Season 1
Five Days is a British mystery drama television series produced by the BBC in association with HBO which follows five non-consecutive days of a police investigation into the disappearance of a young mother and her two children (the first season) and an abandoned baby and a suicide victim (in the second season).
The series aired in the UK on BBC One from 23 January, 2007 to 5 March, 2010. There are 10 hour-long episodes in two seasons.
Five Days premiered in South Africa on TopTV's Fox FX channel on Monday 7 March 2011, at 20h30. It later aired on DStv's BBC Entertainment channel, beginning with Season 2. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast days and times.
Season 1 aired on Fox FX from 7 March to 4 April, 2011, on Mondays at 20h30. New episodes broadcast weekly. There are five episodes in the first season.
Repeats
Tuesdays: 03h30, 22h00
Wednesdays: 04h40, 19h45
Season 1
Written by Gwyneth Hughes, Five Days is an intricate thriller which tracks five 24-hour periods following the abduction of a beautiful young mother, Leanne.
This five-part drama serial boasts an ensemble cast which includes Nikki Amuka-Bird, Hugh Bonneville, Charlie Creed-Miles, Phil Davis, Patrick Malahide, Janet McTeer, David Oyelowo, Sarah Smart, Penelope Wilton and Edward Woodward.
The story begins one hot summer day when Leanne (Christine Tremarco) sets out to take her two young children to visit her grandfather.
She stops to buy flowers at a lay-by but then inexplicably vanishes, leaving her two small children waiting for her in her car, lost and far from home.
They set off to find her, only to go missing themselves.
Their ordeal is captured on CCTV cameras and, before long, the family's heart-stopping trauma is not only a complex police investigation but also a major news story.
The action unfolds on days one, three, 28, 33 and 79.
As each episode unravels, it becomes clear that nobody is quite as they seem – not Leanne's grieving husband, Matthew (David Oyelowo), who finds himself under suspicion; not the laconic detective Barclay (Hugh Bonneville), or his cynical sergeant, Foster (Janet McTeer); not Leanne's parents, Barbara (Penelope Wilton) and John (Patrick Malahide); and not Sarah (Sarah Smart), a stranger who is drawn into both the investigation and the family.
Five Days is produced by Paul Rutman. The serial is directed by Otto Bathurst (episodes 1, 2 and 3) and Simon Curtis (episodes 4 and 5).
Executive producers are Hilary Salmon and Simon Curtis for the BBC and Kary Antholis for HBO.
Seasons
Note: the first season did not air on BBC Entertainment
Season 1 (5 episodes)
Channel: Fox FX | Premiere: 7 Mar 2011 | Finale: 4 Apr 2011 | Mondays, 20h30
Season 2 (5 episodes)
Channel: BBC Entertainment | Premiere: 4 Jul 2011 | Finale: 1 Aug 2011 | Mondays, 20h00