A British historian’s research trip to Moscow uncovers a dangerous conspiracy connected to the last days of Josef Stalin.
While attending a conference in Moscow, historian Dr. Fluke Kelso (Daniel Craig) is approached by Mamantov (Lev Prygunov), a former KGB officer with a fantastic claim: he was present at Stalin’s death and helped to steal the dictator’s secret personal diary. Intrigued, Kelso begins an investigation, partnering with cynical American journalist R. J. O’Brian (Gabriel Macht). Their search leads them from shadowy Kremlin archives to the remote northern port town of Archangel. Instead of a diary, they uncover a far more dangerous secret, a young man named Josef (Konstantin Lavroneko) who has been raised in isolation as Stalin’s heir, and a shadowy cabal determined to install him in power.
This two-part serial re-engineers the Cold War thriller for a post-Soviet world. Adapted from the Robert Harris novel, the production uses its authentic Russian locations to build a chilling atmosphere of paranoia and decay, where the ghosts of the old regime still hold power. For writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, best known for their work in comedy, the project was a notable turn towards tense, straight-faced drama. The plot is a vehicle for Daniel Craig, whose flinty performance as the academic caught in a violent conspiracy confirmed his leading-man credentials shortly before he was cast as James Bond.
Broadcast: BBC One, 2 Episodes, 19 March – 20 March 2005
Adapted by: Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais
Director: Jon Jones
Executive Producers: Justin Bodle, Jessica Pope, Laura Mackie
Producer: Christopher Hall
Main Cast: Daniel Craig (Fluke Kelso), Gabriel Macht (R. J. O’Brian), Konstantin Lavroneko (Josef), Lev Prygunov (Mamantov), Yekaterina Rednikova (Zinaida), Claudia Harrison (Louise), Alexey Diakov (Suyorin), Anna Gerasimova (Anna)
