Every so often British television will churn out a series which is absolute perfection. This is one of those series. Paul Abbot has written a suspenseful and concise thriller which has more twists and turns than a helter skelter and delivers some career-defining performances from Bill Nighy, David Morissey and John Simm, as well as having the superb support from James McAvoy and Kelly McDonald. Fast-paced and tense from the off-set, State of Play can be considered amongst the best of thriller TV.