''Double Time'' was a British one-off

comedy drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

starring

James Dreyfus James Louis de Zogheb Dreyfus (born 9 October 1968) is an English actor most notable for roles on television sitcoms '' The Thin Blue Line'' as Constable Kevin Goody, and '' Gimme Gimme Gimme'' as Tom Farrell. Dreyfus is most recently known for ...

. It received its premier in the United Kingdom on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

at 9pm on Monday 31 December 2007. Its airing had been delayed since 2005 for unknown reasons.

Plot

The plot centres on infamous criminal George McCabe, who is

imprisoned Imprisonment or incarceration is the restraint of a person's liberty for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is considered " false imprisonment". Impri ...

following a botched diamond heist, and a struggling actor named Lawrence Nixon – both of whom are played by Dreyfus. In his TV reconstruction of the robbery, Nixon, who bears a strong resemblance to McCabe, livens up his portrayal of the criminal by giving him a lisp and a camp walk. McCabe is rendered a laughing stock in prison as a result, and decides to exact his revenge on Nixon by arranging to escape, then for Nixon to take his place in jail. However, neither man can predict the life-changing consequences that McCabe's actions will have.

Production

The prison set used in the film was the same one used for the television series '' Bad Girls'', though it was repainted. The original title of the film was ''Mad Dog'', which had to be changed during filming for legal reasons. The new title ''Double Time'' was suggested on set by the actor

Ewen MacIntosh Ewen Douglas MacIntosh (25 December 1973 – 19 February 2024) was a Welsh actor known for his role as Keith Bishop in '' The Office'' (2001–2003). Early life MacIntosh was born in Merionethshire, Wales on 25 December 1973. He was educated ...

in between takes for a scene he was doing as one of the prison guards with the writer Paul Dornan.

External links

* 2007 British television series debuts ITV (TV network) original programming Television series by Tiger Aspect Productions {{drama-tv-prog-stub