your patience. Good afternoon.
What happened to "stay on the road and don't mention the scenery"?
No harm in putting some heat under the story.
It may focus a few minds at PetroFex.
Yes, this is Richard Head here.
I'm calling from Lord Holbeck's team.
'The Scarrow Inquiry?'
'That's right, the inquiry.'
'You may've heard the Prime Minister
'say we'd be looking into the death of Dr Ashcroft, the pathologist.'
'Awful...'
Oh, yes. Terrible. Erm...
so we're going to need hard copies of all his emails,
going back six weeks.
'Hard copies. All of them?'
Well, you heard the Prime Minister say
he wanted a swift resolution to all this.
'Yes, but hard copies could take days.'
Well, if you really think it'll take that long, send them by email.
It'll do for now, but it's not very satisfactory.
'To what address?'
Er, richard.head@holbeckinquiry.co.uk.
'Should we cc anyone else?'
No, thank you.
Don't look at me like that.
I'll arrange a statement regarding the pathologist.
OK.
Do you read Ros Yelland's tweets?
Do I look like somebody who reads tweets?
(HODDER) Maybe you should start.
Paul Clark. Try him again.
Track him down.
Two words - coal minister.
OK.
Hello.
So did he kill himself?
It would seem so.
And do you believe that?
Yes.
Congratulations, by the way.
Does your ascendancy mean I now have an inside man at Number 10?
I recall you telling me it wasn't going to happen.
And you telling me not to believe what I read in the papers.
And what are we going to read in the papers?
Since we're getting on so famously, I've been told I can do a profile.
Your first 30 days.
Really?
Really.
Is this you?
You've been doing your research.
It's Bosnia in 1992.
And you were where else?
Ulster. Germany.
That's you and...?
Look, have we got time to talk?
No, I'm afraid we don't. I've got a very important meeting
with the Indian Minister for Coal.
It's a shame.
Please, go ahead.
I have wet wipes here.
Let's get our hands dirty.
This coal provided the underground boiler room
that made this nation what it is today.
And yet, what do you say to us?
Leave our coal where it is. The planet can't take it.
RINGING TONE
"You've reached Tom Dawkins. Leave a message..."
Oh, that's right. You ignore me, too.
The dark patches are burn marks. In all probability, a bomb.
But they were passing through an electrical storm,
and until we can rule out a lightning strike...
...my advice would be to say nothing.
Jesus.
Poor bastards.
Spike Ellis Kane.
Why?
Too close to the PM.
Anthony Fossett's close to the PM.
How come we don't delete him?
Sir...
Problem, Sergeant?
(SLURRED) Oh, Jesus Christ. It's Lord Snooty.
Hello, Tony.
You didn't answer my calls!
Have you seen my schedule for today?
So you're busy. Don't carp.
Some of us aren't. What... What do you think of your boss, guys?
I say he's a fucking cock who doesn't remember who his friends are.
Don't...
You don't say much, do you?
Can we talk freely?
I think you already have.
Dermot Matthews was dying
before he was killed in the Scarrow explosion.
Dermot...?
You found his daughter's hand.
His immune system was totally fucked.
The problem is,
the trigger word is Nightlight.
Whenever he says Nightlight, I'm supposed to monitor.
So?
But his cat's called Nightlight.
Nightlight was an MI5/Special Branch operation in Northern Ireland in the '80s.
We are a listening station, Agnes.
That's all.
Matthews worked at PetroFex,
which his GP thinks was significant, as does the pathologist.
There's mention of a substance. Um...
It's...
..PFX-44.
They won't spike Tony Fossett because he's an intramural subject.
Meaning?
Special request by someone senior in Intelligence.
Laura, what an... what an unexpected pleasure.
The sergeant will take you home now, Tony.
The night is young.
The Prime Minister's car is waiting for him.
Then perhaps you and I could go and find somewhere quiet
and talk about old times.
You're not cleared to be here, Tony.
And you're drunk.
I am not drunk. Huh? I'm not falling down, am I?
I'm not... I'm not...stotious, as they say in the Six Counties.
