The Hour is a British television drama series broadcast on BBC. The series was centred on a then-new current-affairs show being launched by the BBC in June 1956, at the time of the Hungarian Revolution and Suez Crisis. It stars Ben Whishaw, Dominic West, and Romola Garai, with a supporting cast including Tim Pigott-Smith, Juliet Stevenson, Burn Gorman, Anton Lesser, Anna Chancellor, Julian Rhind-Tutt, and Oona Chaplin. It was written by Abi Morgan (also one of the executive producers, alongside Jane Featherstone and Derek Wax). The series premiered on BBC Two and BBC Two HD on 19 July 2011 each Tuesday at 9 pm. Each episode lasts 60 minutes, with Ruth Kenley-Letts as producer and Coky Giedroyc as lead director. It was commissioned by Janice Hadlow, Controller, BBC Two, and Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning and produced by Kudos Film and Television. Hornsey Town Hall was used for much of the filming. Following the airing of the final episode of the first series, it was announced that a second series had been commissioned, which was co-produced by American network BBC America. It premiered on 14 November 2012 in the UK and on 28 November 2012 in the United States. On 12 February 2013, it was announced by the BBC that the series would not continue. Cast Romola Garai as Isabel (Bel) Rowley, producer of The Hour Ben Whishaw as Frederick (Freddie) Lyon, journalist and co-presenter of The Hour Dominic West as Hector Madden, co-presenter of The Hour Anton Lesser as Clarence Fendley (series 1) Julian Rhind-Tutt as Angus McCain, press liaison, Head of Press, for Prime Minister Joshua McGuire as Isaac Wengrow Lisa Greenwood as Sissy Cooper Anna Chancellor as Lix Storm, journalist and head of the foreign desk of The Hour Oona Chaplin as Marnie Madden, wife of Hector Madden Burn Gorman as Thomas Kish (series 1) Juliet Stevenson as Lady Elms (series 1) Tim Pigott-Smith as Lord Elms (series 1) Vanessa Kirby as Ruth Elms (series 1) Andrew Scott as Adam Le Ray (series 1) Adetomiwa Edun as Sey Ola, boyfriend of Sissy Cooper and a doctor Hannah Tointon as Kiki Delaine (series 2) Tom Burke as Bill Kendall (series 2) Peter Capaldi as Randall Brown (series 2), Head of News for The Hour Lizzie Brocheré as Camille Mettier (series 2) Morgan Watkins as Norman Pike (series 2) Peter Sullivan as Commander Laurence Stern (series 2) Plot