Occupation (TV serial)
Encyclopedia
Occupation is a BAFTA
Award–winning three part drama serial broadcast by BBC One
in June 2009. It was written by Peter Bowker
and has been produced by Kudos
for BBC Northern Ireland
.
It took four years to bring the serial to screen. Filming took place in Morocco
and Northern Ireland
.
The serial follows the fortunes of three British Army
soldiers from the 2003 invasion
of Basra
to 2007. Each is inspired to return to Basra for different reasons: one returns for love, one for monetary gain, and one for his belief in the mission to rebuild the country.
blast, and several members of the section and an innocent young Iraqi girl are injured. Swift carries the girl to a local hospital, where he meets Dr Aliya Nabil. The unit returns to Manchester
, England, with Swift being hailed as a hero, but all experience difficulty integrating back into normal family life. The girl and Aliya have also travelled to England, and Swift begins to fall in love with the doctor, nearly embarking on an affair. Having left the Army, Corporal Danny Peterson finds solace in drugs, before going into partnership with Sergeant Erik Lester, a former U.S. Marine
who was impressed by Peterson's calmness under fire and has gone into business as a private military contractor company. Peterson and Lester return to Iraq, and secure a contract to escort American businessmen around hospitals and clinics they are planning to rebuild. Lance Corporal Lee Hibbs, having also left the Army and being unimpressed with work as a nightclub bouncer
, joins Peterson and Lester, thinking he can play a role in rebuilding Iraq. On their first assignment, the escort group dress and apply makeup to look like Arabs, and begin their escort job in two old cars. After becoming separated from their other car, Peterson and Lester, with the American businessman, are ambushed in a roadblock, and the episode ends with Peterson somewhat comically stripping naked in front of a British patrol shouting "I'm from Kirkby
!", mirroring the actor's real world origins, in order to prove he is British, the car having been driven away from the ambush by Lester, who has been shot in the neck. Meanwhile, Aliya and the little girl return to Iraq without telling Swift, leading him to volunteer to return.
and transferred to the Royal Army Medical Corps
, is looking for Aliya by enquiring at her former hospital, where he meets Dr Sadiq Alasadi, a male doctor and influential local figure, who had been missing presumed dead in prison under Saddam Hussein
's rule. Having saved the American, Lester and Peterson's outfit, Pacific Solutions, has flourished, and they are looking to expand from simple escort protection of contractors, to organising the reconstruction projects as well, starting with Sadiq's hospital. Reunited, Peterson informs Swift that he knows where Aliya is, and while as a friend warns him against contacting her, as a businessman he says he will tell him, in exchange for putting a word in with Sadiq. He agrees, but on finding her working in another clinic she again refuses his advances and reveals she had been married all along. Swift, Peterson and Lester meet Sadiq at the hospital, and once he learns of Swift's earlier heroics, Paterson and Lester secure the contract. In the process, Swift learns that Sadiq is Aliya's husband, to the amusement of Lester and Peterson. On a further visit, Aliya rejects an offer from Swift to take her to England, even though conditions for her are worsening in Iraq.
Moving into August 2004, Yunis, an Iraqi translator working for Pacific solutions, who has befriended Hibbs, leaves the firm to set up his own pizzeria. While at his shop, Yunis is murdered by two Iraqi policeman for collaborating. Hibbs is off guard not expecting danger, as he trained the pair while he was in the Army. Hibbs, angry at the death, seeks revenge, but is persuaded not to act by Peterson and Lester. Fearing he is having a breakdown, Peterson arranges for Swift to take Hibbs back to England on his transport a week later, as he finishes his second tour.
