Babylon

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Overview

London's police force is in need of a public image revamp. And Chief Constable Richard Miller has found just the woman to do it...American visionary from the world of new media Liz Garvey, sets out to revolutionise the force's PR department just as an outbreak of violence erupts.

Media

BABYLON Official Trailer | Danny Boyle's New Series

Cast

Creator:

Danny Boyle, Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain

Fist Air Date:

2014-11-13

Episode Runtime:

60m

Production Companies:

Nightjack

Genres:

Comedy Crime Drama

Keywords:

london, england police public relations

More Show Details

Vote Average: 6.6/10

Vote Count: 35 Votes

Show Popularity: 2.352

Show Status: Ended

Show Type: Scripted

Spoken Languages: English

Review

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Insomniacs Reviews
- 04 May 2026 at 10:09 pm

7 Based on 1 Votes
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⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 7/10 THE SUMMARY The Metropolitan Police Force is in desperate need of a facelift. Enter Liz Garvey, an American PR visionary headhunted by Commissioner Richard Miller to drag the Met into the age of transparency and social media. But as Liz tries to sell "honesty" to the public, she’s met with a wall of internal backstabbing, bureaucratic chaos, and the messy reality of street policing. It’s a biting satire that jumps between the glossy PR offices, the high-pressure firearms units, and the tactical support teams on the front lines of London’s most chaotic streets. THE PROS This is a 7/10 because it’s a brilliant, jagged mix of comedy and drama that only a team like Danny Boyle and the creators of *Peep Show* and *Succession* could pull off. Brit Marling is fantastic as the fish-out-of-water American, but the show’s real power lies in its incredible ensemble cast—including a pre-Oscar Daniel Kaluuya and Nicola Walker. It hits the mark because it captures the absurdity of modern policing perfectly, blending hilarious "Iannucci-style" banter with genuinely tense, hard-hitting moments of tactical action. It’s a winner for its cynical take on how "the message" often matters more to the bosses than the actual truth on the ground. THE CONS It misses an 8 or 9 because it can be a bit of a "identity crisis" watch. The show shifts so rapidly between laugh-out-loud office satire and grim, realistic street violence that it can feel a bit incoherent at times. It settles at a 7 because, while the dialogue is sharp, the lack of a second season means several major plot threads and character arcs are left hanging in the wind. Some viewers might also find the heavy focus on PR spin a little exhausting, especially when it takes away from the more visceral stories of the firearms officers that often feel like the show’s strongest element. THE VERDICT A solid 7/10. It is an odd, dazzling, and deeply cynical look at the machinery of power in modern London. It isn't an 8 because of its disjointed tone and the frustrating lack of a proper conclusion, but for fans of smart, British workplace satires, it’s a total winner. It’s worth a watch just to see the early work of some of today’s biggest stars and to witness the evolution of the sharp, corporate writing that eventually gave us *Succession*. INSOMNIAC TRIVIA • Creative Pedigree: The show was a massive collaboration of talent. It was co-created and directed by Danny Boyle (*Trainspotting*), and written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain—the duo behind *Peep Show* and *Fresh Meat*. You can clearly see the DNA of the Roy family's sharp insults starting to form in the Met's PR department.• Breakout Star: Before he was an international superstar and Oscar winner for *Get Out*, Daniel Kaluuya played Matt Coward, a documentarian following the police around. His performance provides some of the show's most uncomfortable and hilarious meta-commentary on the relationship between the police and the media.• Authentic Training: To prepare for their roles, the actors playing the tactical and firearms officers (including Stuart Martin and Nick Blood) underwent intensive training with former Metropolitan Police officers to ensure their movements and handling of weaponry looked authentic on screen. THE VIBE Like a glossy press release dropped into a puddle of London rain. It smells like expensive perfume, stale coffee, and exhaust fumes. It’s fast-paced, cynical, and very sharp. It makes you want to question the news, delete your social media, and realize that "transparency" is usually just another word for a very well-managed lie.

TV Show Poster

Season 1

6 Episodes

Air Date: 2014-11-13

An American public relations expert joins London's police force, facing legal bureaucracy and internal pushback for her innovative media strategies.

Videos

BABYLON Official Trailer | Danny Boyle's New Series

BABYLON Official Teaser | Danny Boyle's New Series

Babylon Trailer

Cast

Paterson Joseph

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Babylon

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Babylon

Comment (1)

Insomniacs Reviews
- 4 May 2026 at 11:09 PM

⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 7/10
THE SUMMARY
The Metropolitan Police Force is in desperate need of a facelift. Enter Liz Garvey, an American PR visionary headhunted by Commissioner Richard Miller to drag the Met into the age of transparency and social media. But as Liz tries to sell “honesty” to the public, she’s met with a wall of internal backstabbing, bureaucratic chaos, and the messy reality of street policing. It’s a biting satire that jumps between the glossy PR offices, the high-pressure firearms units, and the tactical support teams on the front lines of London’s most chaotic streets.
THE PROS
This is a 7/10 because it’s a brilliant, jagged mix of comedy and drama that only a team like Danny Boyle and the creators of *Peep Show* and *Succession* could pull off. Brit Marling is fantastic as the fish-out-of-water American, but the show’s real power lies in its incredible ensemble cast—including a pre-Oscar Daniel Kaluuya and Nicola Walker. It hits the mark because it captures the absurdity of modern policing perfectly, blending hilarious “Iannucci-style” banter with genuinely tense, hard-hitting moments of tactical action. It’s a winner for its cynical take on how “the message” often matters more to the bosses than the actual truth on the ground.
THE CONS
It misses an 8 or 9 because it can be a bit of a “identity crisis” watch. The show shifts so rapidly between laugh-out-loud office satire and grim, realistic street violence that it can feel a bit incoherent at times. It settles at a 7 because, while the dialogue is sharp, the lack of a second season means several major plot threads and character arcs are left hanging in the wind. Some viewers might also find the heavy focus on PR spin a little exhausting, especially when it takes away from the more visceral stories of the firearms officers that often feel like the show’s strongest element.
THE VERDICT
A solid 7/10. It is an odd, dazzling, and deeply cynical look at the machinery of power in modern London. It isn’t an 8 because of its disjointed tone and the frustrating lack of a proper conclusion, but for fans of smart, British workplace satires, it’s a total winner. It’s worth a watch just to see the early work of some of today’s biggest stars and to witness the evolution of the sharp, corporate writing that eventually gave us *Succession*.
INSOMNIAC TRIVIA
• Creative Pedigree: The show was a massive collaboration of talent. It was co-created and directed by Danny Boyle (*Trainspotting*), and written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain—the duo behind *Peep Show* and *Fresh Meat*. You can clearly see the DNA of the Roy family’s sharp insults starting to form in the Met’s PR department.
• Breakout Star: Before he was an international superstar and Oscar winner for *Get Out*, Daniel Kaluuya played Matt Coward, a documentarian following the police around. His performance provides some of the show’s most uncomfortable and hilarious meta-commentary on the relationship between the police and the media.
• Authentic Training: To prepare for their roles, the actors playing the tactical and firearms officers (including Stuart Martin and Nick Blood) underwent intensive training with former Metropolitan Police officers to ensure their movements and handling of weaponry looked authentic on screen.
THE VIBE
Like a glossy press release dropped into a puddle of London rain. It smells like expensive perfume, stale coffee, and exhaust fumes. It’s fast-paced, cynical, and very sharp. It makes you want to question the news, delete your social media, and realize that “transparency” is usually just another word for a very well-managed lie.

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