Hot Money

Last updated

Hot Money
Caroline Quentin (left) in ITV's Hot Money (2001).jpg
Caroline Quentin and Kate Williams as Bridget Watmore and Molly Stern
Genre Crime drama
Written byTerry Winsor
Screenplay byNeil McKay
Directed byTerry Winsor
Starring Caroline Quentin
Gerard Horan
Kate Williams
Georgia Mackenzie
Jay Simpson
Melanie Hill
Cliff Parisi
Music by Colin Towns
ComposerColin Towns
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes1
Production
Executive producer Jeff Pope
ProducerJeremy Phillips
CinematographyJohn Daly
EditorEdward Mansell
Running time90 minutes
Production company Granada Television
Original release
Network ITV
Release
  • 12 December 2001 (2001-12-12)

Hot Money is a British television crime drama film, written by Neil McKay and directed by Terry Winsor, first broadcast on ITV on 12 December 2001. [1] Inspired by the Loughton incinerator thefts, the film stars Caroline Quentin as Bridget Watmore, a cleaner at the Bank of England who hatches a plot "for impoverished workers to pinch cash" before it is incinerated. [2] The film was commissioned by ITV in January 2001, as one of two new projects to star Quentin, with the other, Blood Strangers, following in 2002. Nick Elliott, then controller of drama at ITV, described Quentin as being "...very good at playing very ordinary women." [3] Filming began in February 2001. [3]

Contents

The film received a 44% audience share between 9pm and 11pm, where it was screened against a Panorama investigative special programme on BBC One. [4] Consolidated figures revealed the film drew 9.62 million viewers on its debut broadcast. [5] Reception by newspaper critics ranged from "inadequate script" (Daily Telegraph) to "thrilling comedy caper" (Mirror). [6] In 2008, the film was remade in the United States under the title Mad Money , starring Diane Keaton as Bridget, Katie Holmes as Jackie, Queen Latifah as Nina, and Ted Danson as Don. Lindsay Lohan was initially cast to play Jackie, but was replaced due to a lack of completion bond. [7]

Plot

Hot Money tells the story of three workers at the Bank of England incinerating plant in Essex. The trio, led by Bridget (Caroline Quentin), hatch a plan to steal thousands of pounds by stashing the notes in their underwear. [8]

Method

Each of the cages containing money set to be incinerated is locked with two padlocks; one black and one white. The key to the white padlock is held by supervisor Liz Hoodless (Melanie Hill), while the only person who holds a black key is boss Mr. Glover (Shaun Curry). Together, they open a cage, the money is counted, placed back in the cage, padlocked again with two new locks by Jackie Haggar (Georgia Mackenzie), and sent to the vault, before it is incinerated. Cleaner Bridget (Caroline Quentin) enlists the help of her colleagues Liz and Jackie to steal the money using the following method:

• While cleaning, Bridget discreetly takes two of the padlocks used to lock the cages of money to be incinerated, a black one and a white one.
• In the bathroom, Bridget spray paints the white padlock black, masking the scent with strong smelling toilet cleaner. She hides the painted padlock in a toilet cistern.
• Jackie, whose job it is to re-padlock the cages after they have been counted, retrieves the painted padlock from the toilet cistern and palms it to the counting room.
• In the counting room, Jackie collects a new white padlock, and pairs it together with the painted black padlock. She locks the cage closed.
• Passing Bridget, who is cleaning in the corridor, she whispers the number of the cage with the painted padlock on it.
• Liz, a supervisor who is a holder of the white key, throws away a cigarette packet containing the white key in to Bridget's bin as they pass in the corridor.
• Bridget heads to the vault, where she quickly locates the correct cage, unlocks the white padlock and the painted black padlock with the same white key, empties the money in to her bin, and locks it back up again with the original white padlock, and a genuine black padlock she stole earlier.
• Back in the bathroom, she meets Liz and Jackie, where they all fill their underwear with the stolen cash. Bridget returns the white key to Liz and washes the black paint off the white padlock with white spirit.
• Bridget returns the painted padlock, now back to being white, in to its case.
• The trio leave work with their contraband.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridget Riley</span> British painter (born 1931)

