| Oktober | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Thriller |
| Written by | Stephen Gallagher |
| Directed by | Stephen Gallagher |
| Starring |
|
| Composer | Alan Parker |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Brian Eastman |
| Producers |
|
| Cinematography | Bruce McGowan |
| Editor | Andrew McClelland |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | Carnival Film & Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 2 April – 16 April 1998 |
Oktober is a three-part British television psychological thriller, written and directed by Stephen Gallagher, that first broadcast on ITV on 2 April 1998. Based upon Gallagher's 1988 novel of the same name,[1] the series stars Stephen Tompkinson as Jim Harper, a schoolteacher who finds himself drawn into an international conspiracy when a pharmaceutical company eyeball him to be the human guinea pig in a new, state-of-the-art medical trial.[2][3]
Tompkinson told the Daily Mirror that he was keen to take on the more active role of Jim Harper, commenting; “I grabbed this project because I’d never been asked to do anything like this before, and the chance to do stunts was one reason it was so appealing. As soon as I read the script I knew there hadn’t been anything like this on British television for a very long time. It has elements of The 39 Steps running through it. It asks how an ordinary person manages to deal with a set of quite extraordinary events.”[4]
The series was released on Region 2 DVD on 24 May 2004.[2] A reprint of Gallagher's novel with Tompkinson on the cover art followed on 2 January 2018.[1]
Production[edit]
The series was initially written for the BBC, but after they declined to commission the project, the series was offered to ITV, who chose to commission it the following year.[5] Whilst filming in the Swiss Alps, a number of crew members suffered from altitude sickness, which temporarily halted production.[3]
The series was intended for broadcast in February 1998, with a number of listings magazines including features on the series prior to broadcast; but due to changes in the ITV, the series did not transmit until early April.[3] The series has since been repeated on ITV2.[3]
Cast[edit]
- Stephen Tompkinson as Jim Harper
- Lydzia Englert as Rochelle
- Maria Lennon as Linda
- James McCarthy as Viveros
- James Duke as Daniel
- Michael Bertenshaw as Dr. Franks
- Stephen Jenn as Russian
- Richard Leaf as Bruno
- Lisa Jacobs as Dr. Bauer
- Michael N. Harbour as Werner
- James Kerr as Stephen
- Tim Poole as Terry
- Hermione Gulliford as Kim
- Billy McColl as Billy
Episodes[edit]
| Episode | Title | Written by | Directed by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Stephen Gallagher | Stephen Gallagher | 2 April 1998 |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Stephen Gallagher | Stephen Gallagher | 9 April 1998 |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Stephen Gallagher | Stephen Gallagher | 16 April 1998 |
References[edit]
- ^ a b Oktober: Stephen Gallagher. ASIN 1999920724.
- ^ a b "Oktober [DVD] [1998]". Amazon. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Action TV Online - Oktober Episode Guide". Action TV Online. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Oktober (ITV 1998 with Stephen Tompkinson and Lydzia Englert)". Memorable TV. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Stephen Gallagher: Screen - Oktober". stephengallagher.com. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
