Sky’s new action thriller Prisoner has arrived on Sky Atlantic and NOW, with all six episodes released on Thursday 30 April. Created and written by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Matt Charman, the series stars Izuka Hoyle and Tahar Rahim in a high-stakes story built around one stressful prisoner transport job that quickly becomes everyone’s worst day at work.
The series follows Amber Todd, played by Izuka Hoyle, a principled prison transport officer tasked with escorting Tahar Rahim’s Tibor Stone, a trained killer and high-value inmate, to court so he can testify against an elite crime syndicate. When their convoy is brutally ambushed, Amber is forced to handcuff herself to Tibor, leaving the pair on the run, bound together and racing to survive long enough to make it to court.
For Scottish viewers, there is an extra reason to tune in with Hoyle leading the series. After her Scottish BAFTA-winning work in Boiling Point and her standout role in Channel 4’s Big Boys, she has become one of the most exciting Scottish talents to watch, so seeing her front a Sky action thriller feels well worth paying attention to.
Opposite her, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominee Rahim, known for The Serpent and The Mauritanian, brings real weight to the show’s central pairing. The supporting cast includes Finn Bennett, Eddie Marsan, Catherine McCormack, Leonie Benesch, Laurie Davidson, Sam Troughton, Ken Nwosu, Brían F. O’Byrne and Youssef Kerkour.
For CultureCues, Prisoner looks like a properly gripping thriller, built around a premise that works because it gets straight to the point. A prison officer handcuffed to a trained killer while a crime syndicate closes in? It is the kind of high-pressure setup that does not need over-explaining and feels built for a one-sitting binge.
All six episodes of Prisoner are available now on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
Nikki Murray is a UK-based writer, screenwriter and founder & editor of CultureCues, covering film, television, music and pop culture. Her work focuses on storytelling and the moments shaping modern entertainment.