''Out of Control'' is a 2002 British

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 ...

written and directed 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 ...

Dominic Savage Dominic Savage is a British BAFTA award-winning director, writer and actor. Originally a child actor, he made several television appearances and had a role in Stanley Kubrick's ''Barry Lyndon'' (1975). Savage moved into screenwriting and direct ...

Tamzin Outhwaite Tamzin Maria Outhwaite (; born 5 November 1970) is an English actress, presenter and narrator. From 1998-2002, and again from 2018-2019, she played the role of Mel Owen in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. She has also starred in a number of ...

stars as Shelley Richards, an impoverished single mother whose son, Dean ( Danny Young), is involved in a string of crimes that lead to his incarceration in a young offenders institute (YOI).

David Morrissey David Mark Joseph Morrissey (born 21 June 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. He had numerous small roles in films and television series throughout the 1990s before achieving wider recognition for playing Gordon Brown in '' The Deal'' (2003 ...

plays

prison officer A prison officer (PO) or corrections officer (CO), also known as a correctional law enforcement officer or less formally as a prison guard, is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation ...

Mike, who tries to keep Dean out of trouble but has difficulty watching him all the time. After continuous bullying at the YOI, Dean is no longer able to cope and makes a fatal decision. ''Out of Control'' is the third in a loose trilogy of films by Savage about social deprivation, following ''Nice Girl'' (2000) and ''When I Was Twelve'' (2001).Rees, Jasper (13 September 2002).
Winning tales of real life
, ''The Daily Telegraph'', Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved on 12 December 2008.

Production

''Out of Control'' was greenlit in April 2002 by BBC controller of drama commissioning

Jane Tranter Pauline Jane Tranter (born 17 March 1963) is an English television executive who was the executive vice-president of programming and production at BBC Worldwide's Los Angeles base from 2009 until 2015. From 2006 to 2008, she was the BBC's contr ...

, under the working title of ''The Young Offenders''. Savage carried out months of research into the crimes of the young boys and into the lifestyles of YOI inmates. David Morrissey shadowed prison officers at Lancaster Farms YOI for several weeks. ''Out of Control'' was filmed on location at Lancaster Farms.Rampton, James (30 September 2002).
Tamzin Outhwaite: If the cap fits...
, ''The Independent'', Independent News and Media. Retrieved on 12 December 2008. Savage storyboarded the scripts but left it to the actors to improvise their dialogue, so that it did not "sound too articulate".

Broadcast

''Out of Control'' was broadcast on BBC One on 15 September 2002 as one of the lynchpins of the BBC's "Cracking Crime" day. It received only 4.1 million viewers (21.9% audience share), a result of being scheduled opposite a new episode of ITV's ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...

''.

Reception

Critical reception was positive, particularly about Tamzin Outhwaite. Outhwaite previously starred in the BBC soap opera ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'', which made her "tabloid fodder". She was pleased with the enthusiastic reception that ''Out of Control'' got. The drama won the Michael Powell Award for Best British Film at the 2002

Edinburgh Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), established in 1947, is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all titles are World, international, European or UK Premieres), in al ...

and the Serials & Single Drama award at the 2002 Royal Television Society (RTS) Programme Awards.RTS Programme Awards 2002
, ''Royal Television Society website'', Royal Television Society. Retrieved on 12 December 2008.

Cast

References

External links

''Out of Control''
at

BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Out Of Control (Tv Film) 2002 television films 2002 films British television films BBC television dramas Films directed by Dominic Savage