--- product_id: 49134199 title: "State Of Play - Complete Series [2003] [DVD]" price: "3346 som" currency: KGS in_stock: true reviews_count: 12 url: https://www.desertcart.kg/products/49134199-state-of-play-complete-series-2003-dvd store_origin: KG region: Kyrgyzstan --- # State Of Play - Complete Series [2003] [DVD] **Price:** 3346 som **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** State Of Play - Complete Series [2003] [DVD] - **How much does it cost?** 3346 som with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.kg](https://www.desertcart.kg/products/49134199-state-of-play-complete-series-2003-dvd) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description A tense conspiracy thriller that twists deeper and deeper into the hostile twilight world where politics meets the press, from Emmy-winning writer Paul Abbot (Cracker) and director David Yates (Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts). Featuring an all-star cast including avid Morrissey, John Simm, Bill Nighy, James McAvoy and Kelly Macdonald. Stephen Collins is an ambitious politician. Cal McAffrey is a well-respected investigative journalist and Stephen's ex-campaign manager. En route to work one morning, Stephen's research assistant mysteriously falls to her death on the London Underground. It's not long before rumours of an affair between Stephen and the assistant hit the headlines. Meanwhile a suspected teenage drug dealer is shot dead. Revelation upon revelation pile up in the aftermath of these two seemingly unconnected events, ultimately bringing to light shady dealings between the government and major corporate powers. Friendships are tested and lives are put on the line as an intricate web of lies unfolds. Review: Superb - Back in 2003 the BBC asked the award-winning scriptwriter Paul Abbott to write something 'big' for them. Abbott, who'd cut his teeth on the UK's biggest soap, Coronation Street, before creating his own shows such as Touching Evil, Clocking Off and Linda Green, was just about to become the superstar of British scriptwriting, with both his BBC project and another that was in development at the time for C4, Shameless, which was about to launch him into the stratosphere. The BBC project became the political thriller State of Play. To say the BBC pulled out the 'big guns' for it would be an understatement. Some of the UK's biggest and best actors, including John Simm and Philip Glenister (who would be reunited for the excellent Life on Mars three years later) and the mighty Bill Nighy were recruited, along with Polly Walker (Patriot Games, Rome), Neil Morrissey (Framed, Blackpool) and Kelly MacDonald (Trainspotting). The drama also gave huge boosts to the careers of several younger actors, most notably James McAvoy (now a big star thanks to the movies The Last King of Scotland and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) and Marc Warren (Hustle, Hogfather and a memorable cameo in the new Doctor Who). The series opens with a young black man being gunned down on the streets of London. Initially the murder is dismissed as a drug-related killing, although his family are adamant he didn't touch drugs. On the same day Sonia Baker, the personal assistant and clandestine lover of rising Labour MP Stephen Collins (Morrissey), falls to her death on the London Underground. Collins' breakdown makes it clear to the press and Parliament that they were lovers, and soon his career and his marriage to Anne (Walker) are in danger. Ironically, the only friend he can turn to is Cal McAffrey (Simm), the chief reporter for the London Herald, the paper which is investigating both deaths. An examination of mobile phone records suggests that the two deaths are related. The Herald puts its top journalists on the trail which uncovers evidence of high-level corruption and manipulation. When one of his police officers is killed during the investigation, DCI William Bell (Glenister) takes a personal interest in the case, eventually resulting in an uneasy truce as the police and the journalists work together to find the real story behind the deaths, whilst editor Cameron Foster (Nighy) attempts to keep his superiors from shutting the story down. State of Play is a stunning piece of work. Taking its cue as much from All the President's Men as earlier BBC political thrillers such as the House of Cards trilogy of mini-series, this is a gripping story with twists that somehow defy cliche at every turn. Misdirections crop up frequently and the extremely well-drawn characters follow through on them logically. It's nice to see a newspaper drama in which there isn't any 'lose cannon' operating on his own: the journalists act as a team, protected by