History Series / TheHour

* SuperOCD: There are hints that Randall has it, with his constant fiddling with the things on his desk, rearranging the clippings on the cork boards, and lining up all the thumbtacks in order. [[spoiler: When he finds out that his daughter with Lix was killed during the second World War, he slowly - and then frantically - tries to rearrange the things on his desk before he gives up and just sweeps everything away before breaking down.]]

* [[spoiler: SurprisePregnancy: Marnie, as a result of an affair.]]

* TomatoInTheMirror: The penultimate episode of Season One has [[spoiler: Freddie]] realizing that [[spoiler: he was a Brightstone.]]

The most common criticism made of the show's first season was of thematic inconsistency; the two main threads of let's-run-a-groundbreaking-TV-show and let's-investigate-a-government-conspiracy had little to do with each other, and while both interesting in their own right sometimes gave the show a disjointed [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld Wake Up, Go To Work, Save The World]] feel. One review called it "''Series/DropTheDeadDonkey'' meets ''Series/{{Spooks}}''". Season Two has taken on a more noir-ish feel, with the Soho underworld and police corruption as major arcs, along with the ever-growing [[UsefulNotes/ColdWar nuclear threat]]. It has been highly praised by critics - especially the addition of Creator/PeterCapaldi to the main cast as new head of news Randall Brown.

* NotSoDifferent: Bel and Varda Rowley, and their taste for married men. Bel hates the thought of ending up like her mother, though.

* [[spoiler: FamousLastWords: Freddie's, possibly, are "Money... Moneypenny...".]]

* LoveTriangle: Freddie has feelings for Bel, who's sleeping with [[YourCheatingHeart Hector]], who's jealous of Bel and Freddie's [[JustFriends extremely close friendship]].

* YourCheatingHeart: Hector. His wife is fully aware of it, telling Bel that she's the latest in a long line.
** [[spoiler: Marnie tearfully reveals in the Season Two finale that she was unfaithful as a result of Hector's neglect, and that she's pregnant with her lover's baby. In the previous episode, it was heavily implied that Hector thought that Marnie and her producer were having an affair.]]

* TheMole: The reason MI6 are taking an interest in Freddie is that they suspect there's a Soviet mole in the BBC, and he fits the profile...

''The Hour'' was a [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] drama series, written by Abi Morgan and starring Creator/BenWhishaw, Dominic West, Romola Garai, Anna Chancellor, and Creator/OonaChaplin. The series centered on a new current affairs show being launched by the BBC in June 1956, at the time of the Suez Crisis (a [[PeriodPiece period setting]] which has led to comparisons with ''Series/MadMen''). Bel Rowley (Garai) is the producer of the ShowWithinAShow; her friend Freddie Lyon (Whishaw) loses the presenter interview to well-spoken Eton boy Hector Madden (West) but she persuades him to stay on as a researcher. Meanwhile, Freddie is suspicious about the [[NeverSuicide reported suicide]] of an old friend, and when he starts to notice shadowy men following him around, it only confirms his suspicions.

''The Hour'' was a [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] drama series, written by Abi Morgan and starring Creator/BenWhishaw, Dominic West, Romola Garai, Anna Chancellor, and Creator/OonaChaplin. The series centred on a new current affairs show being launched by the BBC in June 1956, at the time of the Suez Crisis (a [[PeriodPiece period setting]] which has led to comparisons with ''Series/MadMen''). Bel Rowley (Garai) is the producer of the ShowWithinAShow; her friend Freddie Lyon (Whishaw) loses the presenter interview to well-spoken Eton boy Hector Madden (West) but she persuades him to stay on as a researcher. Meanwhile Freddie is suspicious about the [[NeverSuicide reported suicide]] of an old friend, and when he starts to notice shadowy men following him around, it only confirms his suspicions.

