Roadkill started on BBC One tonight (Sunday October 18 2020) and promises to be this year’s big political thriller.
We were introduced to Conservative MP Peter Laurence, played by Hugh Laurie, and it’s apparent he’s hiding a closet worth of skeletons.
Well, what did we expect from a politician?
***Warning: spoilers from episode one ahead***
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Towards the end of the first parter, there were more twists and turns than a snake in a maze, and these are the burning questions we want answered in episode two of Roadkill.
Who is Peter Laurence’s daughter in BBC One’s Roadkill?
Peter Laurence receives a shocking message telling him that he has an illegitimate daughter, a girl he claims he knew nothing about.
Worse still, she appears to be in jail. Not a good look for a politician who has promised the Prime Minister Dawn Ellison (Helen McCrory) he is “squeaky clean”.
The inmate at Shephill Women’s prison claims to have a secret about Peter’s past that could affect his future.
He visits her, perhaps proving that he believes her, only to be met with her friend Steff Frost who tells him he has a daughter in the jail.
She asks Transport Minister Peter if he can remember every woman he’s ever slept with, to which he answers “no”.
Later, we see Steff’s friend Rose involved in a prison riot which becomes a top news story on the TV.
Is she Peter’s daughter? And why has she got in touch now?
Is politician Peter Laurence corrupt in BBC One’s Roadkill?
Peter Laurence starts the episode (the first of four parts) in a jubilant mood, after winning a court case against a newspaper he sued for libel.
Financial journalist Charmian Pepper had accused Peter of exploiting his position for financial gain.
She changed her statement when evidence was tampered with and she looked like a liar.
After the case closes, Peter’s lawyer admits she believes he was guilty even though she got him off.
The plot also hints at Peter’s guilt.
The PM is clearly suspicious and digging into his past, and we know MI5 have a file on him.
We learn that he was MD of Stanfield Titles, which he left out of his files…
Peter claims to be from an authentic working class background, but he admits he’s a “rule breaker”.
Peter wants to privatise, or as he calls it “preserve”, the NHS – but he’s been accused of having off-shore funds.
Charmian believes he was at a “dodgy think tank in Washington, selling off the NHS”.
During a conversation between Peter and his political adviser Duncan Knock, they discuss why Peter can’t sack his secretary – because “Joy knows what you did – he can’t get rid of her”.
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Where is Peter Laurence’s wife on BBC One’s Roadkill?
Peter is married, but we haven’t met his wife yet.
He’s cheating on his wife with Madeline, played by Borgen and Fortitude star Sidse Babett Knudsen.
Peter’s oldest daughter is studying at Leeds, we’re told, and set to get a first class degree in mathematics.
His youngest daughter Lily, however, doesn’t speak to him.
We see her in a club, taking drugs, and kissing random men – all in front of a photographer, who sells the photos to the very newspaper Peter just sued.
Will journalist Charmian Pepper bring Peter down?
Irish actress Sarah Greene, who you’ll recognise from Normal People, plays financial journalist Charmian Pepper.
She’s dismissed from her job at the newspaper, after changing her testimony.
She changed her story under oath, claiming Peter Laurence was in Washington DC in January 2015 collecting fees he didn’t report, but he was in New York according to his diary.
Charmian claims the diary had been tampered with, which was impossible to prove.
She believes Peter Laurence is trying to destroy her, but vows to bring him down first.
The recovering alcoholic gets reinstated by her boss after claiming unfair dismissal, and flies to Washington to dig dirt on Peter.
She vows to “nail Peter Laurence once and for all” and we don’t doubt her!
Who is Margaret in BBC One’s Roadkill?
Margaret was seen leaving the court after Peter’s trial.
She later calls Peter’s lawyers saying she has vital evidence about the case – but it’s too late as the case is closed.
She says Peter “has a past and it’s a bloody sight more sinister than yours or mine”.
But who is she and what is her connection to the case?
We later see her meeting up with Peter’s driver Sydney, who appears to secretly despise her boss.
Margaret and Sydney are an item, so Sydney is clearly feeding Margaret her information…
Meanwhile, Peter’s adviser Duncan is having an affair with the PM’s private secretary Julia – it’s a hotbed of affairs and compromised political allegiances!
Margaret is played by Harry Potter star Katie Leung.
Is Peter Laurence based on a real MP?
Writer David Hare says the drama is set in a fictional world, and that none of the characters in Roadkill are based on real people.
He states: “Mine is a parallel world to the real one, and there is no secret passage between the two.”
He added: “I wanted to imagine what it would be like if a Conservative politician, naturally gifted with a mix of charm, intelligence, charisma and high humour, managed to find his path from a working-class household in Croydon right into the heart of Westminster.
“Peter Laurence is not based on anyone. Nor are the other characters.”
What will happen in episode 2 of BBC One’s Roadkill?
We’ll see the aftermath of the prison riot in Shephill prison.
Peter prepares for his new role in cabinet.
Margaret, Charmian, Peter’s daughter Lily and alleged secret daughter all continue to make trouble for the MP.
Scandalous photos of youngest daughter Lily are about to hit the newspapers.
Peter’s family suspect that he hasn’t been entirely faithful.
Charmian is in Washington and resumes her investigation into Peter Laurence’s dealings and makes a breakthrough – but with terrible consequences.