So the BBC have just released this show called Nightsleeper. It's about the Caledonian Sleeper (known as the heart of London in this show) being hijacked remotely by a cyber terrorist group and crashing the train into Euston. But it's good awful. Like. The train looks like a class 810 front but with MK5 carriages. I have so many complaints with this. What's everyone else's thoughts? https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002265y/nightsleeper EDIT: Feel free to comment and complain or praise the show or whatnot but NO SPOILERS
I watched all episodes last night in one go (binge watch). There were a lot of railway things they got correct but I did also leave myself questioning some parts like the train itself. If it were a real 810, the area behind the drivers cab would be 1st class and would not be a fully sealed "locomotive" as it would be a multiple unit. In several scenes where they show the couplings and the area between the "loco" and coaches, the loco looks more like a US one with a flat back and no access point. Yet, in other external shots it clearly looks like a multiple unit of the 8xx series. The cab interior looked weird too as did the power controller. Whilst I get that this is a fictional series with a fictional brand (Heart of England), it just bugged me that certain things with the train don't add up. There was also the scene with the stalled freight train directly across the mainline at Gretna. It was clearly a class 37 (even labelled as a 37) but there aren't any crossings like that anywhere in the UK except at Newark.
I haven't, and likely won't watch it. The Mrs has already said if I do watch it it'll have to be when she is not there as she doesn't like me pointing out errors in these programs, saying what I would be doing and what should be going on. I don't mind artistic license at all and do like a good drama but there is only so far things can go before becoming laughable.
Oh and a class 94 with MK15's is what they said it was. You've got to be kidding me. They're totally making up stuff. And the cab looks more like a spaceship then any sort of train. Not even a German train looks that futuristic and has that many buttons and whatnot.
TV dramas always have these sorts of errors. I wouldn't expect a television production company to accurately railway operations correct any more than I would expect GWR to produce an episode of Strictly Come Dancing!
TV is so terrible these days. So much so I don't even have a TV licence as I never consume anything the bbc produce. I especially dislike anything to do with trains as its almost always wrong. It makes you wonder what else they get wrong.
There was a time where I would have defended the BBC and the license fee but it's become increasingly annoying, chasing after a younger audience that isn't there while the once trustworthy BBC News is becoming a watered down version of GBeebies. Lord Reith will be spinning in his grave.
As enthusiasts we're always going to be especially sensitive to this kind of stuff. The general public won't care. I'm mostly willing to let it go however I do occasionally find it hard to watch then there are glaring issues. I find it easier to watch this kind of thing if it's set somewhere else in the world that I'm less familiar with. For instance I had a lot of fun with the recent Brad Pitt film "Bullet Train", however a Japanese rail enthusiast may find as many issues with it as we do with this BBC show. I may watch it. I do enjoy a good thriller although I pretty much only watch TV when over a relative's house these days.
A 460 with a pantograph! Wait, did they ever have pantographs? The 387s have pantographs so it's plausible.
Just saw episode one. It indeed looks like a 397 (but as a locomotive), but it has the number 94 010 written on the side. I also saw a Gatwick Express Class 321... coupled with B-roll shots of a 387 - not sure how they managed that. The route basically is exactly as I remember it (and it seems London Victoria no longer has those dot-matrix boards!). Enjoying it so far, but I'd enjoy anything so...
Teehee. As an American I can watch as much British TV as I care to without paying a silly " license fee. "
I just finished it, and I loved it. Plot twists everywhere and I was on the edge of my seat a lot! However, it seems most reviewers on the Wikipedia page disagree with me (as usual) and found it too cliche, predictable, and implausible. (I always do a Wikipedia check on a show or film after watching it for some reason.) I can see why lots of railfans/computer-savvy would not like it, though (especially if you have real railway/cyber-security experience). As someone with limited knowledge on both sides, I'm not sure if most of what happened would have been possible. But I loved it! Spoiler Leeds looks like Leicester.
Reply: Spoiler Yeah it probably was. Motherwell was actually filmed at Dalmuir and the bits on the settle line were filmed at the Bo'ness and Kinniel Railway. Yeah I get what you mean. Entertaining, just not accurate.
I ended up watching it, mainly because I had nothing better to do. It was alright I suppose. I found parts of it too unbelievable and most of the characters were insufferable but it was very good at building suspenseful set pieces at least. Spoiler The route the train ended up taking would have made for a very fun railtour.
Yeah true. They could've used something similar I would've thought or built a set similar but hey ho. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I mean, they managed to put it in Victoria's platform (which I didn't expect), complete with an extra signal at the end of the platforms. Spoiler: BIG SPOILER The episode 1 signal that was passed at danger isn't there in real life. I did wonder where it went in the last episode, though. I was slightly concerned that it would be crashed into by the nightsleeper train