A year later, Hibbs and Swift are back home, and it is around the time of the 7 July 2005 London bombings
. Hibbs' view of the Iraqi people has hardened, and he states he endorses the July attackers' actions, if it makes his sister, who has constantly opposed the war, realise "what they are like". Meanwhile in Iraq, Pacific Solutions is expanding, and Peterson and Lester enter a partnership with Western investors in Dubai, explaining how they cream money off the top of coalition reconstruction grants by inventing cost overruns. Swift's wife has guessed that he had an affair and demands he leave the marital home. Hibbs, obsessed with Yunis's death, returns to Iraq at Christmas, visits his wife and family, and gives them all his savings. On leaving their house, he is kidnapped by a militant group led by the two policeman he knows. The episode ends with Hibbs being forced to video a statement stating that he is a private contractor and he and the United States and British forces should not be in Iraq. Meanwhile, against the wishes of Lester, Peterson and a colleague look for him in the streets of Basra.
total from $6,000 to $60,000, the doctor refuses to sign the contract, to the annoyance of Lester who sees an avenue to millions of dollars' worth of contacts closed. Back at base, Peterson forges the doctor's signature on the contract and tells Lester to go ahead with it. Sadiq gets into an argument with three young militiamen who want treatment for a wounded member, but object to the hospital's continued use of women doctors against mosque
instructions. As he leaves for home, he is kidnapped by unseen assailants as he stands next to his car.
By June 2007, Swift's son, Richard, has decided to join the Army, and instead of leaving the Army, Swift, who is now divorced, returns to Basra to watch over his son on his first tour. Relations between Lester and Peterson worsen as Peterson expresses boredom with life in Dubai. They agree to split their skills, with Lester in Dubai and Petersen in Basra. Swift learns of Sadiq's kidnap, and visits his wife in the hospital, where she is now forced to work out of sight in the pharmacy. While he is obliged to communicate through a male intermediary, she tells him she does not know who is holding him and that no ransom demand has been made. After consulting with Yassin, Swift theorises that, since no ransom has been demanded, he may have been arrested by British or American authorities, but gets nowhere with inquiries. Swift arranges for Hibbs to bring Aliya to his office, where they have sex, apparently for the first time, and Yassin, who has been getting progressively more religious, expresses displeasure at being in the company of "immoral women" like her.
Three months later, having got nowhere, Swift turns to Peterson for help, and they argue, as Peterson assumes that Sadiq must have done something to deserve being arrested, being no good just like "everybody in this country", bombing and killing each other over religion and tribal conflict. After Swift leaves, Peterson eventually instructs Hibbs and a colleague to do a job for him; they protest that they should not go outside with fewer than six men, and he counters that work is drying up and they cannot afford to use more. Hibbs meets an Arab pair in the desert, who in exchange for money, hand over a hooded man, who Hibbs discovers is Sadiq. They return him to the hospital, and pay him off with compensation, insisting the incident was a case of mistaken identity.
As they leave, they drive into a demonstrating mob, and after grounding their car are forced to escape on foot as the mob turns on them. As Swift is in the British base, attempting to counsel his son who is not coping well with his first tour, he gets a message from Aliya, asking him to come to the hospital. On arriving, Sadiq reveals it was Peterson who kidnapped him, and he urges Swift to go to the press to expose Pacific Solutions and to take Aliya out of Iraq, intimating that he knows of their affair, but believes that he "is finished" and that Swift is her best hope of safety. Lester returns to the Basra Pacific office, and is angry at Peterson, blaming his erratic behaviour, bullying and forgery for losing a multi-million dollar oil field deal. As they argue, Peterson receives a call for help from Hibbs, who with his colleague are pinned down. Lester prepares to leave to help Hibbs, while urging Peterson to take some responsibility for the situation. Peterson responds by stating he will call the British Army in to rescue the pair, over objections from Lester, who states it would finish them in Iraq.
Richard Swift is a member of the patrol tasked to rescue Hibbs, but is separated from his unit and finds himself in an apartment block. He unsuccessfully attempts to radio for help, and then texts his father, who is in the hospital with Sadiq and Aliya; all three are by now helping the victims of the developing violence outside. As militia arrive, Yassin now among them, Swift is urged to leave by his translator. As Swift leaves, Aliya is pinned up against a wall and shot in the head by Yassin. Swift receives the text message from his son, and finds him dead in the apartment block.
