Back in 2000, Jonathan Glazer gave us a bona fide modern crime classic in the form of Sexy Beast, which saw Ray Winstone’s retired criminal Gal forced back to felony by Ben Kingsley’s fascinatingly repellent sociopath, Don. Now, if you’ve ever wondered what their backstory was, you’re about to find out in a new TV series
When is Sexy Beast season 1 being released in the UK?
Sexy Beast season one is streaming in the UK exclusively on Paramount+ from January 25.
Sexy Beast: Season 1
What is Sexy Beast season 1 about?
Setting its scene in ’90s London, the series follows the formative criminal enterprises of Gal Dove (James McArdle) and Don Logan (Emun Elliott). While Gal pursues porn actress Deedee Harrison (Sarah Greene) and Don butts heads with his controlling elder sister, Cecelia (Tamsin Grieg), our larcenous pals climb the ranks of the criminal organisation run by Teddy Brass (Stephen Moyer, who must be pleased as punch that he’s going to age into Ian McShane according to this casting).
Expect… well, London underworld shenanigans. And Elliott chewing the scenery whenever Don rails against life’s little injustices.
The cast of Sexy Beast season 1
In addition to the above, expect Eliza Bennett, Michael Obiora, Clea Martin, Nicholas Nunn, Peter Ferdinando, John Dagleish, Robbie Gee, Paul Kaye, Lex Shrapnel, Cally Lawrence, David Kennedy, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Ralph Brown, Nitin Ganatra, and Alice Bailey Johnson to show up over the course of the season’s eight episodes.
Funnily enough, Ralph Brown, whose cult fame is assured thanks to his turn as Danny the Dealer in Withnail and I, also starred in the TV version of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. If I had a dollar for every time Ralph Brown showed up in a small screen redux of a big screen British crime classic, I’d have two dollars. Which isn’t much, but it’s weird that it’s happened twice.
Sexy Beast season 1 trailer
Why we’re excited about Sexy Beast season 1
Must admit to a certain amount of curiosity re: this one. Sexy Beast made a big splash as part of the cockney crime wave of the early 2000s, but doesn’t get talked about too much these days, so we’re a bit surprised it got the nod for a prequel series. Still, the cast and general tone are sending all the right signals, so we’re tuning in.
