''Ordinary Lies'' is a

British television Television broadcasts in the United Kingdom began in 1932, however, regular broadcasts would only begin four years later. Television began as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transm ...

drama series that was first broadcast on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

on 17 March 2015. The six-part first series, written by

Danny Brocklehurst Danny Brocklehurst (born June 1971) is an English screenwriter, playwright, and former journalist. He has won both BAFTA and Royal Television Society writing awards. He was featured in the writers' section of ''Broadcast'' magazine's Hot 100 in ...

, is set in a car showroom. The second, also in six-parts, is set in the warehouse of a sports goods company based in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. The series executive producer is Nicola Shindler. The series was commissioned by Charlotte Moore for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. In Australia, the series premiered on

BBC First BBC First is an entertainment subscription television channel featuring comedy, crime, drama and film programming, originating from UK and mostly from the BBC. The channel is wholly owned and operated by BBC Studios. The channel began rolling ...

from 25 July 2015.

Plot

Series 1

JS Motors, a car dealership in

Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...

, employs a number of 'ordinary' people, each with dark secrets. As each episode unravels, it becomes clear how quickly lies can escalate with shocking consequences.

Series 2

Coopers Outdoors, a Sports Goods Company based in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, has a number of workers who each hold a dark secret.

Cast

Main cast

Series 1 (2015)

* Max Beesley as Mike Hill, co-owner and boss of the company, who is having an

affair An affair is a relationship typically between two people, one or both of whom are either married or in a long-term Monogamy, monogamous or emotionally-exclusive relationship with someone else. The affair can be solely sexual, solely physical or ...

with Beth *

Jo Joyner Joanne Mary Joyner (born 24 May 1977) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Tanya Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Mandy Carter in the Channel 4 school drama '' Ackley Bridge''. From 2018, she has starred as Lue ...

as Beth Corbin, deputy manager, whose husband has been missing for a year * Michelle Keegan as Tracy Shawcross, a receptionist who becomes involved with

drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestion, ...

Sally Lindsay Sally Jane Lindsay (born 8 July 1973) is an English actress and television presenter. She rose to fame playing Shelley Unwin in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (2001–2006). Her other roles include Lisa Johnson in the Sky ...

as Kathy Kavanagh, Mike's secretary who becomes dissatisfied at her husband's inability to have sex * Shazad Latif as Rick Ahmed, a mechanic who has sex with Mike's 15-year-old daughter, Ruby (episodes 1—4) * Jason Manford as Marty McLean, a down on his luck salesman who lies that his wife has died to keep his job *

Mackenzie Crook Mackenzie Crook (born Paul James Crook, 29 September 1971) is an English actor, director, comedian and writer best known for his roles in television and film. He gained widespread recognition for portraying Gareth Keenan in the British sitcom '' ...

as Pete Blythman, a company salesman and former gambler

Series 2 (2016)

* Matt Di Angelo as Robert 'Fletch' Fletcher, a warehouse picker who finds his happy marriage threatened when he reunites with his father *

Kimberley Nixon Kimberley Nixon (born 24 September 1985) is a Welsh actress. Nixon is known for her role as Sophy Hutton in the BBC One period drama '' Cranford'', and appearances in various films such as '' Wild Child'' and '' Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snoggi ...

as Holly Pryce, Jenna's PA and Neil's girlfriend, who believes everyone lives a more interesting life than she does * Rebekah Staton as Wendy Walker, a

forklift A forklift (also called industrial truck, lift truck, jitney, hi-lo, fork truck, fork hoist, and forklift truck) is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th c ...

driver whose life is turned upside down when her former, abusive girlfriend returns *

Angela Griffin Angela Mellissa Griffin (born 19 July 1976) is an English actress, television presenter and director who has been active on British television since the early 1990s. She is best known for portraying the roles of Fiona Middleton in the ITV soa ...

as Jenna Moss, general manager, who oversees both the warehouse and sales floors * Joel Fry as Billy 'Toke' Tokington, warehouse manager who becomes a crime-fighting

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

at night * Con O'Neill as Joe Brierley, Head of Sales who believes his wife is cheating on him and goes to great lengths to prove it * Luke Bailey as Ash Driscoll, Coopers' new recruit who embarks on a toxic relationship with recent

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...

e Ally * Jennifer Nicholas as Ally, newly divorced call centre worker who catches the eye of Ash