Back in England, Peterson, Hibbs and Swift are at Richard's funeral. The episode ends with the men in a bar afterwards, with Swift angry at Peterson, blaming him for his son being there, fighting the guilt of having not got to him in time. Hibbs, having become a counsellor for returning servicemen, is prepared to aid Swift in "taking down" Peterson and Lester with information about their dodgy dealings. Peterson retaliates by stating that his new-found reason for risking his life in Iraq is money, in contrast to the lack of a reason while in the Army. Swift questions what has happened to him, to which he replies "I went to Iraq, why, what happened to you?". The episode ends poignantly as all three are left sitting in the bar, all close to tears.
called Occupation "a predictably masterly production" but felt that its "bleak climax...stretched the bounds of plausibility". Writing for The Times
, Caitlin Moran
praised Nesbitt's performance as "surpringsly gripping". Helen Rumbelow, also from The Times, reviewed the first episode and felt the opening "a sequence of brilliant film-making" but criticised the acting from Nesbitt and Graham as "a touch too comedic". The Telegraph
felt the series gave "a poignant sense of the ironies" of the war in Iraq, praised writer Peter Bowker and summarised by calling the series "Truly excellent". Kathryn Flett
wrote in The Guardian
that "Nesbitt was very good and easy to like" but "not the film's star", feeling that performances by Stephen Graham and Warren Brown "made the deeper, more lasting impression". She also praised the writing as "thrilling - funny, sad, real, believable".
British Academy Television Awards
The British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . They have been awarded annually since 1954, and are analogous to the Emmy Awards in the United States.-Background:...
Award–winning three part drama serial broadcast by BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in June 2009. It was written by Peter Bowker
Peter Bowker
Peter Bowker is a British playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for the television serials Blackpool , a musical drama about a shady casino owner; Occupation , which follows three military servicemen adjusting to civilian life after a tour of duty in Iraq; and Desperate Romantics , a...
and has been produced by Kudos
Kudos (production company)
Kudos Film and Television is a British independent film and television production company. It has produced television series for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, and its productions include Spooks , Hustle, Life on Mars and its spin-off Ashes to Ashes, The Amazing Mrs Pritchard and M.I. High...
for BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland is the main public service broadcaster in Northern Ireland.The organisation is one of the three national regions of the BBC, together with BBC Scotland and BBC Wales. Based at Broadcasting House, Belfast, it provides television, radio, online and interactive television content...
.
It took four years to bring the serial to screen. Filming took place in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
The serial follows the fortunes of three British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
soldiers from the 2003 invasion
Battle of Basra (2003)
The Battle of Basra was one of the first battles of the invasion of Iraq. The British 7 Armoured Brigade fought their way into Iraq's second-largest city, Basra, on 6 April coming under constant attack by regulars and Fedayeen. While elements of the Parachute Regiment cleared the 'old quarter' of...
of Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
to 2007. Each is inspired to return to Basra for different reasons: one returns for love, one for monetary gain, and one for his belief in the mission to rebuild the country.
Episode 1
A British Army section led by Sergeant Mike Swift are attempting to assault a sniper group in an apartment block in Basra. The group are caught in a grenadeGrenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
blast, and several members of the section and an innocent young Iraqi girl are injured. Swift carries the girl to a local hospital, where he meets Dr Aliya Nabil. The unit returns to Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England, with Swift being hailed as a hero, but all experience difficulty integrating back into normal family life. The girl and Aliya have also travelled to England, and Swift begins to fall in love with the doctor, nearly embarking on an affair. Having left the Army, Corporal Danny Peterson finds solace in drugs, before going into partnership with Sergeant Erik Lester, a former U.S. Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
who was impressed by Peterson's calmness under fire and has gone into business as a private military contractor company. Peterson and Lester return to Iraq, and secure a contract to escort American businessmen around hospitals and clinics they are planning to rebuild. Lance Corporal Lee Hibbs, having also left the Army and being unimpressed with work as a nightclub bouncer
Bouncer (doorman)
A bouncer is an informal term for a type of security guard employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs or concerts to provide security, check legal age, and refuse entry to a venue based on criteria such as intoxication, aggressive behavior, or attractiveness...
