It seems we can't get enough of a scammer. On TV that is. Some of our favourite shows over the past few months have revolved around cover-ups and swindlers. Bad Vegan was, in fact, one of last year’s most popular documentaries and Netflix’s Pain Hustlers is set to be one of this year’s most-watched high-profile crime series.
Well, the good news is, if you're after another crime drama binge-watch sess, the BBC's latest drama drop, The Following Events Are Based On A Pack Of Lies, is one for you. It first aired in August and now the entire series is available on iPlayer - ideal for an addictive non-stop marathon watch.
This blackly comic drama follows a woman’s discovery that her missing husband – who popped out for chow mein and never came back – is, in fact, a conman. Her quest for revenge is a total thrill and the series has garnered top reviews all around.
Here's everything you need to know about The Following Events Are Based On A Pack Of Lies.
What is The Following Events Are Based On A Pack Of Lies about?
The storyline follows PA Alice, Rob Chance's ex-wife, who spots Rob years after he told her he was popping out for chow mein and never returned. She sees him on a street in Oxford, now claiming to be an academic and “disruption exploration” pioneer. While Alice seeks revenge on the man who ruined her life, another life is in danger as successful author Cheryl Harker is now slowly being caught in his web. The two women, who were previously complete strangers to one another, partner up to bring down Chance’s charade.
The official synopsis says: “This is the story of two very different women and the conman they have in common; a dark, funny, and unpredictable thriller about three remarkable characters trapped in a triangle of epic proportions.
"Alice is a formidable PA, a single mother, and a lifelong Madonna fan. Caroline is a bestselling fantasy author who, recently bereaved, now lives alone with her toy poodle, Goblin. Rob is an eccentric and celebrated ecopreneur… who may or may not be trying to destroy them both.
"This is a story about lies and artifice, about our weakness for self-deception, and about the rapid ascent of the modern fraudster. Why do ‘respectable’ psychopaths rise to the top? Why does a posh man in a suit still seem so plausible compared to a working-class single mum in a pink plastic rain mac? And if you can’t beat them, is joining them really so bad?
“Above all, this is also the story of an unexpected friendship between two very different women and the power they’ll discover if they can make their voices heard...”
What is the cast?
The show was written by sisters Penelope and Ginny Skinner, the duo behind graphic novel Briony Hatch, with Penelope having also written for Fresh Meat.
The cast includes Rebekah Staton( Wallander, Doctor Who), who plays Alice, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, (Jack Ryan, Without a Trace and Secrets & Lies), who plays Cheryl, Alistair Petrie (Sex Education, The Night Manager) playing Dr Rob Chance, alongside acting legend Sir Derek Jacobi (I, Claudius, The King’s Speech, Gosford Parl) playing Sir Ralph Unwin and Romola Garai (Becoming Elizabeth, Atonement, The Hour).
When is The Following Events Are Based On A Pack Of Lies released?
You can stream the series one now on BBC iPlayer.
Watch the trailer
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