The BBC's new drama Nightsleeper premiered this month and while some viewers have questioned how realistic the plot is, others have jumped to the show's defence.
For those yet to catch up on the series, it follows an off-duty cop Joe Roag (Joe Cole) who finds himself aboard a sleeper train from Glasgow to London which has been hijacked in a cyber attack. It's soon revealed that the train is being controlled remotely and it's down to Joe and acting cyber security chief Abby Aysgarth (Alexandra Roach) to stop it in its tracks.
Taking to social media, fans encouraged other viewers to persevere with the show, saying the compelling drama gets better as the episodes continue.
One person penned: "Didn't like ep1. Gave ep2 a go tonight & ended up bingeing the whole show. My guess is ep1 script had outside pressure to simplify & inflate the setup? From then on it sped up like a hacked train. Brilliant writing, casting, acting, congratulations to all involved," while another added: "#Nightsleeper the second episode was a lot better. A nail-biting ending."
© Euston Films/Mark Mainz/BBCA third person penned: "People not liking #Nightsleeper take life far too seriously. It's great, bit of intrigue, action, good actors and some comedy relief. Not everything has to be that deep or 100% plausible to be enjoyable. One of the easiest 6 episode binges in a while," while another added their voice to the discussion: "Episode 3 is a LOT better #Nightsleeper."
For those yet to catch up on the whodunnit series, it follows a hijacked sleeper train travelling from Glasgow to London.
The synopsis continues: "Leading the fight are Joe Roag, a cop who is a passenger on the train and Abby Aysgarth, the acting technical director at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). But who are they fighting? And how can they win against the self-styled ‘Driver’ who seems one step ahead of every solution?
© BBC"There's a small team working the night shift alongside Abby and a handful of passengers left on the train with Joe but are they all as innocent as you'd think? Who can they trust? Who can we trust? Are there people on board who know more than they are letting on?"
While the show isn't based on a true story, creator Nick Leather was inspired to pen the drama after being trapped on an evening train from Newton-le-Willows to Manchester. "For the first two hours, no one spoke, we just grumbled and muttered to ourselves. But in the third hour, it all changed," he told the BBC. "One person started arguing with another about the volume of the music emitted by their headphones, others were pulled in, actually talking to each other as a result. This wasn't a thriller, although we were out of phone coverage and the toilet was out of order too, so it was not without jeopardy, but it absolutely was a relationship drama. In small ways, strangers revealed themselves, and - shock of all shocks in the digital age - actually connected in real life."
© Mark MainzNick also revealed that he pitched Nightslepper to a former government cyber expert specialising in critical infrastructure, a railway designer and train obsessive, and an "ethical hacker" – all of whom said the story was possible. "Not only could it happen, but - after a couple of hours of pooling their collective expertise - they decided they could almost certainly carry out a so-called 'hackjack' between them," he said. "I was shocked… and a bit scared… and kind of delighted… and definitely exhilarated - all the things I want the audience to feel now watching our show."
Nightsleeper continues on Sunday 22 September on BBC One at 9pm. Episodes are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
