Introducing new ITV drama Sticks & Stones
ITV, MONDAY 16 - WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER, 9PM
When playwright Mike Bartlett wrote BBC1’S Doctor Foster, he tapped into an all-too common, deep-seated human fear of infidelity and betrayal within a marriage, turning that everyday theme into an operatically intense TV drama. Now, with this new three-parter for ITV, airing on consecutive nights, Bartlett tries to pull off a similar trick, this time built around the issue of workplace bullying. And, once again, the premise grips from start to finish.
PITCH FROM HELL
The first episode opens with an almost comically bouncy scene of optimism, as sales associate Thomas Benson, played by Ken Nwosu, gets ready one morning for a big presentation at his office. His wife Jess (Alexandra Roach) and daughter (Daisy Boo Bradford) are rooting for him, his team – Isobel (Susannah Fielding), Andy (Sean Sagar) and Becky (Ritu Arya) – are behind him and he’s fully prepared. But there’s a technical hitch, the presentation to the would-be client goes horribly wrong – think the worst pitch scene in The Apprentice ever – and Thomas is humiliated in front of his boss (Ben Miller) and colleagues.
PRIMAL FEAR
From then on, Bartlett ratchets up the intensity in typically impressive style, as poor Tom tries to work out why everything seems to be going wrong, and why everyone seems to be against him. Is it paranoia or is he really being systematically targeted? Grappling with ideas of toxic competitiveness and a primal fear of being shamed, as well as a profound sense of injustice, Sticks &
Stones is sometimes a tough watch. But you’ll want to know how it all plays out. HHHH Boyd Hilton