A Town Called Malice interview: A new golden age for British crime drama?

In new Sky Original series A Town Called Malice, South London crime family the Lords find themselves in line for a gilt-edged opportunity on the Spanish coast. A Town Called Malice premieres on Sky on 16 March, 2023.

Video transcript

KIM-TAYLOR-FOSTER: "The Gold" also recently revisited this era, and I wondered if you felt that this might be a golden era for British crime.

MARTHA PLIMPTON: It certainly seems that way. I mean, there's a long history of stories about this period in British and Spanish history and global relations. But I also think there's something maybe about the cultural moment right now that makes it a particular fascination because of Brexit and these relationships that have obviously changed enormously since the '80s between England and the rest of Europe.

And so I think there's a fascination with this ability to take off and start anew and begin again that's lost, I think, to England now for the moment, hopefully not forever. But because it's lost, I think the fascination is sort of-- it's bubbling up again.

TAHIRAH SHARIF: Crime is obviously like a major player in our show. But everyone pays for it.

JACK ROWAN: Yeah exactly, exactly.

TAHIRAH SHARIF: You know what I mean? And that's the thing, that there are always consequences.

ELIZA BUTTERWORTH: I feel like the audience, yes, there's going to be a lot of elements of it, where they're shocked and bowled over by the stuff that's happening. But a lot of it is seeped in truth, in a way, of things that did happen. So I guess we're not glamorizing, more just sort of telling a story that's already been.

MARTHA PLIMPTON: And I'm having a hard time imagining what story like this hasn't glamorized it on some level, I mean, from "The Godfather" on. I mean, that's sort of the job of entertainment. It's sort of bringing this hopefully very truthful and grounded in an honest reality, but heightening it a little bit. I think that's kind of where the fun is, you know what I mean? And in storytelling, hey, crime happens.

ELIZA BUTTERWORTH: Crime happens. You heard it here first, guys.