Do you remember them?
Oh, this is great, isn't it?
Three Westminster panjandrums enjoying each other's company
at the fulcrum of imperial power.
Cigar, anyone?
< CRASHING
Ah-ha-ha...!
Come on, sir. Time to go.
Another time.
I'll hold you to that.
Hey...!
It's personal.
I embarrassed you, Tom. Sorry.
No, Tony, it's OK.
We were both going places once, weren't we?
You got over your...bump in the road.
Nightlight! Here, puss.
I never got over mine.
You will, Tony.
You will.
Come here.
How about a quick one down the Drum and Monkey
before it's feeding time for you penguins?
I can't. Really, I can't.
Yeah, you can.
You're the Prime Minister.
Gotta go, Tony.
What, gonna let Nanny tell you who you can and can't play with?
A bad influence, am I? Is that it?
Know too much about you, do I?
Good night, Tony.
Not allowed on little Tommy's trampoline?
Morning, Laura.
Does Sergeant Wrigglesworth not encourage you to jog
somewhere different every time?
Yes, he does.Hmm.
So...do you have anything on the black box for me?
Or should I...should I ask Tony Fossett?
The tabloids' favourite phone hacker?
Well, the man had to eat.
And you were the one who put him out of a job at MI5.
He said that you sacked him to cover up your own mistakes.
Did he?
And does he think it's funny bandying that stuff about
when he's aware there's people who'll twist it against me?
You saw him. He's unstable.
No. Nothing on the black box.
Al-Qaeda claimed it pretty early on, but then again, they would.
Their Arabian Peninsula man,
al-Gamdi, has form with aircraft bombs,
and we know he's in Afghanistan.
Which is a long way out of his comfort zone.
So something's up.
We all have a past, Tom.
Why do you think he was on the plane?
Everybody else in the picture got on the plane. Count them.
So what's he doing there?
Walking past, that's what it looks like to me. Who knows?
And this one?
That's one of the pilots.
Look at his shirt.
Both the pilots are there.
How long have you spent on this?
I've only been doing it in my spare time.
The Prime Minister died on that flight.
Shouldn't we be exploring every possible angle?
You're beyond your remit.
I'm bored of my remit.
That's why you showed me those.
Then I'll take it from here.
I want my contribution credited.
If you want stars on your badge, go and work for McDonald's.
The pathologist's request for information.
Now, I'm not going to tell you your job, Prime Minister, but I can't see
why you want to set me up
as the head of a very expensive public inquiry team
if you're going to dish out surmise and half-truth to the Fourth Estate
before I've got my feet under the desk.
Well, I'm not going to tell you your job, Lord Holbeck,
but the country's demanding answers.
HSE is dragging its feet.
The company is dragging its feet.
Paul Clark is incommunicado.
And the compensation is nowhere in sight.
Now...
PFX-44.
Do they say what that is?
No. The PetroFex take on it
seems to be that the toxins are an unnecessary distraction.
They maintain that it's dirty tricks by green activists, or sabotage.
And have you seen anything that might back that up?
About the only thing we have managed to ascertain
is that the shockwave travelled a great deal further
than the existing worst-case scenarios.
The initial explosion seems to have been aggravated by a second.
When I hear more, I'll let you know.
Thank you.
General Munnery wants a word before Prime Minister's Questions.
He says it's urgent.
Peter, would you put the sound up, please?
TV: Responding to a question about the lack of progress
with the PetroFex compensation deal for Scarrow,
Mrs Yelland is said to have remarked that there are some politicians
who take very naturally to leadership,
and others who need time to find their range.
No need to read tweets now, is there?
I'm going to put a clock on PetroFex.
They have until midday tomorrow. Tell them I expect them
to provide the coroner with everything
the former pathologist requested.
And tell them I'll be addressing the nation on the issue.
Have you spoken to Paul Clark?
Not yet, no.
Call him. Tell him as well.
It's the middle of the night where he is.
Wake the bastard.
Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda's number three, al-Gamdi, is on the move.
