Everyone slept on this Tom Hardy thriller miniseries — and it’s the perfect one-night binge

If there’s one thing Tom Hardy’s partial to, it’s a spot of villainy. From his unhinged Alfie in Peaky Blinders to brooding Al Capone in Capone, Hardy’s practically made a career out of skulking round the wrong side of the law. It’s almost as if ‘charming but deeply unstable criminal’ is just where he feels most at home. Ask Hardy himself, and he’ll say he finds straight-laced heroes dull as dishwater—villains, apparently, give you loads more to play with. And honestly, most fans (myself included) don’t seem to mind. If he wants to keep popping up in these mob dramas, cracking heads and chewing scenery, I say let him crack on.

Anyway, with Hardy’s face all over film and telly for nearly two decades now, it’s very possible you’ve missed a few of his early gems, especially the ones squeezed out in between bigger roles. One that’s proper worth digging up is The Take—a British crime saga from the late 2000s. Short, sharp, with a belting cast, and Hardy going fully off his rocker. It’s one of those rare cases where you think, 'Alright, this is nasty, but I sort of can’t look away.'

Hardy in The Take: Unhinged, Unstoppable

The plot basically asks: has prison ever made anyone less of a criminal? Not in Hardy’s universe. He plays Freddie Jackson, a cold-eyed East End gangster with zero intention of ‘going straight’ after his release. Within minutes, he’s plotting a comeback and eyeing Tony Montana-level stardom. More ruthless than ever, Freddie carves a path through London’s underbelly: stabbing, shooting, manipulating anyone unlucky enough to cross him. As his hunger for power grows, so do his addictions. Drugs, women, carnage—take your pick, Freddie’s not fussy.

I’ve always preferred my gangsters with a bit of sunlight—think The Godfather or A Bronx Tale—but Hardy’s so good, I’d follow him through any rain-soaked back alley. He ended up winning an RTS Television Award for Best Actor with this one, and it’s easy to see why.

The Company He Keeps

Freddie’s not lacking for interesting sidekicks and enemies. Some are survivors, doing what they must to dodge the fallout from his rampages. Some lean in with a joke or a cheeky grin. Others just march to orders. The question hanging over it all: can anyone bring Freddie crashing down before he destroys everyone around him?

You’ve got the ever-dependable Brian Cox as Ozzy, Freddie’s old mentor, still ruling the roost from behind bars. Not quite the live wire Freddie is, but he’s the real brains: tough, weary, and able to shift from bollocking to banter in a heartbeat. Alongside Cox there’s Kierston Wareing, Margot Leicester, Shaun Evans and Charlotte Riley—proper British TV stalwarts, each holding their own amid the mayhem.

It Wasn’t All Mayhem: Hardy Finds Love on Set

One of the wilder bits of trivia? Hardy’s not just terrifying to watch in The Take; he ended up falling for his co-star Charlotte Riley while filming it. They’d worked together before, on a version of Wuthering Heights, but apparently their time on this set properly sealed the deal. If you’re wondering how the chemistry started, Riley summed it up in classic British fashion:

'The first time we met was in rehearsals, somewhere in Ealing. I was going through the scenes with him and realized we had great rapport and banter, so it was fun. But the really important thing, and the greatest test of character even though it sounds trivial, was that he made me a really cracking cup of tea – 99% of people cannot make tea.'

After The Take, Hardy and Riley signed on for the MMA flick Warrior, then both popped up in Peaky Blinders. 2010 saw Hardy propose, the two got married soon after, and now have two kids together. Oddly enough, in The Take their characters aren’t exactly best mates: Riley’s Maggie is dating Freddie’s cousin Jimmy, and most of her scenes are spent fighting to keep him away from Freddie’s grasp. It’s all high drama and lots of shouting—with Hardy threatening, Riley refusing to budge. Made for good telly (and, apparently, a good marriage).

Who’s Who in The Take?

• Tom Hardy as Freddie Jackson: Out of prison, straight back to business. Crazed, magnetic, and not to be trusted with anything sharp.
• Brian Cox as Ozzy: The don behind bars. Older, wiser, deadly when riled.
• Charlotte Riley as Maggie: Freddie’s foil, keeping her partner away from the family business.
• Shaun Evans as Jimmy Jackson: Freddie’s cousin, constantly pulled between loyalty and common sense.
• Kierston Wareing, Margot Leicester: Make up the rest of the snarling, wounded, and occasionally tragic ensemble.