Stephen Poliakoff returns to BBC with Cold War thriller ‘Summer of Rockets’

The BBC has ordered a new semi-autobiographical drama series from acclaimed TV dramatist and playwright Stephen Poliakoff.

BBC Two’s Summer of Rockets is set in the UK during the tumultuous year of 1957.

The official synopsis reads: “Fear and excitement of the future permeates the lives of all, as Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb, the Prime Minister declares that “most of our people have never had it so good”, the Soviets launch their first ballistic missile and beat the Americans by successfully sending a Satellite into space. All this washed down with the emergence of Elvis and rock ‘n’ roll.”

Executive producer Helen Flint, who also worked on Poliakoff’s most recent BBC drama series Close to the Enemy, commented: “Summer of Rockets is set in the Cold War period and the Series follows Samuel, a Russian born Jewish inventor and designer of bespoke hearing aids and his small family.

“Samuel is approached by the MI5 to demonstrate his work. Yet it is not his inventions the operatives require – instead Samuel is tasked with the secret mission of obtaining information about his newly and proudly acquired friends Kathleen and Richard Shaw MP.”

The six 60-minute episodes will be written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff (Dancing on the Edge, The Lost Prince).