their editor as long as the story seems worth it, and use contacts and modern technology to dig deeper into the facts in a very believable manner. The workings of Parliament, including how the independent committees function under pressure from lobby groups, are also laid out clearly. Acting-wise, you couldn't ask for a better cast. Nighy gives a performance that may be one of the best of his career, including easily the funniest lines of the series. It takes some damn fine actors to hold their own and stop him stealing every scene, but Simm, Glenister, MacDonald, McAvoy and the rest rise to the occasion superbly, whilst Marc Warren gives a tremendous performance as the incredibly nervous, edgy main lead on the story who is fearing for his life. Morrissey, as one of our very best but underrated actors, makes Stephen Collins a believably weak but human character. Walker is also on terrific form as the wife who finds out her husband was having an affair and planning to leave her. I don't think there's many more adulations I can pour on this mini-series, which was nominated for BAFTAs and other awards, and is now being mentioned in the same breath as Edge of Darkness among the canon of quality BBC drama serials. Filming has just been completed on an American film version, which casts Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck in Simm and Morrissey's roles (although if they do half as good a job, I will be shocked), and it will be released in early 2009. State of Play (*****) is one of the best British drama mini-series of all time, period, and I would thoroughly recommend it to everyone. Review: Excellent intrigue - Excellent intrigue with an inbuilt game of who’s who big tv names. John Simm and David Morrisay are great and Kelly McDonald shining well. Good stuff originally from the BBC, now on prime. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | B0007ZD6YK | | Actors | Bill Nighy, David Morrissey, James McAvoy, John Simm, Kelly MacDonald | | Aspect Ratio | 16:9 - 1.77:1 | | Best Sellers Rank | 14,905 in DVD & Blu-ray ( See Top 100 in DVD & Blu-ray ) 644 in Romance (DVD & Blu-ray) 1,387 in Crime (DVD & Blu-ray) 1,908 in Thriller (DVD & Blu-ray) | | Country of origin | Czech Republic | | Customer reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,202) | | Director | David Yates | | Is discontinued by manufacturer | No | | Item model number | 5014503149321 | | Language | English (Dolby Digital 2.0) | | Media Format | PAL | | Number of discs | 2 | | Producers | Hilary Bevan Jones | | Product Dimensions | 13.5 x 1.5 x 19 cm; 81.65 g | | Release date | 25 April 2005 | | Run time | 6 hours | | Studio | 2 Entertain Video | | Subtitles: | English | | Writers | Paul Abbott | ## Product Details - **Format:** PAL - **Genre:** crime - **Language:** English - **Number of discs:** 2 ## Images ![State Of Play - Complete Series [2003] [DVD] - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81iW3kF30ML.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Superb *by A***D on 25 August 2008* Back in 2003 the BBC asked the award-winning scriptwriter Paul Abbott to write something 'big' for them. Abbott, who'd cut his teeth on the UK's biggest soap, Coronation Street, before creating his own shows such as Touching Evil, Clocking Off and Linda Green, was just about to become the superstar of British scriptwriting, with both his BBC project and another that was in development at the time for C4, Shameless, which was about to launch him into the stratosphere. The BBC project became the political thriller State of Play. To say the BBC pulled out the 'big guns' for it would be an understatement. Some of the UK's biggest and best actors, including John Simm and Philip Glenister (who would be reunited for the excellent Life on Mars three years later) and the mighty Bill Nighy were recruited, along with Polly Walker (Patriot Games, Rome), Neil Morrissey (Framed, Blackpool) and Kelly MacDonald (Trainspotting). The drama also gave huge boosts to the careers of several younger actors, most notably James McAvoy (now a big star thanks to the movies The Last King of Scotland and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) and Marc Warren (Hustle, Hogfather and a memorable cameo in the new Doctor Who). The series opens with a young black man being gunned down on the streets of London. Initially the murder is dismissed as a drug-related killing, although his family are adamant he didn't touch drugs. On the same day Sonia Baker, the personal assistant and clandestine lover of rising Labour MP Stephen Collins (Morrissey), falls to her death on the London Underground. Collins' breakdown makes it clear to the press and Parliament that they were