Fear of falling
NEW BLOOD BBC One, Thursday, 9pm
NEW seven-part investigative drama by bestselling author and screenwriter Anthony Horowitz.
New Blood shows a unique side of modern London through the eyes of two outsiders, Stefan and Rash, junior investigators for the Serious Fraud Office and the police respectively, brought together by two seemingly unrelated cases
Stefan (Mark Strepan) and Rash (Ben Tavassoli) are opposites in almost every way but share the same frustrations – underpaid, unappreciated and undermined. Lumbered with huge universi- ty loans, they can’t afford to buy a house and have little or no job security.
New Blood see the pair come up against the uber-rich and powerful – corporations, individuals, governments and the new breed of criminals who hide behind legitimate facades and are guarded by lawyers.
As their friendship is cemented, they realise that by quietly pooling resources and combining their different skills they make a formidable crimesolving force. At the same time they might be able to help each other up the promotion ladder – if they don’t get themselves fired along the way.
Six years after a drug trial in India goes horribly wrong, one of the guinea pigs, Mark Henson, is found dead. Young PC Arrash ‘Rash’ Sayyad is sure it’s murder and approaches DS Derek Sands (Mark Addy). Sands isn’t convinced but DI Heywood (Dorian Lough) is impressed by Rash and offers him a trainee detective constable position.
Stefan Kowolski, a junior investigator for the Serious Fraud Office, is working undercover, gathering intelligence on David Leese, chief pharmacist for six London hospitals. Leese is suspected of taking bribes from pharmaceutical giant UK Remicon – the target of a major SFO investigation.
When an incident in Leese’s office places Stefan in a compromising situation, his boss Marcus (Ariyon Bakare) smooths things over with SFO Director Eleanor Davies (Anna Chancellor). Encouraged by Marcus, Stefan uses his ingenuity and finds a breakthrough clue.
When newly-promoted Rash takes his sister Leila (Aiysha Hart) to a duathlon, she catches the eye of Stefan, who’s also competing in the event, Rash is none too pleased.
Sands and Rash interview Mark’s former colleague Laura. Rash recognises her from a group photograph he’s seen in Mark’s flat and discovers that not only did Laura and Mark travel together in India, but their friend Steve Mullen has recently died in a hit-and-run.
Realising that Steve was also in the group photo from India, Rash fears Laura could be the next victim. Discovering that she is heading to Canary Wharf station, he heads off after her.
Meanwhile Henry Williams, another guinea-pig who’s been left mentally scarred from the drug trial, has arranged to meet his online girlfriend, Caroline, at Canary Wharf station.
As Rash follows Laura, both he and Henry witness shocking events.