Babylon

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.

Babylon (2014) is a British six-episode limited series created by Danny Boyle, Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong for Channel 4. Set in contemporary London, it follows American new media visionary Liz Garvey (Brit Marling), who is recruited by Chief Constable Richard Miller to revolutionise the city's police public relations department just as an outbreak of violence erupts. Her efforts run headlong into the institutional habits of the force, including Deputy Commissioner Charles Inglis (Paterson Joseph) and Superintendent Tom Oliver (Jonny Sweet), while officers such as PC Warwick Collister (Nick Blood) and PC Davina Lewis (Jill Halfpenny) live out the gap between the official message and street reality. The engine of the show is the tension between spin and substance: each episode turns a public relations problem into a crime problem and back again. Its tone is sharp, cynical and darkly comic, a satire of image-obsessed institutions that never loses sight of the real violence beneath the press releases. Fans of The Thick of It, Line of Duty and The Wire will find resonance in its blend of procedural grit and political bite.

• The Thick of Itsatirical institutional critique, british police setting, mockumentary-adjacent workplace satire
• Line of Dutybritish police procedural tone with institutional corruption and public scrutiny themes
• The Wireserialized dark drama about a media-savvy outsider exposing a public institution's rot

Created by

Danny Boyle, Sam Bain, Jesse Armstrong

Release Date

2014-11-13

Episode runtime

46 min

Rating

7.1 / 10 (37)

What is Babylon about?

An American new media strategist is hired to rebrand London's police force just as a wave of violence breaks out.

What is Babylon like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Babylon as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.

Is Babylon violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Babylon as moderate.

Which shows are like Babylon?

Shows with a similar feel include The Thick of It, Line of Duty, and The Wire.

How long is Babylon?

Babylon: 1 season, 6 episodes.

Is Babylon still running?

No, Babylon has ended.

Where can I watch Babylon?

In United States, Babylon streams on Acorn TV, AcornTV Amazon Channel, Spectrum On Demand, Acorn TV Apple TV channel.