lovers, and soon his career and his marriage to Anne (Walker) are in danger. Ironically, the only friend he can turn to is Cal McAffrey (Simm), the chief reporter for the London Herald, the paper which is investigating both deaths. An examination of mobile phone records suggests that the two deaths are related. The Herald puts its top journalists on the trail which uncovers evidence of high-level corruption and manipulation. When one of his police officers is killed during the investigation, DCI William Bell (Glenister) takes a personal interest in the case, eventually resulting in an uneasy truce as the police and the journalists work together to find the real story behind the deaths, whilst editor Cameron Foster (Nighy) attempts to keep his superiors from shutting the story down. State of Play is a stunning piece of work. Taking its cue as much from All the President's Men as earlier BBC political thrillers such as the House of Cards trilogy of mini-series, this is a gripping story with twists that somehow defy cliche at every turn. Misdirections crop up frequently and the extremely well-drawn characters follow through on them logically. It's nice to see a newspaper drama in which there isn't any 'lose cannon' operating on his own: the journalists act as a team, protected by their editor as long as the story seems worth it, and use contacts and modern technology to dig deeper into the facts in a very believable manner. The workings of Parliament, including how the independent committees function under pressure from lobby groups, are also laid out clearly. Acting-wise, you couldn't ask for a better cast. Nighy gives a performance that may be one of the best of his career, including easily the funniest lines of the series. It takes some damn fine actors to hold their own and stop him stealing every scene, but Simm, Glenister, MacDonald, McAvoy and the rest rise to the occasion superbly, whilst Marc Warren gives a tremendous performance as the incredibly nervous, edgy main lead on the story who is fearing for his life. Morrissey, as one of our very best but underrated actors, makes Stephen Collins a believably weak but human character. Walker is also on terrific form as the wife who finds out her husband was having an affair and planning to leave her. I don't think there's many more adulations I can pour on this mini-series, which was nominated for BAFTAs and other awards, and is now being mentioned in the same breath as Edge of Darkness among the canon of quality BBC drama serials. Filming has just been completed on an American film version, which casts Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck in Simm and Morrissey's roles (although if they do half as good a job, I will be shocked), and it will be released in early 2009. State of Play (*****) is one of the best British drama mini-series of all time, period, and I would thoroughly recommend it to everyone. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent intrigue *by M***K on 1 November 2025* Excellent intrigue with an inbuilt game of who’s who big tv names. John Simm and David Morrisay are great and Kelly McDonald shining well. Good stuff originally from the BBC, now on prime. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A smart, intelligent, well scripted and acted tv series: interesting and entertaining at the same time. Thanks again BBC *by E***I on 30 August 2015* The series that inspired the film (and it is much better than that), very well scripted and acted, with some of the best british young actors plus mr. Nighy (spectacular as usual). A well conceived plot with brilliant twists, a perfectly balanced rhythm and a serious analysis of how press and politics work, especially how they are influenced by business and financial power. Of course you know who the good and the bad guys are, but this does not make it less smart or incisive, also because some bad guys might turn good and, even among the bunch of good guys everyone has his own flaws and some dodgy sides that does not make them always looks trustable. The resolution of the plot, in the pre-ending, is powerful and brilliant and the increasing suspicion about the collusion between corporations, governments and UK/US is quite corageous, considering this is a public service show. Another great BBC story. ## Frequently Bought Together - State Of Play - Complete Series [2003] [DVD] - The Worricker Trilogy - Archangel [DVD] --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.kg/products/49134199-state-of-play-complete-series-2003-dvd](https://www.desertcart.kg/products/49134199-state-of-play-complete-series-2003-dvd) --- *Product available on Desertcart Kyrgyzstan* *Store origin: KG* *Last updated: 2026-04-23*