Footage from an unarmed drone, one of ours, taken yesterday.
Was he aware he was spotted?
No evidence for that, Foreign Secretary.
And where is he now?
Holed up near Lashkar Gah.
We're pretty sure he's making for Yemen, via Oman,
so he may be planning to pass through Pakistan here.
If we're going to get a shot at him, it'll have to be before that.
Mm. And what do the Americans say?
Well, given their grandstanding
over the search for the black box, I...
You haven't told them.
Not so as they'd notice.
And do you think they'd notice if one of our submarines
took a bit of a poke around for the black box?
Military men like ourselves, Prime Minister,
we'd make a better fist of running this country
than all the politicians put together.
I think it's the fist part that worries people, General.
Keep me informed.
Ros, walk with me.
It was supposed to be off the record.
You know, Ros, when I took over the leadership,
my first thought was to return you very swiftly to the back benches.
Do you know who advised me not to do that?
No, but you're going to tell me.
Nobody.
MP: I'd like to know the Prime Minister's thoughts
on his Foreign Secretary's comments.
Is she right in saying that he's "yet to find his range"?
LAUGHTER
Or were her words perhaps taken out of context?
I think the Right Honourable Member has just answered her own question.
Does the Prime Minister at least agree that PetroFex
is playing him for a fool...
CHEERING
...by refusing to provide the coroner with information,
despite the Prime Minister's much-publicised ultimatum?
Is the Prime Minister aware of any response at all?
Perhaps the Right Honourable Member will care to ask me in...
22 hours.
BRAYING AND JEERING
You want to be careful.
I don't actually, Felix.
I want to be noticed.
And when he comes a cropper, I want people to say,
"Remember what Ros Yelland said?"
Have you seen his approval figures?
There'll be a wobble, one day. Wait and see.
And maybe we'll have a proper leadership election
instead of a coronation.
And then...who knows?
People like him.
The people like him.
Did he consult you about whether to keep me in the Cabinet, Felix?
Well, he might have talked about it briefly.
And you said what?
I said, "Absolutely. Of course you should."
A potential leader like yourself...
General Munnery.
Says it's time to make a fist.
DOOR OPENS
I think you know everyone - Special Ops, MI5, MI6.
So this is our...our man, al-Gamdi.
Just need to get our angles right.
And get the word from you, Prime Minister.
You're sure it's him?
We're as sure as we ever could be.
Er, we've not met, Prime Minister. Not face to face.
William Hawley, MI6.
I'm not sure that we have, in this light.
I do my best work in the dark.
Laura here prefers a little more light.
You're wasting time. If he crosses into Iran...
You may remember his signature piece was that...
I don't need to be softened up.
I'm quite well aware that he's a cold-hearted killer, thank you.
Of course. Forgetting you were an Army man yourself.
Things have changed a bit since then.
You get to stand a lot farther back from the action, you mean.
It doesn't leave you, does it, Prime Minister? Being in the field.
No, it doesn't.
Double back.
They're on to us.
We need to strike now. If they split up and make a run for it,
we'll never get him.
Prime Minister...
Prime Minister, we need to strike now.
Prime Minister, this may be our one shot.
Passenger side. That'll be al-Gamdi.
Tom, for Christ's sake!
They've seen us. They're taking cover.
Prime Minister...
ROS: Tom.
They're praying.
Well, then, we've got him.
We can't kill a man while he's praying.
It's the best time to go,
when your stock's high with your maker.
There's only one thing watching over those guys from above,
and you won't find it in the Qur'an.
If we're going to act like gods,
can we at least maintain the demeanour?
They're heading back to the vehicle.
Tom!
Prime Minister, we're running out of time.
They're on the move.
This is our last chance.
Go.
Affirmative.
BEEPING
Got him!
Pick that out!
Congratulations, Prime Minister. You killed a very bad man today.
I think a drink is called for.
MURMUR OF CONVERSATION
I've just heard from the crash investigation team.
They have ruled out the lightning strike.
Was it a bomb?
Do you have any suspects?
You've just atomised the most likely one.