Premiered on BBC Two on 19 July 2011 and on BBC America in August. The second series started on BBC Two on 14 November 2012. The show [[http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-02-12/the-hour-axed-by-bbc2 was cancelled]] in 2013. A [[http://cosmiccoz.tumblr.com/post/43060206933/save-the-hour-petition-contact-links campaign to bring it back]] was launched on Tumblr, with [[http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/the-bbc-please-commission-a-third-series-of-the-hour-savethehour a petition at Change.org]]. As of September 2013, it's won an Emmy for Best Writing for a Miniseries or Movie.

** Averted by Randall. While he was a "fantastic drunk" and "an alcoholic" in his younger days, he's gone teetotaler.

* AmateurSleuth: Freddie, in his spare time. Bel's taken a page from his book with her obsession about the new crime stats in Season Two.
* AmbiguouslyBi: Lix dresses quite masculine for the 1950's and flirts with a waitress in a bar. She also has a fling with Freddie and a past with Randall.

* HotScoop: ''Everyone''.

* ManlyMenCanHunt: Hector. Freddie, [[{{Bishounen}} unsurprisingly]], is crap at it.
* MayDecemberRomance: Twentysomething Freddie and fortymumble Lix have a drunken fling the night of Freddie's birthday.

The most common criticism made of the show's first season was of thematic inconsistency; the two main threads of let's-run-a-groundbreaking-TV-show and let's-investigate-a-government-conspiracy had little to do with each other, and while both interesting in their own right sometimes gave the show a disjointed [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld Wake Up, Go To Work, Save The World]] feel. One review called it "''DropTheDeadDonkey'' [[XMeetsY meets]] ''{{Spooks}}''". Season Two has taken on a more noir-ish feel, with the Soho underworld and police corruption as major arcs, along with the ever-growing [[UsefulNotes/ColdWar nuclear threat]]. It has been highly praised by critics - especially the addition of Creator/PeterCapaldi to the main cast as new head of news Randall Brown.

''The Hour'' was a [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] drama series, written by Abi Morgan and starring Creator/BenWhishaw, Dominic West, Romola Garai, Anna Chancellor, and Creator/OonaChaplin. The series centred on a new current affairs show being launched by the BBC in June 1956, at the time of the Suez Crisis (a [[PeriodPiece period setting]] which has led to comparisons with ''MadMen''). Bel Rowley (Garai) is the producer of the ShowWithinAShow; her friend Freddie Lyon (Whishaw) loses the presenter interview to well-spoken Eton boy Hector Madden (West) but she persuades him to stay on as a researcher. Meanwhile Freddie is suspicious about the [[NeverSuicide reported suicide]] of an old friend, and when he starts to notice shadowy men following him around, it only confirms his suspicions.

The most common criticism made of the show's first season was of thematic inconsistency; the two main threads of let's-run-a-groundbreaking-TV-show and let's-investigate-a-government-conspiracy had little to do with each other, and while both interesting in their own right sometimes gave the show a disjointed [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld Wake Up, Go To Work, Save The World]] feel. One review called it "''DropTheDeadDonkey'' [[XMeetsY meets]] ''{{Spooks}}''". Season Two has taken on a more noir-ish feel, with the Soho underworld and police corruption as major arcs, along with the ever-growing [[ColdWar nuclear threat]]. It has been highly praised by critics - especially the addition of Creator/PeterCapaldi to the main cast as new head of news Randall Brown.

* ColdWar: Fears of Russian spies, the development of Britain's own nuclear deterrent and civil defense procedures all feature prominently.

''The Hour'' was a {{BBC}} drama series, written by Abi Morgan and starring Creator/BenWhishaw, Dominic West, Romola Garai, Anna Chancellor, and Creator/OonaChaplin. The series centred on a new current affairs show being launched by the BBC in June 1956, at the time of the Suez Crisis (a [[PeriodPiece period setting]] which has led to comparisons with ''MadMen''). Bel Rowley (Garai) is the producer of the ShowWithinAShow; her friend Freddie Lyon (Whishaw) loses the presenter interview to well-spoken Eton boy Hector Madden (West) but she persuades him to stay on as a researcher. Meanwhile Freddie is suspicious about the [[NeverSuicide reported suicide]] of an old friend, and when he starts to notice shadowy men following him around, it only confirms his suspicions.

