TV Crime Log: Legacy

There’s some good telly ramping up for Christmas. Legacy is a thriller that takes us back to the 1970s. Three-day weeks, petrol rationing and industrial strife and the constant shadow of nuclear annihilation - ah, those were the days.

As part of the BBC’s Cold War season, Charlie Cox, him off Boardwalk Empire, leads a top cast in this tale of spies, betrayal and, hopefully, a few Dead Letterboxes. It’s written by Paula Milne and directed by Dredd director Pete Travis from the novel by Alan Judd.

Wrap up warm for the blurb:

Charles Thoroughgood, a trainee spy in MI6, Britain’s Secret Service, is asked to revive his former friendship with Viktor Koslov, a Russian Diplomat he knew at University with a view to ‘turning’ him. But Viktor has his own agenda and reveals a shocking truth about Charles’ own family that threatens to derail him, both personally and professionally.

He is catapulted into a dangerous personal odyssey to uncover the truth but finds himself drawn into a lethal KGB plot to mount an attack within the UK.

His life is further complicated by a relationship with the wife of another agent. He is forced to realize that betrayal can take many forms.

You can see Legacy tomorrow night at 9pm—that’s Thursday—on BBC2.