\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been five years since the #MeToo movement became a cause marched for across the world, with all kinds of workplaces facing a reckoning when it came to sexual abuse and misconduct \u2013 and now the BBC is finally delving into the topic with its new drama Rules of the Game<\/a>.<\/p>\n The four-parter, written by journalist Ruth Fowler, revolves around Manchester-based sportswear company Fly Dynamic \u2013 a family-run business hoping to become publicly-traded \u2013 and its Chief Operating Officer Sam, a formidable figure within the business played by Anne<\/a>\u2018s Maxine Peake.<\/p>\n Rules of the Game\u2019s first episode begins with Sam arriving at Fly Dynamic to find a dead body in the foyer before she\u2019s interrogated by suspicious detective inspector Eve Preston (Susan Wokoma). As Sam reflects back on her time at the company and the events leading up to this tragedy, we\u2019re taken back to several months before, when new HR Director Maya Benshaw (played by Sex Education\u2019s Rakhee Thakrar) arrives and begins digging into Fly Dynamic\u2019s history of misconduct.<\/p>\n What follows is a gripping look at a small business with a past (and present) steeped in inappropriate behaviour, multiple cover-ups and mysterious deaths, while we learn more about the victims \u2013 which include unsurprisingly volatile employee Tess Jones (Callie Cooke) \u2013 who continue to process the repeated abuse and their ignored pleas for help from over the years.<\/p> Shameless and Silk star Peake \u2013 who is dominating the January TV schedule with her roles in this and ITV\u2019s Anne \u2013 is perfect as the ruthless Sam, whose willingness to play along with the toxic, boys\u2019 club atmosphere cultivated by Fly Dynamic\u2019s bosses Gareth (Kieran Bew) and Owen Jenkins (Ben Batt) is only properly challenged when Maya joins the company.<\/p>\n While Peake portrays the executive with a hard-edged tenacity, with her ambition to be a corporate success at any cost front and centre, her performance also features hints of vulnerability as Sam tries to deal with her crumbling home and romantic life and slowly realises that she may also be a victim as well as an enabler of sexual abuse in the workplace.<\/p>\n Acting opposite Peake throughout the series is Rakhee Thakrar, who shines as new HR director Maya. Clashing with Sam as soon as she steps through the doors of Fly Dynamic, Maya is constantly challenging Sam and the higher-ups on how they\u2019ve dealt with instances of extreme unprofessionalism in the run-up to making the company\u2019s initial public offering.<\/p>\n While Maya\u2019s suggestions of pyjama Friday and her regular practice of meditation is initially disarming, she proves to be a worthy opponent to the icy Sam as she begins looking into the shady death of a 16-year-old employee a decade prior and the company\u2019s pay cheques to its previous HR Director, who reveals he was labelled \u201cthe Harvey Weinstein of Fly Dynamic\u201d.<\/p>\n At times, the expository dialogue can feel somewhat heavy-handed \u2013 (in one scene, Tess, who is reluctant to go into work, is told by her grandmother: \u201cIf you can shag, you can work\u201d) \u2013 while there are a few plot points that are hard to accept, such as Sam making her young daughter do work experience at Fly Dynamic despite knowing about her bosses\u2019 predatory natures. However, the drama as a whole is a thought-provoking thriller, bolstered by its stellar cast and a murder-mystery plot that\u2019ll have you binge-watching all four episodes.<\/p>\n Rules of the Game begins airing on BBC One at 9pm on Tuesday 11th January, with all episodes available on BBC iPlayer thereafter.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Visit our\u00a0Drama<\/a>\u00a0hub for more news, interviews and features, or find something to watch with our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n By Lauren Morris Published: Monday, 10 January 2022 at 12:00 am 4.0 out of 5 star rating \u00a0 It\u2019s been five years since the #MeToo movement became a cause marched for across the world, with all kinds of workplaces facing a reckoning when it came to sexual abuse and misconduct \u2013 and now the BBC […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":9749,"template":"","categories":[5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/01\/rules-of-the-game-review-maxine-peake-and-rakhee-thakrar-shine-in-me-too-thriller.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/01\/rules-of-the-game-review-maxine-peake-and-rakhee-thakrar-shine-in-me-too-thriller-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/01\/rules-of-the-game-review-maxine-peake-and-rakhee-thakrar-shine-in-me-too-thriller-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/01\/rules-of-the-game-review-maxine-peake-and-rakhee-thakrar-shine-in-me-too-thriller.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/01\/rules-of-the-game-review-maxine-peake-and-rakhee-thakrar-shine-in-me-too-thriller.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/01\/rules-of-the-game-review-maxine-peake-and-rakhee-thakrar-shine-in-me-too-thriller.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/01\/rules-of-the-game-review-maxine-peake-and-rakhee-thakrar-shine-in-me-too-thriller.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Lauren Morris Published: Monday, 10 January 2022 at 12:00 am 4.0 out of 5 star rating \u00a0 It\u2019s been five years since the #MeToo movement became a cause marched for across the world, with all kinds of workplaces facing a reckoning when it came to sexual abuse and misconduct \u2013 and now the BBC…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/9748"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\""Rules\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/01\/23238626-high_res-rules-of-the-game-7359495.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"rules-of-the-game\"\\"\/")
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