It’s implausible and ludicrous but this Netflix thriller is held together by a terrific performance

Hostage ★★★

Forget Chekhov’s gun, the lurking narrative principle in this British thriller is Chekhov’s husband. As politician Abigail Dalton (Suranne Jones) ponders a tilt at the prime minister’s gig, she worries about a clash between country and family.

Her doctor husband Alex (Ashley Thomas) tells her, “If it ever comes down to a choice, you’ll make the right one.” Cut to eight months later, Abigail is PM and Alex is working with a charity in French Guiana when – surprise! – he’s kidnapped. The ransom demand? Abigail has 24 hours to resign or Alex dies.

The story never stops unfolding in Hostage, which is a vital asset because this limited series skips past the implausible and situates itself in the ludicrous. If it slowed down, you might ponder how daft it all is. But it doesn’t and soon Abigail, who has cut the defence budget to increase health spending but is nonetheless getting hammered on a shortage of critical cancer drugs, is hosting a crucial summit with the French president, Vivienne Toussaint (Julie Delpy), who is drifting rightwards during a tight presidential election.

There’s some smart commentary on the demands placed on leaders, and a measure of camaraderie between two powerful women being constantly scrutinised, but before Vivienne can intervene in French Guiana, her grip on power is also under threat. This is just the initial set-up, so credit to the show’s creator Matt Charman (Bridge of Spies) for building quickly on that shaky foundation. A total of five 45-minute episodes is a concise watch, twisty and climactic. Hostage doesn’t overstay its welcome.

But there’s also no room for contemplation, or the kind of expansive Sorkin talkin’ The West Wing devotees yearn for. Everything is happening at 10 Downing Street, where Abigail has her staff downstairs and her panicked teenage daughter, Sylvie (Isobel Akuwudike), upstairs. Even as the stakes escalate even further, the king and the security services hardly feature, and the Americans are thankfully sidelined. But there is Vivienne’s stepson, Matheo Lewis (Corey Mylchreest), as a very handsome pawn.