8 x 60'

Producer, Mark Williams (Ozark, Safe Harbor) Written by Bruce Foster and Dominic Morgan

Available: Pilot script and series deck

Powderkeg is a high-stakes returning thriller series, with international appeal, tapping into the audience’s fascination with the secret world of nuclear weapons and the nuclear industry. With the tension and procedural intrigue of Line of Duty and the atmospheric dread of Chernobyl, Powderkeg delivers an eight-part, nail-biting thrill ride that doesn’t just entertain – it sparks critical conversations about the true costs of nuclear power, weaponisation, and governmental secrecy.

Powderkeg opens the door to a hidden world that’s rarely explored – one kept under wraps by layers of secrecy. Drawing from Bruce Foster’s first-hand insights into the nuclear industry and nuclear threats, Powderkeg reveals the true dangers within.

After a scientist dies in a mysterious accident at a nuclear waste facility, the plant’s Chief Security Officer launches an investigation that reveals a horrifying scandal at the heart of Britain’s nuclear weapons programme.

Our series revolves around Jamie Archer, a hardened ex-SAS soldier who now enforces the interests of a greedy corporation with the same ruthless efficiency he once used to defend his country. He rules Europe’s largest nuclear waste facility with an iron fist, tasked with intimidating potential whistleblowers into silence and inspiring fear and compliance among the workforce. Beneath this tough exterior, however, Jamie hides a crippling gambling addiction that’s draining him financially and mentally. He is desperate to balance the books – but what he really needs is to recover his honour and sense of mission.

When a whistleblower scientist falls into a radioactive cooling pond and is boiled alive, Jamie’s guilt gnaws at him. He becomes obsessed that he might have pushed the victim to suicide. Worse, he’s forced to work with an external investigator to uncover the truth behind the death. As their investigation deepens, Jamie realises this case reaches far beyond his own sins or secrets. Now he’s faced with a choice: cover his own back and protect his dangerous habits – or risk everything to expose the truth.