Are the Americans going to announce it?
No.
Then we have to.
It's going to leak out.
They want to do more analysis.
I don't want them doing anything unless they inform us first.
Laura...
Those people who might twist things against you.
Was one of them...?
Blooded now, Prime Minister?
One of us?
Hello?Piers?
Don't say my name.
Do you know who this is?
'Can you say some more?'
You gave me a reference for a job.
'Oh, yes.'
I was hoping we could...
..have a talk.
My advice is to drop the PetroFex deadline.
You've got great headlines on the al-Gamdi strike,
but you could lose all the benefit of that if they defy you.
Bask in the glory while you can. Unequivocal good news.
Not according to the US State Department.
They're pissed off they didn't get him, that's all.
Please.
Gina, if they meet my deadline, I win.
If they don't,
they give me licence to go after them twice as hard.
Thank you.
TOM: Of course, this doesn't mark the end to the fight against terror.
There are still sinister forces at work in our country
determined to disrupt the process of democracy.
And I understand that there may be some of you who have questions
about the action taken.
But be assured of this.
That because of British Intelligence and British technology,
a terrorist responsible for the deaths of thousands of people
has been stopped.
(QUIETLY) I think he just added "Churchillian"
to his positive points of reference.
Watch the clock.
And finally this is Madeline Wolstencroft and Keith Thompson
from the Evening Globe.
Thank you so much for coming.
The deadline is in a few minutes.
Yes, I know, Gina. Thank you.
GINA: If you need any further information...
Feel good to have your Army hat back on again?
Everything clear-cut.
Good guys, bad guys.
You think I'm that uncomplicated?
No.
No. Your Press Officer, on the other hand,
looks like she's growing an ulcer very fast.
She's concerned about the deadline.
And you're not?
I was talking to a friend the other day
and I was telling him that I couldn't do something,
and he said, "Oh, yes, you can.
"You are the Prime Minister." Maybe he's right.
Yeah. While we're in Cloud Cuckoo Land,
when are we going to do this profile?
I'm afraid I have to hurry you along, Ellis.
What is that?
Oh, that's just scraps of my Tom Dawkins jigsaw.
I dig deep, by the way.
It's a rules of engagement card, for Bosnia.
Yeah. I like to know the rules of engagement.
Oh, a minute to, by the way.
Any news?
No.
WATCH ALARM BEEPS
So, go on. You told your line manager.
He's always trying to find ways of talking to me.
I think he thinks that this is just another way he can...
And I don't want to go above his head,
because we have to work together.
But I've seen something in these photos.
I mean, it's all probably nothing...
Go on.
You recruited me, Piers.
And I thought if I told you, you would... tell me what you thought.
KNOCK AT DOOR
Just a moment.
Agnes,
this is William Hawley, MI6.
Agnes is feeling a bit unloved, William.
Ah, yes. Chilly place, Cheltenham, Agnes. I've always said it.
William's very interested in your findings.
Oh, rest assured, Miss Evans,
they're finding traction in very high places,
and your name with them. All right?
You've already seen them?
We'll let the matter rest there for now, shall we?
Let us take it from here.
Tony Fossett.
What about him?
I think MI5 might... Laura Duchenne
seems to have it in for him, and I don't think it's right.
He's very close to the PM,
and perhaps we shouldn't be monitoring him.
Don't worry, Agnes.
We know all about Tony Fossett.
TV: Confusion in Whitehall
as the Prime Minister's deadline comes and goes
with no response from PetroFex bosses.
Oil tanker drivers say they will take action
if fuel prices continue to rise.
Also this lunchtime, youth unemployment
reaches a record high, and an al-Qaeda...
What the fuck are they playing at?
Politics, I guess.
Want me to prepare a statement?
Yes, please.
Paul Clark, sir. A friend of mine works at airports.
Apparently, Clark's en route to Davos.
Anywhere but here!
Not quite, sir. He's stopping to refuel at Biggin Hill.
We've held him as you requested,
but he's refusing to leave the plane.
What if I go to him?
That would make me nervous, Prime Minister.