, joins Peterson and Lester, thinking he can play a role in rebuilding Iraq. On their first assignment, the escort group dress and apply makeup to look like Arabs, and begin their escort job in two old cars. After becoming separated from their other car, Peterson and Lester, with the American businessman, are ambushed in a roadblock, and the episode ends with Peterson somewhat comically stripping naked in front of a British patrol shouting "I'm from Kirkby
Kirkby
Kirkby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in the metropolitan county of Merseyside in England. The town was developed from the 1950s through 1970s as a means to house the overspill of Liverpool. It is situated roughly north of Huyton, the administrative HQ of the borough and about...
!", mirroring the actor's real world origins, in order to prove he is British, the car having been driven away from the ambush by Lester, who has been shot in the neck. Meanwhile, Aliya and the little girl return to Iraq without telling Swift, leading him to volunteer to return.
Episode 2
Episode 2 begins in March 2004, four months after episode 1. Swift, promoted to Staff SergeantStaff Sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
and transferred to the Royal Army Medical Corps
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
, is looking for Aliya by enquiring at her former hospital, where he meets Dr Sadiq Alasadi, a male doctor and influential local figure, who had been missing presumed dead in prison under Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's rule. Having saved the American, Lester and Peterson's outfit, Pacific Solutions, has flourished, and they are looking to expand from simple escort protection of contractors, to organising the reconstruction projects as well, starting with Sadiq's hospital. Reunited, Peterson informs Swift that he knows where Aliya is, and while as a friend warns him against contacting her, as a businessman he says he will tell him, in exchange for putting a word in with Sadiq. He agrees, but on finding her working in another clinic she again refuses his advances and reveals she had been married all along. Swift, Peterson and Lester meet Sadiq at the hospital, and once he learns of Swift's earlier heroics, Paterson and Lester secure the contract. In the process, Swift learns that Sadiq is Aliya's husband, to the amusement of Lester and Peterson. On a further visit, Aliya rejects an offer from Swift to take her to England, even though conditions for her are worsening in Iraq.
Moving into August 2004, Yunis, an Iraqi translator working for Pacific solutions, who has befriended Hibbs, leaves the firm to set up his own pizzeria. While at his shop, Yunis is murdered by two Iraqi policeman for collaborating. Hibbs is off guard not expecting danger, as he trained the pair while he was in the Army. Hibbs, angry at the death, seeks revenge, but is persuaded not to act by Peterson and Lester. Fearing he is having a breakdown, Peterson arranges for Swift to take Hibbs back to England on his transport a week later, as he finishes his second tour.
A year later, Hibbs and Swift are back home, and it is around the time of the 7 July 2005 London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
. Hibbs' view of the Iraqi people has hardened, and he states he endorses the July attackers' actions, if it makes his sister, who has constantly opposed the war, realise "what they are like". Meanwhile in Iraq, Pacific Solutions is expanding, and Peterson and Lester enter a partnership with Western investors in Dubai, explaining how they cream money off the top of coalition reconstruction grants by inventing cost overruns. Swift's wife has guessed that he had an affair and demands he leave the marital home. Hibbs, obsessed with Yunis's death, returns to Iraq at Christmas, visits his wife and family, and gives them all his savings. On leaving their house, he is kidnapped by a militant group led by the two policeman he knows. The episode ends with Hibbs being forced to video a statement stating that he is a private contractor and he and the United States and British forces should not be in Iraq. Meanwhile, against the wishes of Lester, Peterson and a colleague look for him in the streets of Basra.
