{"product_id":"9781350016002","title":"Close to the Enemy","description":"\u003ch3\u003eModern Plays\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch1\u003eClose to the Enemy\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch3\u003eStephen Poliakoff\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003ePerforming Arts \/ Screenplays\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eClose to the Enemy\u003c\/i\u003e is a seven-part television series, mostly set in a bomb-damaged London hotel in the aftermath of the Second World War.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe drama follows intelligence officer Captain Callum Ferguson whose last task for the Army is to ensure that a captured German scientist, Dieter, starts working for the British RAF on urgently developing the jet engine. With the background of the emerging Cold War, it is clear to all that it's crucial for British national security that cutting-edge technology is made available to the armed forces as quickly as possible. Callum uses unorthodox methods in his attempt to convince Dieter to work with the British and eventually a friendship develops between the two men, but soon tensions arise as all is not as it seems.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOver the course of the series, Callum encounters a number of other characters whose stories all intertwine. These characters include Victor, Callum's younger brother, struggling to deal with psychological trauma caused by his experience in the fighting; Harold, a Foreign Office official who reveals some startling truths about the outbreak of the war; Rachel, an enchanting Anglophile American engaged to his best friend; and Kathy, a tough young woman working for the War Crimes Unit, fighting to bring war criminals who escaped prosecution to justice. All these characters are trying to rebuild and move their lives forward in the aftermath of the war, a war that scarred them all so deeply.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eClose to the Enemy\u003c\/i\u003e was first screened on BBC2 in November 2016 in a production by Little Island Productions. It starred Jim Sturgess, Freddie Highmore, Charlotte Riley, Phoebe Fox, August Diehl, Robert Glenister, Alfie Allen, Charity Wakefield, Angela Bassett, Lindsay Duncan and Alfred Molina.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eStephen Poliakoff\u003c\/b\u003e, born in December 1952, was appointed  writer-in-residence at the National Theatre for 1976 and the same year  won the Evening Standard's Most Promising Playwright Award for \u003ci\u003eHitting Town\u003c\/i\u003e and\u003ci\u003e City Sugar\u003c\/i\u003e. In 1980 Poliakoff won a BAFTA Award for the Best Single Play for \u003ci\u003eCaught on a Train\u003c\/i\u003e, the Evening Standard's Best British Film Award for \u003ci\u003eClose My Eyes\u003c\/i\u003e in 1992, the Critics' Circle Best Play Award for \u003ci\u003eBlinded by the Sun\u003c\/i\u003e in 1996 and the Prix Italia and the Royal Television Society Best Drama Award for \u003ci\u003eShooting the Past\u003c\/i\u003e in 1999. His plays and films include \u003ci\u003eClever Soldiers\u003c\/i\u003e (1974), \u003ci\u003eThe Carnation Gang \u003c\/i\u003e(1974), \u003ci\u003eHitting Town \u003c\/i\u003e(1975), \u003ci\u003eCity Sugar \u003c\/i\u003e(1975), \u003ci\u003eHeroes \u003c\/i\u003e(1975), \u003ci\u003eStrawberry Fields\u003c\/i\u003e (1977), \u003ci\u003eStronger than the Sun\u003c\/i\u003e (1977), \u003ci\u003eShout Across the River \u003c\/i\u003e(1978), \u003ci\u003eAmerican Days \u003c\/i\u003e(1979), \u003ci\u003eThe Summer Party \u003c\/i\u003e(1980), \u003ci\u003eBloody Kids\u003c\/i\u003e (1980), \u003ci\u003eCaught on a Train\u003c\/i\u003e (1980), \u003ci\u003eFavourite Nights \u003c\/i\u003e(1981), \u003ci\u003eSoft Targets\u003c\/i\u003e (1982), \u003ci\u003eRunners \u003c\/i\u003e(1983), \u003ci\u003eBreaking the Silence\u003c\/i\u003e (1984),\u003ci\u003e Coming in to Land\u003c\/i\u003e (1987), \u003ci\u003eHidden City \u003c\/i\u003e(1988), \u003ci\u003eShe's Been Away \u003c\/i\u003e(1989), \u003ci\u003ePlaying with Trains\u003c\/i\u003e (1989), \u003ci\u003eClose My Eyes \u003c\/i\u003e(1991), \u003ci\u003eSienna Red\u003c\/i\u003e (1992), \u003ci\u003eCentury\u003c\/i\u003e (1994), \u003ci\u003eSweet Panic\u003c\/i\u003e (1996), \u003ci\u003eBlinded by the Sun \u003c\/i\u003e(1996), \u003ci\u003eThe Tribe\u003c\/i\u003e (1997),\u003ci\u003e Food of Love\u003c\/i\u003e (1998), \u003ci\u003eTalk of the City\u003c\/i\u003e (1998), \u003ci\u003eRemember This\u003c\/i\u003e (1999), \u003ci\u003eShooting the Past\u003c\/i\u003e (1999), \u003ci\u003ePerfect Strangers \u003c\/i\u003e(2001),  for which he won the Dennis Potter Award at the 2002 BAFTAs and Best  Writer and Best Drama at the Royal Television Society Awards, and\u003ci\u003e The Lost Prince\u003c\/i\u003e (2003), winner of three Emmy Awards in 2005, including Outstanding Mini Series. His work for the BBC includes \u003ci\u003eFriends and Crocodiles\u003c\/i\u003e (2006) and \u003ci\u003eGideon's Daughter\u003c\/i\u003e (also 2006), which won two Golden Globes and a Peabody Award in 2007, \u003ci\u003eJoe's Palace \u003c\/i\u003e(2007) and \u003ci\u003eCapturing Mary \u003c\/i\u003e(2007), which was Emmy-nominated and won a BAFTA.\u003cbr\u003eMore recently, Stephen released the feature film \u003ci\u003eGlorious '39\u003c\/i\u003e (2010) with BBC Films. Stephen's latest stage play \u003ci\u003eMy City\u003c\/i\u003e premiered at the Almeida Theatre in 2011 and his BBC television series \u003ci\u003eDancing On The Edge \u003c\/i\u003e(2013) achieved international acclaim, winning a Golden Globe. His latest television series, \u003ci\u003eClose To The Enemy\u003c\/i\u003e premiered in 2016 on BBC Two.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e12 January 2017\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMethuen Drama\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9781350016002\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePaperback softback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e568\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight (oz): \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e16.8\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51332360077452,"sku":"9781350016002","price":27.86,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/getimage_cf130dcc-d5b6-4ef3-ba3b-79f7b38327d4.jpg?v=1783603048","url":"https:\/\/fh90cf-fv.myshopify.com\/products\/9781350016002","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}