DStv is bringing a new British crime thriller, Hit Point, to South African audiences, with the six-part series premiering on M-Net (DStv Channel 102) today, Monday, October 26, at 21:00 EAT.
Written by BAFTA-winning writer Howard Overman, whose credits include Misfits, War of the Worlds and Paris Has Fallen, the series combines a heist story with police drama, dark comedy and romance. It will air weekly until November 30.
At the centre of Hit Point are detectives Leo and Bella, played by Nick Blood and Saffron Hocking. Their latest case begins when three men wearing animal masks intercept a Range Rover carrying £10 million in cash.
The investigation takes an unexpected turn when Bella’s closest colleague, Leo, turns out to be one of the robbers. He has stolen millions in drug money to help pay for the care of his younger brother, who was paralysed in an accident.
Leo must now investigate his own crime alongside Bella, the woman he is quietly falling in love with, while keeping the truth from her and staying ahead of the police and the ruthless criminal whose money he stole.
“It’s a bit of a hybrid show. At its heart, it’s about the relationship between Leo and Bella,” Blood says.
The relationship unfolds against a backdrop of a heist, police corruption and an increasingly dangerous chain of lies. Hocking says the story initially appeared to be a more conventional police drama.
“I just thought, this is going to be a cute, funny, smart, witty romantic police drama – where they’re on the beat, catching the bad guys. And then Leo is the bad guy. That made it darker than it originally presented itself to be, and darker is always more fun,” she says.
The reversal gives Hit Point its central tension, with viewers following a detective investigating a crime he committed while trying to prevent his partner from discovering the truth.
As Leo attempts to cover his tracks, the robbery attracts the attention of Pascal Dubois, a sophisticated and ruthless French crime boss played by William Abadie, who arrives in London determined to recover his missing money.
Peter Serafinowicz plays Carter, a disgruntled former police officer involved in the heist, while Moe Bar-El plays Dylan, the younger and more impulsive member of the group. The cast also includes Nadia Parkes, Ossian Perret, Joshua Sher and Brendan Coyle.
“Hit Point is a high-stakes, adrenaline-fuelled British cop show. Very special in its own way and unlike anything I’ve ever read or seen. Not your typical procedural,” Abadie says.
Director David Caffrey, whose credits include Peaky Blinders, took an unconventional approach to filming the series. Much of the production was shot on location across London with a small, mobile crew, sometimes working among members of the public rather than closing streets and using large numbers of extras.
Filming locations included Edgware Road and Paddington. Blood says the approach “gives the show a genuine sense of London, and that’s part of what this is”.
The realism is matched by a story that moves between crime, corruption and action, with humour, friendship and a slow-burning romance between the lead characters.
“Hit Point is a thriller comedy romance that follows these two cool, savvy London cops,” Hocking says.
Caffrey describes the series as a hybrid of a police drama, a heist story and a love story, with comedy emerging from the characters and situations.
Coyle, who plays a corrupt police officer in the series, is also currently filming Shadow Has Fallen in South Africa and the UK. The series, like Hit Point, is written by Overman and features South African actor Atandwa Kani.
Hit Point was developed and produced by Urban Myth Films and co-financed by CANAL+, which will broadcast the series in more than 50 countries. STUDIOCANAL is handling international sales and distribution.