Long Firm

Four-part BBC2 drama based on the cult novel by Jake Arnott set in the dark underbelly of 1960s London. Mark Strong plays Harry Starks, a charismatic nightclub owner, racketeer and porn king, whose sensitive temperament and love of Judy Garland belie the violent savagery that makes him the most feared and respected crime boss in Soho. His story is told from the point of view of four characters on whom Starks leaves his indelible mark: the poverty-stricken aristocrat Lord Teddy Thursby (Derek Jacobi) who cannot hide his predilection for young boys; Ruby Ryder (Lena Headey), a film actress past her prime; radical criminologist and lecturer Lenny (Shaun Dingwall); and Jimmy (Phil Daniels), a lowlife petty criminal who gets increasingly drawn into Starks' dark world.