A major new four-part drama co-produced by ITV, starring Dougray Scott, Stephen Rea, Sophie Okonedo, John Kavanagh, Flora Montgomery and written by Emmy Award-winning Irish writer Frank Deasy (Prime Suspect: The Final Act)
Set in Manchester & Dublin, Father & Son, depicts the complexity of modern inner-city life where crime is now a global business, and where gun culture is an ever more entrenched part of everyday life.
Ex-criminal Michael O’Connor (Dougray Scott) returns to Manchester from a quiet life in Ireland with pregnant girlfriend Anna (Flora Montgomery) in order to save his teenage son Sean from prison. He also wishes to redeem his own troubled past.
Michael was once a king-pin in the Manchester crime-world, running one of the biggest and most dangerous gangs in the city. A few years back, on a trip to Ireland to pick up some decommissioned weapons to run into Manchester, Michael is arrested. Three days later his wife Lynne is murdered. Devastated Michael turned his back on his life of crime and when released from jail, remains in Ireland, determined to build a new life. But his decision meant his only son Sean was left behind in Manchester; under the care of Lynne’s sister Connie. Their relationship, fractured by Lynne’s death, is further complicated by Michael’s lack of contact with Sean.
Connie is a serving police officer, living and working in South Manchester, an area riddled by street gangs and underage gun crime. Sean lives with Connie and her 10 year old daughter Imani and has managed to keep out of trouble until now. It’s only when his girlfriend Stacey (Wunmi Mosaku) arrives at Connie’s house with Maurice a young member of the Motor-Way Crew that that things take a turn for the worse. Maurice has a gun and wants to leave it at Sean’s for safekeeping. But Sean is horrified and refuses, despite Maurice and Stacey’s entreaties. And then tragedy strikes and Sean ends up in jail, charged with gunning down a member of the Young South gang.
Michael returns to Manchester to help Sean but it quickly becomes clear there is a greater force at work in his son’s arrest. Sean is sharing a cell with Barrington Smith (Terence Maynard), Michael’s old partner in crime. Barrington’s kidneys are failing, he needs to get out of jail so he can get an operation to save his life. Barrington believes Michael is the only person who can rescue him.
Forced to make a deal with Barrington, Michael is reacquainted with the ghosts of his past including Augustine Conlon (Stephen Rea), an IRA gun dealer turned property magnate, and Greater Manchester Police DCI Tony Conroy (Ian Hart). Conroy has been pursuing Michael for years and is determined to put him behind bars for good. And a powerful man like Conlon has his own agenda where Michael’s concerned.
Michael is 2nd generation Irish, and his father John (John Kavanagh) is less than pleased to see him back in Manchester. Their relationship destroyed by Michael’s criminal past. However his father’s ill health puts further pressure on Michael’s situation.
Lynne’s murderer has never been found and returning to Manchester brings all the painful memories flooding back to Michael. While the police believe that Michael is responsible for the revenge killings on a rival gang, Lynne’s killer has never been identified and as events unfold Michael finally has to come to terms, that he had a part to play in Lynne’s death.
With so many forces working against him, will Michael be able do right by his son while at same time protect his future wife Anna and their unborn child? Has he the courage to reject his past and instead, choose the future, setting his loved ones and above all, himself, free?
Speaking about the drama Jane Gogan, Commissioning Editor for RTÉ Drama described “Father & Son” as a rich and complex high-end drama that RTÉ is proud to be associated with. Writer Frank Deasy, director Brian Kirk (Middletown), director of photograph Ruairi O’Brien (Running Mate) give this drama series has a powerful combination of the best Irish talent working to world class standards. Added to this a high calibre international cast including Dougray Scott, Stephen Rae, Sophie Okonedo and Flora Montgomery we have a series that I hope will give the audience something to relish.
RTÉ’s association with ITV in commissioning this series is an important development in respect maintaining high end drama in financially difficult times. While much of drama was based in Manchester, it was filmed mainly in Dublin creating revenue and employment for the Irish Television Industry.
Produced by Left Bank Pictures (The Damned United) for ITV in association with RTÉ and co-produced by Ingenious Broadcasting and Octagon Films (RAW, Ondine). With the support of investment incentives for the Irish film industry provided by the Government of Ireland and the participation of Bord Scannan na hÉireann/Irish Film Board.
EPISODE ONE
Michael O’Connor (Dougray Scott), formerly one of Manchester’s leading criminals, has embarked on a new life in Ireland. He and his girlfriend Anna (Flora Montgomery), a Wicklow teacher, are looking forward to the birth of their first child.
When his son, Sean (Reece Noi), by his late wife Lynne, is accused of shooting dead a fellow teenager, Michael returns to Manchester. Sean hates his father, they have not spoken in six years, since Lynne’s death. Michael is determined to save his son.
Michael and Sean’s aunt Connie (Sophie Okonedo), a serving police officer, try to get more background on the shooting from Sean’s beautiful sassy girlfriend Stacey (Wunmi Mosaku). Michael’s former partner in crime, Barrington Smith (Terence Maynard), is in jail but ill with degenerative kidney disease. He offers Michael a deal – he’ll protect his son Sean inside, if Michael will help him escape. Barrington is effectively holding Sean hostage – Michael has little choice but to play along, even as he suspects Barrington has set up Sean for this very purpose.
But what of Michael’s responsibilities to his new family and new life? As Michael battles to be a father to Sean he is drawn back into the very past he has sought to escape.