Like a nerve-shredding mix of 24, London Has Fallen and your favourite soap, Hostage is a new Netflix political thriller that asks: what would happen if the British prime minister’s husband was captured by?
And what would happen if the French President was in town and being blackmailed too?
With British telly stalwart Suranne Jones (Vigil) as the British PM and two-time Academy Award nominee Julie Delpy as her French counterpart, Hostage is a female-led political thriller where the adrenaline flows as freely as the improbable plot twists.
What is Hostage about?
British PM Abigail Dalton (Jones) is facing a political meltdown at home as a urgent medicine shortage and a migrant crisis threatens to bring down her government. French President Vivienne Toussaint arrives at Downing Street with a proposal to help that comes with some major strings attached. But in French Guiana, Dalton’s husband Dr Alex Anderson (Ashley ‘Bashy’ Thomas), a volunteer with Médecins Sans Frontières, is kidnapped. The terrorists threaten to execute him unless the PM agrees to step down. But, with the ransomers holding dirt on Toussaint too, the conspiracy runs much deeper than anyone can imagine.
Penned by Bridge of Spies screenwriter Matt Charman, Hostage quickly throws other family members into this edgy mix, including Dalton’s daughter Sylvie (Isobel Akuwudike), another of the PM’s points of vulnerability, and Toussaint’s stepson Matheo (played by My Oxford Year’s Corey Mylchreest). Conclave’s Lucian Msamati offers soothing counsel as Dalton’s experienced chief of staff but can even he be trusted? And somewhere out there is the ruthless John Shagan (Blue Lights’ Martin McCann), stopping at nothing to cause maximum havoc.
Where was Hostage filmed?
The Downing Street interiors were shot at Langlebury Mansion, Hertfordshire
Much of the action in Hostage plays out at 10 Downing Street. Not just Dalton’s workplace, where she negotiates with her French counterpart, it’s also her home, with daughter Sylvia living in the apartments upstairs. The Downing Street sets – including the cabinet room, staircases, situation room and apartments – were built at Langlebury Mansion outside London. A much-used filming location, the 18th century manor recently popped up in the BBC’s period drama Miss Austen.
10 Downing Street was filmed at Bovingdon Airfield Studios, Hertfordshire
A backlot at nearby Bovingdon Studios, the site of an old World War II airbase, was turned into the exteriors of Downing Street for scenes where the PM fields questions from the press. The vast studio space was also turned into an Iraqi town for Alex Garland’s Warfare, and features in Deadpool & Wolverine and The Rings of Power.
The PM and her husband take a stroll in Black Park, Buckinghamshire
Partly because of its proximity to Pinewood Studios, another much-used filming spot near London is Black Park in Buckinghamshire. Used in Harry Potter and more recently Black Mirror, it’s here that we meet Abigail Dalton and Alex Anderson strolling in episode 1 of Hostage.
The House of Commons scenes were shot at Shepperton Studios
The House of Commons has been recreated for film and TV at many venues down the years, from Leavesden Studios for The Darkest Hour to Bradford City Hall in ITV’s Victoria. A replica set was even built at Granada TV’s Manchester studios for First Among Equals and eventually sold on eBay. The Commons in Hostage, where Dalton gets grilled by the opposition leader (Zubin Varla), was filmed at Shepperton Studios and is unavailable for online purchase.
The palace reception was filmed at Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire
Even as she’s processing her husband’s grotty situation in the Caribbean, Dalton is required to put on her game face and pitch up to a fancy reception at the palace. Such are the pitfalls of high office. The scene was filmed at this neo-classical stately home.
The French Guiana abduction was filmed in La Palma, Canary Islands
The Canary Islands, recently a setting and location for ITV heist thriller The Gold, double as French Guiana in Hostage. The scenes of Dr Anderson and his team’s violent abduction were filmed on the island of La Palma.
The MoD was filmed at Custom House, London
Once used to collecting customs duties from merchant, this grand site on the banks of the Thames is now as likely to attract camera crews. In Hostage, it’s used as the Parliamentary bunker, the Ministry of Defence, and for interiors shots of the French Embassy.
The church scene was filmed at Church of Notre Dame in Leicester Square
This grand Catholic Church off Leicester Square is famous for its murals by French artist-poet-filmmaker Jean Cocteau. In Hostage, it’s the backdrop for a tense photo opportunity between Delpy’s French President and her estranged husband (Vincent Perez).
The hospital interior was shot at The Hospital Location in London
To complicate an already sticky situation, Dalton’s dad (James Cosmo) is admitted to hospital during the hostage crisis. With real hospitals obviously impractical as filming locations, this handy west London studio provides a variety of realistic hospital sets to fill the gap.
The French embassy exteriors were filmed at St James’s, London
No spoilers, but a later episode involves a violent showdown at the French embassy. France’s London embassy is in Knightsbridge, but the scenes were actually filmed on Carlton House Terrace in Mayfair.
The country house scenes were filmed at Gaddesden Place, Hertfordshire
When the PM and her daughter and close allies take refuge in a country pile, the Chequers-alike manor is actually Gaddesden Place, a private estate that’s often used for filming (look out for it in The Thursday Murder Club too).
Shagan’s safehouse was shot at Shoreditch Town Hall
Recently used as a hospital and vet in Lena Dunham’s Too Much, the Shoreditch municipal building pops up again in a very different kind of Netflix show. In Hostage, it was used as the location for terrorist mastermind Shagan’s hideout.
When is Hostage streaming on Netflix?
All five episodes will be on the platform from Thursday, August 21.
Is there a trailer?
There is, and you can watch it below.
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