The Control Room: BBC One release date, trailer and cast with Iain De Caestecker and Joanna Vanderham

Iain De Caestecker and Joanna Vanderham star in The Control Room, a new BBC thriller about an emergency call handler
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The Control Room, a new three-part thriller starring Iain De Caestecker, is coming to BBC One on Sunday 17 July, with new episodes airing on consecutive nights.

The series follows Gabe, an emergency call handler. He answers a 999 call from someone frantic, someone clearly in distress – someone who clearly knows who he is, too, even though he doesn’t recognise their voice – and then everything changes.

Here’s everything you need to know about The Control Room.

What is The Control Room about?

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According to the official synopsis for The Control Room, the series “tells the story of Gabe, played by Iain De Caestecker, an ordinary man who works as an emergency call handler for the Strathclyde Ambulance Service in Glasgow.”

“His world is turned upside down when he receives a desperate life-and-death call from a distressed woman who appears to know him. With Gabe under pressure to work out who she is, he makes a decision that threatens to have devastating consequences.”

Who stars in The Control Room?

Iain De Caestecker as Gabe, standing in the woods and taking a phone call, looking anxious (Credit: Jamie Simpson/BBC/Hartswood Films)Iain De Caestecker as Gabe, standing in the woods and taking a phone call, looking anxious (Credit: Jamie Simpson/BBC/Hartswood Films)
Iain De Caestecker as Gabe, standing in the woods and taking a phone call, looking anxious (Credit: Jamie Simpson/BBC/Hartswood Films)

Iain De Caestecker stars as Gabe, the emergency call handler at the centre of the drama. De Caestecker is probably best known for his lead role in the Marvel television series Agents of SHIELD, though you might also recognise him from The Fades, Roadkill, or Us.

Joanna Vanderham also stars. Vanderham has previously starred in Dancing On The Edge, The Go-Between, and Man In An Orange Shirt.

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They’re joined by Sharon Rooney (My Mad Fat Diary, The Capture, Finding Alice), Daniel Portman (Game of Thrones, Vigil), Taj Atwal (Hullraisers, The Syndicate, Line of Duty) and Stuart Bowman (Bodyguard, Versailles).

Who writes and directs The Control Room?

The Control Room was written by Nick Leather, a BAFTA and RTS award-winning screenwriter. Leather has previously written the BBC Three series Murdered for Being Different, and the Anna Maxwell Martin television film Mother’s Day.

The series was directed by Amy Neil, who has previously directed episodes of Call the Midwife and Holby City. Neil also directed episodes of Amazon Prime Video thriller Hanna, and the Jodie Whittaker-starring medical thriller Trust Me.

Is there a trailer for The Control Room?

Yes, there is! You can watch it right here.

When and how can I watch The Control Room?

The Control Room will air on BBC One on Sunday 18 July, with new episodes airing on consecutive nights. The first episode will air on Sunday, the second on Monday, and the third and final on Tuesday.

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Each episode will also available to watch on BBC iPlayer as part of a boxset from Sunday.

How many episodes is The Control Room?

The Control Room is a three-episode miniseries. Each episode of The Control Room will be an hour in length.

Where was The Control Room filmed?

The Control Room was filmed in and around Glasgow, in Scotland, not far from where lead Ian De Caestecker grew up.

Why should I watch The Control Room?

Ian De Caestecker is a really fantastic actor, and he’s got a particular skill for playing a kind of panicked intensity – exactly the sort of thing that’d come in handy for a thriller like this.

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