Bridget Louise Riley is an English painter known for her op art paintings. She lives and works in London, Cornwall and the Vaucluse in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridget Fonda</span> American actress (born 1964)

Bridget Jane Fonda is an American former actress. She is known for her roles in films such as The Godfather Part III (1990), Single White Female (1992), Singles (1992), Point of No Return (1993), It Could Happen to You (1994), City Hall (1996), Jackie Brown (1997), A Simple Plan (1998), Lake Placid (1999), and Kiss of the Dragon (2001). She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Mandy Rice-Davies in Scandal (1989), and received Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for the television films In the Gloaming (1997) and No Ordinary Baby (2001), respectively. Fonda retired from acting in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Quentin</span> English actress and presenter (born 1960)

Caroline Quentin is an English actress, broadcaster and television presenter. Quentin became known for her television appearances: portraying Dorothy in Men Behaving Badly (1992–1998), Maddie Magellan in Jonathan Creek (1997–2000), Kate Salinger in Kiss Me Kate and DCI Janine Lewis in Blue Murder (2003–2009).

<i>Jackie Brown</i> 1997 film directed by Quentin Tarantino

Jackie Brown is a 1997 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, based on the 1992 novel Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard. It stars Pam Grier as Jackie Brown, a flight attendant who smuggles money between the United States and Mexico. Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, and Robert De Niro appear in supporting roles.

Leslie Ash is an English actress. She is best known for her roles in Quadrophenia (1979), ITV series C.A.T.S. Eyes (1985–1987), the BBC sitcom Men Behaving Badly (1992–1998), drama Where the Heart Is (2000–2003), and medical drama Holby City (2009–2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridget Moynahan</span> American actress and former model (born 1971)

Kathryn Bridget Moynahan is an American actress and former model. She graduated from Longmeadow High School in Massachusetts in 1989 and began pursuing a career in modeling. Moynahan appeared in department-store catalogs and magazines, and after doing television commercials, began taking acting lessons. She made her television debut in a guest appearance in the comedy series Sex and the City in 1999, where she later had a recurring role as Natasha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pam Grier</span> American actress (born 1949)

Pamela Suzette Grier is an American actress and singer. Described by Quentin Tarantino as cinema's first female action star, she achieved fame for her starring roles in a string of 1970s action, blaxploitation and women in prison films for American International Pictures and New World Pictures. Her accolades include nominations for an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Satellite Award and a Saturn Award.

<i>Next</i> (2007 film) 2007 film

Next is a 2007 American sci-fi action thriller film directed by Lee Tamahori and starring Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel, Thomas Kretschmann, Tory Kittles, and Peter Falk. The film's original script was loosely based on the 1954 science fiction short story "The Golden Man" by Philip K. Dick. The film tells the story of Cris Johnson, a small-time magician based in Las Vegas, who has limited precognition. His ability allows him to see into the very immediate future. His gift not only makes him a target of a highly motivated and heavily armed group of terrorists, but also puts him in the crosshairs of the FBI who want to recruit him to oppose those terrorists instead.

<i>Coffy</i> 1973 blaxploitation film directed by Jack Hill

Coffy is a 1973 American blaxploitation film written and directed by Jack Hill. The story is about a black female vigilante played by Pam Grier who seeks violent revenge against a heroin dealer responsible for her sister's addiction.

Melanie Jane Hill is a British actress, known for playing Hazel Redfern in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1985–1986), Aveline in Bread (1986–1991), Rita Dolan in Kay Mellor drama Playing the Field (1998–2002), Maggie Budgen in the BBC One school-based drama series Waterloo Road (2012–2015), Julie Travers in BBC One drama series The Syndicate (2015), Cathy Matthews in ITV soap opera Coronation Street (2015–2022) and Siobhan MacKenzie in Casualty (2024).