Episode 3
Still in December 2005, Peterson has located the police station where Hibbs is being held after being told by Yassin, Yunis's teenage son, who witnessed the kidnap. He is successfully exchanged for money, to the anger of Lester. To pay back Lester, Peterson persuades him that Hibbs can be used to drive a regular truck shipment they have been contracted to undertake from Kuwait to Basra, which routinely runs empty while Pacific Solutions are still paid for the job. Peterson and Lester meet Sadiq to sign off on a contract. After Peterson attempts a last minute change to the sundriesSundries
Sundries may refer to:* Toiletries and other usually small items both of no large value, and too numerous to mention separately such as cosmetics, threads, needles et cetera...
total from $6,000 to $60,000, the doctor refuses to sign the contract, to the annoyance of Lester who sees an avenue to millions of dollars' worth of contacts closed. Back at base, Peterson forges the doctor's signature on the contract and tells Lester to go ahead with it. Sadiq gets into an argument with three young militiamen who want treatment for a wounded member, but object to the hospital's continued use of women doctors against mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
instructions. As he leaves for home, he is kidnapped by unseen assailants as he stands next to his car.
By June 2007, Swift's son, Richard, has decided to join the Army, and instead of leaving the Army, Swift, who is now divorced, returns to Basra to watch over his son on his first tour. Relations between Lester and Peterson worsen as Peterson expresses boredom with life in Dubai. They agree to split their skills, with Lester in Dubai and Petersen in Basra. Swift learns of Sadiq's kidnap, and visits his wife in the hospital, where she is now forced to work out of sight in the pharmacy. While he is obliged to communicate through a male intermediary, she tells him she does not know who is holding him and that no ransom demand has been made. After consulting with Yassin, Swift theorises that, since no ransom has been demanded, he may have been arrested by British or American authorities, but gets nowhere with inquiries. Swift arranges for Hibbs to bring Aliya to his office, where they have sex, apparently for the first time, and Yassin, who has been getting progressively more religious, expresses displeasure at being in the company of "immoral women" like her.
Three months later, having got nowhere, Swift turns to Peterson for help, and they argue, as Peterson assumes that Sadiq must have done something to deserve being arrested, being no good just like "everybody in this country", bombing and killing each other over religion and tribal conflict. After Swift leaves, Peterson eventually instructs Hibbs and a colleague to do a job for him; they protest that they should not go outside with fewer than six men, and he counters that work is drying up and they cannot afford to use more. Hibbs meets an Arab pair in the desert, who in exchange for money, hand over a hooded man, who Hibbs discovers is Sadiq. They return him to the hospital, and pay him off with compensation, insisting the incident was a case of mistaken identity.
As they leave, they drive into a demonstrating mob, and after grounding their car are forced to escape on foot as the mob turns on them. As Swift is in the British base, attempting to counsel his son who is not coping well with his first tour, he gets a message from Aliya, asking him to come to the hospital. On arriving, Sadiq reveals it was Peterson who kidnapped him, and he urges Swift to go to the press to expose Pacific Solutions and to take Aliya out of Iraq, intimating that he knows of their affair, but believes that he "is finished" and that Swift is her best hope of safety. Lester returns to the Basra Pacific office, and is angry at Peterson, blaming his erratic behaviour, bullying and forgery for losing a multi-million dollar oil field deal. As they argue, Peterson receives a call for help from Hibbs, who with his colleague are pinned down. Lester prepares to leave to help Hibbs, while urging Peterson to take some responsibility for the situation. Peterson responds by stating he will call the British Army in to rescue the pair, over objections from Lester, who states it would finish them in Iraq.
Richard Swift is a member of the patrol tasked to rescue Hibbs, but is separated from his unit and finds himself in an apartment block. He unsuccessfully attempts to radio for help, and then texts his father, who is in the hospital with Sadiq and Aliya; all three are by now helping the victims of the developing violence outside. As militia arrive, Yassin now among them, Swift is urged to leave by his translator. As Swift leaves, Aliya is pinned up against a wall and shot in the head by Yassin. Swift receives the text message from his son, and finds him dead in the apartment block.
