Recent experiences with Bonekickers prevent me from giving this two-part drama from the pen of Simon Beaufoy TOO much of a build-up. Beaufoy himself can be a bit hit-and-miss. He wrote The Full Monty, which was a huge hit, but was also responsible for Yellow, which managed only a lukewarm reception. Both of those are more than ten years in the past, however, and when Burn Up was shown in Canada earlier this year (it’s a joint UK/Canadian production) it received a very positive response.

This may turn out to be the most “relevant” drama you see this year. A story that highlights the conflict between economics and ecology, and how that conflict plays out among real people rather than just in philosophical argument.

It stars Rupert Penry-Jones, who we will shortly see bowing out of his role in Spooks, as the oil industry executive who finds himself playing a high-stakes transatlantic power game, and Neve Campbell as his colleague Holly, whose environmental concerns lead her to become a covert supporter of the very people who want to destabilise Tom’s sphere of operation.

Burn Up plays out over two nights starting next Wednesday and concluding Friday.

Burn Up (part 1): BBC Two, Wednesday 23 July, 9pm
Burn Up (part 2): BBC Two, Friday 25 July, 9pm