<i>It Could Happen to You</i> (1994 film) 1994 film by Andrew Bergman

It Could Happen to You is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda. In a plot inspired by a real-life news story, a New York City police officer (Cage) who is short on cash and unable to tip his waitress (Fonda), half-jokingly offers to share his winnings if he happens to win the lottery.

<i>The Bride Wore Black</i> 1968 French film by François Truffaut

The Bride Wore Black is a 1968 French drama thriller film directed by François Truffaut and based on the novel of the same name by William Irish, a pseudonym for Cornell Woolrich. It stars Jeanne Moreau, Charles Denner, Alexandra Stewart, Michel Bouquet, Michael Lonsdale, Claude Rich and Jean-Claude Brialy. The costumes were by Pierre Cardin.

<i>Black Mama White Mama</i> 1972 film by Eddie Romero

Black Mama White Mama, also known as Women in Chains, Hot, Hard and Mean and Chained Women, is a 1973 women in prison film directed by Eddie Romero and starring Pam Grier and Margaret Markov. The film has elements of blaxploitation.

Natasha Emma Little is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Edith Thompson in the film Another Life, Lady Caroline Langbourne in the BBC miniseries The Night Manager, and Christina Moxam in the BBC miniseries Thirteen. Other credits include Wolf Hall (2015), Black Mirror Episode: "Shut Up and Dance" (2016), Absentia (2018-2019), and War of the Worlds (2019-2021).

<i>The Black Balloon</i> (film) 2008 film by Elissa Down

The Black Balloon is a 2008 Australian comedy-drama film starring Toni Collette, Rhys Wakefield, Luke Ford, Erik Thomson, Gemma Ward as well as a cast of newcomers. It is directed by first-time feature film director, Elissa Down.

<i>Mad Money</i> (film) 2008 American crime comedy film

Mad Money is a 2008 crime comedy film starring Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes, and directed by Callie Khouri. It is loosely based on the 2001 British television film Hot Money.

<i>The Sound and the Fury</i> (1959 film) 1959 film by Martin Ritt

The Sound and the Fury is a 1959 American drama film directed by Martin Ritt. It is loosely based on the 1929 novel of the same title by William Faulkner.

Georgia Mackenzie is a British actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loughton incinerator thefts</span>

The Loughton incinerator thefts occurred between 1988 and 1992 at the Bank of England's incinerator plant at Debden in Loughton, Essex – four employees of the plant stole more than £600,000 in a series of regular thefts. The four participants and their spouses were arrested in 1992, with only one being prosecuted in criminal court. In a civil suit, the remaining members of the group were ordered to repay half a million pounds to the bank. The story of the case has been adapted into two feature-length films.

"Back to School Mr. Bean" is the eleventh episode of the British television series Mr. Bean, produced by Tiger Aspect Productions and Thames Television for Central Independent Television. It was first broadcast on ITV on Wednesday, 26 October 1994 and was watched by 14,450,000 viewers during its original broadcast.

References

  1. ↑ "Hot Money - ITV TV Classics". Itv.com. 3 May 2007. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  2. ↑ "First night: Hot Money". The Guardian. London. 13 December 2001.
  3. 1 2 Hodgson, Jessica (11 January 2001). "More ITV drama for Quentin". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  4. ↑ Deans, Jason (13 December 2001). "Hot Money makes off with millions". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  5. ↑ "Weekly top 30 programmes on TV sets (July 1998 – Sept 2018) | BARB".
  6. ↑ "Hot Money". The Guardian. London. 13 December 2001. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  7. ↑ "Mad Money (2008) - IMDb". IMDb .
  8. ↑ "Stealing from the Bank of England". New Straits Times. 20 October 2002. p. 19. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.