Back in England, Peterson, Hibbs and Swift are at Richard's funeral. The episode ends with the men in a bar afterwards, with Swift angry at Peterson, blaming him for his son being there, fighting the guilt of having not got to him in time. Hibbs, having become a counsellor for returning servicemen, is prepared to aid Swift in "taking down" Peterson and Lester with information about their dodgy dealings. Peterson retaliates by stating that his new-found reason for risking his life in Iraq is money, in contrast to the lack of a reason while in the Army. Swift questions what has happened to him, to which he replies "I went to Iraq, why, what happened to you?". The episode ends poignantly as all three are left sitting in the bar, all close to tears.
Cast
- James NesbittJames NesbittJames Nesbitt is a Northern Irish actor. Born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Nesbitt grew up in the nearby village of Broughshane, before moving to Coleraine, County Londonderry. He wanted to become a teacher like his father, so he began a degree in French at the University of Ulster...
as Mike Swift - Stephen GrahamStephen Graham (actor)Stephen Graham is an English actor from Kirkby, Liverpool. He is best known for his roles as Tommy in the movie Snatch, Combo in This Is England and its four-part television sequel This Is England '86, Danny Ferguson in Occupation, Billy Bremner in The Damned United, notorious bank robber Baby...
as Danny Peterson - Warren BrownWarren Brown (actor)Warren Brown is an English actor and former professional Thaiboxer, well known for his roles as Andy Holt in teen soap opera Hollyoaks and Lee Hibbs in the three-part BBC drama series Occupation written by Peter Bowker...
as Lee Hibbs - Nonso AnozieNonso AnozieNonso Anozie is a British actor who has appeared in several stage plays and four films to date.In the summer of 2002 he became the youngest person in history to play William Shakespeare's "King Lear" and won the Ian Charleson Award in 2005 for his performance as Othello.Anozie was hired in 2006 to...
as Erik Lester - Yigal NaorYigal NaorYigal Naor is an Israeli actor.Naor was born in Giv'atayim of Iraqi Jewish descent. He has appeared in the American movies Munich, Green Zone and Rendition...
as Dr Sadiq Alasadi - Lubna AzabalLubna AzabalLubna Azabal is a Belgian actress, born in Brussels to a Moroccan father and a Spanish mother. After studing at the Conservatoire royal of Brussels, she began a theatrical career in Belgium. In 1997, she took her first film role when Belgian film-maker Vincent Lannoo chose her to act beside Olivier...
as Dr Aliya Nabil - Monica DolanMonica DolanMonica Dolan is a British actress who has appeared in a number of roles in British television shows and numerous stage productions. She was born in Middlesbrough. Credits include Agatha Christie's Poirot, Dalziel and Pascoe, Tipping the Velvet and Judge John Deed and starred in ITV drama U Be Dead...
as Nicky Swift - Andrew-Paul Roberts as Richard Swift
- Sarmed al-Samarrai as Yunis
- Fenar Mohammed-Ali as Yassin
Critical reception
Tim Walker of The IndependentThe Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
called Occupation "a predictably masterly production" but felt that its "bleak climax...stretched the bounds of plausibility". Writing for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, Caitlin Moran
Caitlin Moran
Caitlin Moran is a British broadcaster, TV critic and columnist at The Times, where she writes three columns a week: one for the Saturday Magazine, a TV review column, and the satirical Friday column "Celebrity Watch"...
praised Nesbitt's performance as "surpringsly gripping". Helen Rumbelow, also from The Times, reviewed the first episode and felt the opening "a sequence of brilliant film-making" but criticised the acting from Nesbitt and Graham as "a touch too comedic". The Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
felt the series gave "a poignant sense of the ironies" of the war in Iraq, praised writer Peter Bowker and summarised by calling the series "Truly excellent". Kathryn Flett
Kathryn Flett
Kathryn Flett is a British TV critic, author, and star of the BBC's Grumpy Old Women series, was educated at Notting Hill & Ealing High School, and Hammersmith and West London College....
wrote in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
that "Nesbitt was very good and easy to like" but "not the film's star", feeling that performances by Stephen Graham and Warren Brown "made the deeper, more lasting impression". She also praised the writing as "thrilling - funny, sad, real, believable".