Supporting cast

Series 1 (2015)

* George Bukhari as Fat Jason, a salesman who struggles with his weight * Rebecca Callard as Grace, a young, lonely accountant who has a fling with Marty * Belinda Stewart-Wilson as Alison Hill, Mike's estranged wife *

Manjinder Virk Manjinder Virk is a British actress, director and writer. She has appeared in the television series ''Holby City'' (1999), '' Doctors'' (2000), ''The Bill'' (2004), '' The Ghost Squad'' (2005), '' Runaway'' (2009), '' Skins'' (2010), '' Monroe' ...

as Marianne Morton, a receptionist who had an affair with Beth's husband * Fisayo Akinade as Ziggy, a mechanic who works with Rick in the workshop * Cat Simmons as Emma, a company accountant and bride-to-be, engaged to Jez * Kris Mochrie as Jez, Emma's fiancé * Cherrelle Skeete as Viv Baxter, a receptionist who becomes involved with drug trafficking (episodes 1—2) * Erin Shanagher as Katriana McLean, Marty's ailed wife, who he claims to be dead (episode 1) *

Tony Maudsley Tony Maudsley (born 30 January 1968) is an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of hairdresser Kenneth Du Beke in the ITV sitcom ''Benidorm'', and George Shuttleworth in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (2020–present ...

as Ralf Kavanagh, Kathy's husband (episode 3) *

Edward MacLiam Edward MacLiam (born Edward Wilson in 1976) is an Irish actor, known for his roles as Greg Douglas in the BBC medical drama ''Holby City'' and identical twins Adam and Gareth Regan in the BBC soap opera ''Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor ...

as Niall, Kathy's sex buddy (episode 3) * Holly Earl as Ruby Hill, Mike's 15-year-old daughter who becomes involved with Rick (episode 4) * Ellie Haddington as Gina Corbin, Beth's mother-in-law and Dave's mother (episodes 5—6) * Shaun Dooley as Dave Corbin, Beth's estranged husband (episode 6)

Series 2 (2016)

Jill Halfpenny Jill Halfpenny (born 15 July 1975) is an English actress who first garnered attention playing Nicola Dobson in the coming-of-age BBC drama series '' Byker Grove'' (1989–1992). She became more widely known for her roles as Rebecca Hopkins on ...

as Belinda Brierley, Joe's wife, whom he believes is

cheating Cheating generally describes various actions designed to subvert or disobey rules in order to obtain unfair advantages without being noticed. This includes acts of bribery, cronyism and nepotism in any situation where individuals are given pr ...

on him (episode 1) *

Griff Rhys Jones Griffith Rhys Jones (born 16 November 1953) is a Welsh actor, comedian, writer and television presenter. He starred in a number of television series with his comedy partner, Mel Smith. He and Smith came to national attention in the 1980s for ...

as Patrick, Fletch's father, whom Fletch believes walked out on him as a child (episode 5) * Elen Rhys as Caz, Fletch's wife, who reignites the relationship between Fletch and his father * Gareth Pierce as Karl Shelvey, a

call centre A call centre ( Commonwealth spelling) or call center ( American spelling; see spelling differences) is a managed capability that can be centralised or remote that is used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of enquiries by telephone ...

worker who is best friends with Ray *

Noel Sullivan Noel Sullivan (born 28 July 1980, as Noel John Hayes) is a British singer and actor from Cardiff, Wales. He was a member of the British pop group Hear'Say. Like the other members of the group, he won his part through the ITV talent show ''Pop ...

as Neil, forklift driver and Holly's current boyfriend * Ian Davies as Ray, a call centre worker who is best friends with Karl * Ella Peel as Chrissy, a young girl whom Toke takes into his care (Episode 3) * Elinor Crawley as Sarah-Jane, a PA appointed by Jenna following Holly's departure * Aled Pugh as Lenny, a warehouse picker who is connected to a local gang of thugs (episode 4)

Episodes

Series 1 (2015)

Series 2 (2016)

References

External links

* * * {{Danny Brocklehurst 2015 British television series debuts 2016 British television series endings 2010s British workplace television series BBC high definition shows BBC television dramas Television series by Red Production Company British English-language television shows Television shows set in the United Kingdom 2010s British workplace drama television series Television series created by Danny Brocklehurst