The series Nightsleeper, programmed on TF1, has been widely criticized across the Channel for these details which undermine the storyline, such as the acting…
New mini-series from across the Channel, the thriller Nightsleeperwhich was scheduled from Wednesday October 9, 2024 on TF1, features the hacking and hijacking of a sleeper train traveling from Glasgow to London. The originality of the series? This has 6 episodes and therefore lasts 6 hours, or almost the exact duration of the journey, which will be experienced “in real time” by the spectators.
“Attention. Once you’ve seen the BBC thriller Nightsleeperyou may not want to take the train for a while. And for once, it won’t be because of high prices, delays and cancellations,” the BBC, which produced the series, promised upon its release. with screenwriter Nick Leather (The Control Room) at the controls. A great selling point, also taken up by its main actor Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders), which ensured in full promotion to have “avoided trains for a little while” after filming…
Nightsleeper reminds a lot of Hijackanother saga with Idris Elba in the role of the savior (on a plane this time) which brought joy to Apple TV + subscribers in 2023. The program has also been extensively compared to Bodyguard (the series, not the film with Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston), huge success for Netflix in 2018.
A realistic scenario?
In Nightsleeper we therefore see a train going crazy, while it is controlled remotely by a computer device, attached to the wiring of one of the wagons, before widespread panic on the British railway network. But it must be said, despite this scenario which promises great action scenes, the reviews were quickly very mixed when the program was released in the United Kingdom. Especially from a realism point of view.
In several media, one detail of the scenario is not covered: the inaccuracies on the possibility of hacking an entire train in this way and, even more, the entire railway network of a country. In addition to viewers, security experts were called upon to analyze the story of Nightsleeper and their verdict is harsh: Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor for technology company ESET, suggested the plot simply wasn’t credible. “The train can be accessed remotely and then starts on its own,” which he says is simply impossible. “There is still a threat to national infrastructure” (as happened in Poland in the summer of 2024), but “it is unlikely that trains can be operated completely remotely,” he says in the MailOnline .
Another expert welcomes the realism of hacking, but points to totally unrealistic consequences, notably because Nightsleeper poorly exploits the emergency brake system, which was not well understood by the designers of the series and which cannot be technically blocked as was presented. Another implausibility: the remote piloting of the train which continues as if nothing had happened, while the authorities cut off cell phone signals in response to the hijacking. “If no one has a phone signal, then how was the device able to communicate remotely?” asks the expert.
The BBC itself suggested that hackers would need physical access to the driver’s cabin to pull off such a feat. Which seems like a very difficult obstacle to overcome. She nevertheless tried to defend the “positive aspect” of her series, which can always “raise people’s awareness of cyber threats” and therefore become “a good educational tool”. Either.
Even harsher opinions and criticisms
Press reviews and spectator opinions are consistent. If some on social networks praised “a good old-fashioned and very funny adventure”, others also pointed out “shaky writing”, a “ridiculously far-fetched story”, an “annoying and uneven casting “, “terribly bad dialogues”, in short, “15 carloads of nonsense” and “a threshold of inaccuracy” crossed “at high speed”, suggesting that the screenwriters “invented bullshit instead of doing research”. “Episode 1 of Nightsleeper seemed to indicate that the series could be interesting. Episode 2 raised serious doubts. After that, the series quickly declined,” summarizes one Internet user, reflecting the almost general opinion.
The newspaper The Guardian in particular found Nightsleeper “incredibly horrible”, with a “lamentable” storyline and a hero “so expressionless he’ll drive you crazy”. At the end of a particularly caustic review, he advises: “Look instead Hijack again, or Bodyguardboth will do.” Even the British National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) used the series and its implausibilities for publicity: “Fortunately, we have never been faced with such a scenario, but our team of experts is ready for anything,” he wrote on X with irony.
It must be said that many other details of Nightsleeper border on the ridiculous, as when the two main characters start humming Kate Nash’s song “Foundations”, while the crisis degenerates into a hostage situation. Even Joe Cole admitted as much: “Some of it is a little ridiculous… Some of my lines… You could call them, in a way, corny, but I was like, ‘OK, that’s okay. be fun’.”
There are still some who have judged Nightsleeper “amusing”. “Of course it’s unrealistic, that’s the whole point! Sit back and enjoy the ride,” comments one user while another recommends simply “accept the scenario for its absurdity and you should like it !” Or not. It’s up to you.