''The Hour'' was a {{BBC}} drama series, written by Abi Morgan and starring BenWhishaw, Dominic West, Romola Garai, Anna Chancellor, and Creator/OonaChaplin. The series centred on a new current affairs show being launched by the BBC in June 1956, at the time of the Suez Crisis (a [[PeriodPiece period setting]] which has led to comparisons with ''MadMen''). Bel Rowley (Garai) is the producer of the ShowWithinAShow; her friend Freddie Lyon (Whishaw) loses the presenter interview to well-spoken Eton boy Hector Madden (West) but she persuades him to stay on as a researcher. Meanwhile Freddie is suspicious about the [[NeverSuicide reported suicide]] of an old friend, and when he starts to notice shadowy men following him around, it only confirms his suspicions.

* UncertainDoom: In the last scene of the Season Two finale, it is uncertain if [[spoiler: Freddie]] survives the horrific beating [[spoiler: he]] was subjected to.

The most common criticism made of the show's first season was of thematic inconsistency; the two main threads of let's-run-a-groundbreaking-TV-show and let's-investigate-a-government-conspiracy had little to do with each other, and while both interesting in their own right sometimes gave the show a disjointed [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld Wake Up, Go To Work, Save The World]] feel. One review called it "''DropTheDeadDonkey'' [[XMeetsY meets]] ''{{Spooks}}''". Season two has taken on a more noir-ish feel, with the Soho underworld and police corruption as major arcs, along with the ever-growing [[ColdWar nuclear threat]]. It has been highly praised by critics - especially the addition of Creator/PeterCapaldi to the main cast as new head of news Randall Brown.

* AmateurSleuth: Freddie, in his spare time. Bel's taken a page from his book with her obsession about the new crime stats in season two.
* AmbiguouslyBi: Lix dresses quite masculine for the 1950's and flirts with a waitress in a bar. She also has a fling with Freddie and a hinted-at past with Randall.

* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: From 1x04: Freddie and Bel's conversation in the bar about the future:

* {{Blackmail}}: In season two, this is a huge theme. Rafael Cilenti runs El Paradis as a honey trap, getting major politicians and celebrities caught with his girls in order to blackmail them. The cover-up extends to Hector - sleeping around on Marnie with Kiki - and the police force (of which [[spoiler: Laurie Stern and the Commissioner of Police himself are part of]]).

** [[spoiler: Freddie and Bel]] in the season two finale.

* DomesticAbuse: In season two, it's revealed that [[spoiler: Laurie Stern was the one who beat Kiki, and he's got a history of knocking women around]].

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Commander Stern in the series two finale, after Kiki/Patricia exposes him on the show.]]
* EleventhHourRanger: In the season two finale, it's [[spoiler: Angus [=McCain=] who comes to ''The Hour'''s rescue, providing the verification they need about the nuclear scandal and convincing Randall to put Kiki on the air. He then becomes Kiki's unofficial PR handler, keeping the press at bay.]]

* TheFifties: 1956, to be precise.
** Season Two is set firmly in October of 1957 with the launch of Sputnik.
* FlyingUnderTheGaydar: [[spoiler: Adam]] in season one. [[spoiler: Angus]] does it as well.
** In season two, Isaac is surprised to see that the representative from the League of Homosexual Law Reform looks rather staid and square:

** [[spoiler: As of the season two finale, they've stopped denying this.]]

*** It gets further complicated in season two: Bel is still holding a torch for Freddie, who [[spoiler: married a girl in Paris and has brought her back to England]]. Meanwhile, Hector is continuing to cheat on Marnie with FemmeFatale Kiki, said FemmeFatale has Hector's friend Laurie - who is also a commander in Scotland Yard - on a hook, [[spoiler:Angus]] has a new boy-toy and a [[TheBeard beard]] (his [[KissingCousins cousin Vera]]), and Lix and Randall have a mysterious past together that involves the Spanish Civil War and [[spoiler:their long-lost daughter Lix gave up for adoption]].

