By Any Means: BBC One crime drama starring Warren Brown

When criminals escape the law, it is time for a secret team of avengers to track them down and deliver justice. That is the idea behind By Any Means, a six-part crime drama due to start on BBC One on Sunday 22 September 2013. Based in London, the clandestine team work from a warehouse next to the tube.

Leading the team is Jack Quinn (played by Warren Brown). “He’s very hands-on and wants to get the job done, getting stuck in and not afraid to slap people about,” said Brown. “I think they all use underhand methods because they’ve got to get the job done, whatever it takes. What we do is we go after the bad guys. Is what we’re doing legal? Are we real police? Well, that’s kind of open for discussion, but if we’re getting the job done, the end has justified the means.”

He is helped by Jessica Jones (played by Shelley Conn). “As a person, I think Jessica’s moral compass is dead-set, but she really enjoys the morally ambiguous way that they capture these criminals and relishes the moment when they are finally brought down,” said Conn. “She’s determined and hard-nosed and direct in her aims. She’s kind of like, ‘why are we messing around? Let’s just go for it!’”

Actors in By Any Means

Warren Brown was Andy Holt in Hollyoaks back in 2005, a role that earned him three nominations in the British Soap Awards. Since then, he has played Marky in Dead Set, Jake Clegg in The Bill, Lee Hibs in Occupation, PO Paul Gibby in Criminal Justice, Matt in Single Father, David Wade in Accused, John Paul Rocksavage in Good Cop, Joe Mancetta in Homefront and DS Justin Ripley in Luther.

Shelley Conn first appeared on TV screens as Uzma in the 2000 film The Last Musketeer. Her first recurring role was the following year as PC Miriam Da Silva in Mersey Beat. Other parts have included Daljit Ramanee in Casualty, Ashika Chandirimani in Party Animals, Miranda Hill in The Palace, Tanya Martin in Raw, Claire in Dead Set, Danni Prendiville in Strike Back, Jessica Fraser Hardy in Mistresses, Nisha Parekh in Marchlands, Doctor Elisabeth Shannon in Terra Nova and Eve in Heading Out. She was also Princess Pondicherry in the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Andrew Lee-Potts plays Thomas (Tom Tom) Tomkins, an ex-criminal and technical brains behind the operation. Gina McKee plays Helen Barlow, a member of the security services and the person who gives the team their orders. Guest stars include David Harewood, Amy Nuttall, Nick Moran and Honor Blackman. Also appearing are Elliot Knight, John Henshaw, Keith Allen, Kate Dickie, Neil Maskell, Charlie O’Brien and Martin Jarvis.

Team behind By Any Means

By Any Means is a Red Planet Pictures production for the BBC. The writing team comprised Tony Jordan, Richard Zajdlic, James Payne, Jeff Povey and Richard Lazarus. Tony Jordan and Belinda Campbell were executive producers for Red Planet Pictures and Polly Hill for BBC One. Lead director for the series was Charles Palmer and the producer was Tim Key. The show was commissioned by Ben Stephenson, controller of BBC drama commissioning, and Danny Cohen, who was then controller of BBC One.

“We’re delighted to welcome such an extensive and talented list of guest stars to By Any Means, accompanying our wonderful main cast,” said Campbell. “There are some brilliantly crafty and manipulative characters throughout the series, which have been expertly brought to life by these gifted actors and actresses.”