It is a chilly November day and David Jonsson is all smiles. And rightfully so - this month is the release of his much anticipated lead role in the BBC/HBO show Industry.
Set to be a binge-worthy blockbuster in the same bracket as Billions and Succession this gritty portrayal of the underbelly of finance in London shines a light on the ugly side to the banking machine that keeps the economy going.
At the fictional firm of Pierpoint & Co. greed, power, ambition run rampant and there’s no place for weakness or the faint of heart. We follow a troupe of young recruits that survived the ruthless interview and selection process to win a seat at the laudable Pierpoint graduate programme only to fight for their right to stay. As the programme heads tell their bright eyed recruits: by the end of it, over seventy percent of them will be packed off home.
Among the colourful characters and storylines are banker stereotypes, intimately recognisable figures to anyone who has worked in or been near the world of finance. Although doses of Hollywood creative license are interwoven to compress the banking world into a fast paced series of intense anecdotes, the show does a largely brilliant job of exposing the toxic undercurrents of its subject matter.
A largely unknown cast play their respective roles beautifully under the guidance of an excellent script (by creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay) and the collaborative direction of four directors (including Girl’s creator Lena Dunham who took the helm of the pilot episode).
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