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: [[spoiler: Freddie is brutally subjected to this in the season two finale. It's left purposely ambiguous if he survives it.]]

* PlotTriggeringDeath: Ruth's in season one.

* ProperLady: Marnie embodies it in both seasons, but she's deconstructing it in season two.

* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler: Thomas Kish and Adam [=LeRay=]]] in season one.
** [[spoiler: Rosa Maria Ramirez and Laurie Stern]] in season two.

* ShirtlessScene: Freddie and Hector both have their share of these, mostly in season one.

* SilkHidingSteel: Very few viewers would have pinned this as being part of Marnie's character,but Series 2 demonstrates she's more than capable of being a strong and independent woman. Bel shows signs of this, too, and Kiki may just grow into this, if her interview in the finale is any indication.

* SlaveToPR: Angus in both seasons. Hector in season two.

** [[spoiler: Mr. Pike in the season two finale. After Mr. Cilenti is exposed, he wastes no time in taking over El Paradis. The smirk he gives Cilenti as he's arrested for the kidnapping (and possible murder) of Freddie says it all.]]

* ThoseWackyNazis: The British Fascist Party, along with a number of young members, are integral to the plot of season two.
* TomatoInTheMirror: The penultimate episode of season one has [[spoiler: Freddie]] realizing that [[spoiler: he was a Brightstone.]]
* UncertainDoom: In the last scene of the season two finale, it is uncertain if [[spoiler: Freddie]] survives the horrific beating [[spoiler: he]] was subjected to.
* WaistcoatOfStyle: In season one, Freddie spends most episodes in a rather nice knitted one. He switches to a classier one for season two.
** Hector and Randall wear them in season two as part of their period three-piece suits.

* WeAreExperiencingTechnicalDifficulties: To the best, most chilling, most ironic effect in the season one finale.
* WhamEpisode: The season two finale. [[spoiler: Lix and Randall find out that their daughter they've been searching for all season (and in Randall's case, ''years'') had been killed in an air-raid almost twenty years ago, Bel and Freddie share their first kiss, and Marnie tearfully reveals to Hector that she's pregnant (with what must be another man's child; unbeknownst to her, Hector is infertile and can't ever have children with her). At the same time ''The Hour'' delivers one of its greatest shows ever (Kiki clearing Hector's name, exposing the profiteering off the arms race, AND implicating Laurie Stern in one swoop, which causes Stern to escape prosecution by [[DrivenToSuicide bullet to the head]]), Freddie is brutally beaten by Mr. Cilenti and left to die practically on the doorstep of ''The Hour'' itself, his (possible) last words being 'Moneypenny' as Bel runs to him. Did we mention that during that last part, there's a voice-over of Bel reading a letter she never sent to Freddie, where she reveals that she does love him and begs him to come home?]]

** [[spoiler: Marnie tearfully reveals in the season two finale that she was unfaithful as a result of Hector's neglect, and that she's pregnant with her lover's baby. In the previous episode, it was heavily implied that Hector thought that Marnie and her producer were having an affair.]]

** From the same episode, [[spoiler: Bel and Freddie kissing]]

* FauxAffablyEvil: Rafael Cellinti, the proprietor of the El Paradis, puts up a front of being a friendly affable guy, but the gloves come off whenever he's threatened with exposure [[spoiler: of his blackmailing and profiteering business]]

* AffectionateNickname: Freddie and Bel sometimes call each other [[JamesBond James]] and [[SassySecretary Moneypenny]]. As you would imagine, this does nothing to defuse the {{UST}}.

* SilkHidingSteel: Very few viewers would have pinned this as being part of Marnie's character. Bel shows signs of this, too, and Kiki may just grow into this, if her interview in the finale is any indication.