Sergeant?
I could do with stretching my legs, sir.
You don't suppose they'll shoot us, do you, Sergeant?
You can never tell with the Americans, sir.
Prime Minister, I'm going to ask you to stop right there.
Is the man with you armed?
I should bloody well hope so.
I suggest you step down.
Thank you.
(CLARK) Tom!
What can I do for you?
Apart from sue you, of course.
My lawyers are on it as we speak. They'll find something.
They're in touch with the US Attorney General as well, by the way.
I want to know what PFX-44 is.
And I want to know what happened to Dermot Matthews.
I signed a legal contract with the British Government
to develop that site.
I provided 1,600 jobs that would otherwise have gone to Poland.
I gave Dermot Matthews the first job he or anyone in his family
had even heard of for a generation.
And what do I get for it?
Your company made billions from that site.
And may I remind you that there are 19 people dead and 94 injured.
The people of Scarrow want to know
that you are going to pay up and stay put.
You want us to make good with the people of Scarrow,
cut out the red tape
and the deadlines...
..and the public inquiries.
You set up in this country, you abide by its rules.
The oil majors could buy and sell this country.
And you with it.
Be grateful we pay lip service.
What's PFX-44?
It's a new lightweight drone fuel we're developing at Scarrow.
It's more jobs for your precious country, more firepower.
Or, if you prefer, we can take the whole thing to Poland.
Now, shall we drop it?
Charles Flyte did.
Who else knew?
Well, I'd love to tell you,
but unfortunately your Chief of Defence Staff
made me sign a bit of paper saying I wouldn't.
There's no evidence that the drone fuel
caused or exacerbated the disaster.
Do you actually believe that, General?
Or are you just able to get your mouth to form the words regardless?
A little respect, please, Prime Minister.
I could remind you that you never rose above the rank of captain.
And which electorate voted you Chief of Defence Staff?
It was felt that any adverse publicity to do with the drone fleet
might jeopardise the kill.
Which kill was that? Al-Gamdi or the 19 people dead in Scarrow?
I want a list of everyone who knew.
Think of the long term.
Think of the lives saved just 24 hours ago
with the drone strike you ordered.
Using the new drone fuel.
Was that an attempt to embroil me in this conspiracy?
It's not as if it's your first, Prime Minister.
I hope to God that you've held on to your body armour, General.
Cos you're going to need it.
You're forgetting the Official Secrets Act.
And you're presuming your secret's official.
Nills.
Paul.
Dermot Matthews.
At the refinery gate.
So?
It's moments before the explosion.
And he wasn't on shift.
'As my deadline with the company expired at noon today,
'I learned that a group of people within the PetroFex Corporation
'have been working in secret
'to develop a fuel for use in unmanned drones,
'like the ones responsible for killing Tamin al-Gamdi.'
None of us will shed a tear for a mass murderer like al-Gamdi,
but it's my belief
that the experimental fuel may well be responsible
for the scale and ferocity of the Scarrow explosion
and for the toxicity anomalies I mentioned
in my press conference a few days ago.
When one of the largest oil companies in the world flouts
our nation's safety regulations
and the terms of the company's agreement with the UK government,
I believe that we have to act, and act together as a nation.
You know,
I was told today
that the oil majors could buy and sell this country.
Petrodollars are a powerful currency, there's no doubt.
But we hold a stronger one in our democracy.
We call it the vote.
BIG BEN CHIMES
Tom...I'm sorry to disturb you.
That drone strike.
The Iranians say it was on their side of the border.
They're treating it as an act of war.
We have not committed any act of war against Iran.
There's...a small possibility that the missile crossed the border.
PetroFex is said to be on the verge of relocating to Poland.
They've suspended their offer of compensation.
I'm gonna freeze their fucking assets.
It's a good story, but I can get you a better one.
Tom Dawkins: The Army Years.
This is your chance, Tom.
There is no story.
Sir, the biometric database has been compromised.
Who is it?
His name's Sami Shiroor.
He was on the plane with Charles Flyte.
He may have been working for the Iranians.