Hard Sun: Why we are drawn to apocalypse stories such as the BBC's incendiary new drama?

In the face of the end of the world, it's comforting that life is stripped back to essentials of human relationships, says the writer of the new sci-fi series starring Agyness Deyn and Jim Sturgess

Agyness Deyn as Renko and Jim Sturgess as Hicks in the BBC drama ‘Hard Sun’ (BBC/Euston Films)

Hard Sun, an incendiary new BBC1 sci-fi drama, imagines an apocalypse now. Written by Neil Cross, who also created the hit crime drama Luther, this thriller posits the almost unthinkable idea that the world is on the brink of being incinerated.

In this riveting series, two unorthodox police officers, Robert Hicks (played by Jim Sturgess, One Day) and Elaine Renko (Agyness Deyn, Clash of the Titans), chance upon a flash-drive containing highly confidential information that our planet will be destroyed in five years’ time.

Pursued by a ruthless government operative called Grace (Nikki Amuka-Bird, NW), who is determined to keep the secret out of the public domain at all costs, Hicks and Renko spend the next six hours desperately attempting to avert that catastrophe.

Utterly depressing, no? Not according to Cross. The writer maintains that Hard Sun is part of a long-held tradition of apocalypse stories and that as a culture we keep returning to these tales because they ultimately underline the indomitability of the human spirit.

During a break in filming in London, Cross tells The Independent: “We’re drawn culturally to apocalypse stories, whether in the Bible or The Day of the Triffids.

“There is something strangely comforting about the fact that in the face of the end of the world, life is stripped back to its essentials. What matters in the end is each other. I think a show which takes place against the backdrop of the end of the world is fundamentally optimistic about human relationships.”

The writer, who is also an executive producer on Hard Sun, continues: “There is a central tension in this story between those who descend into nihilism and violence and those who – to quote George Michael – choose life. I think in the end Hard Sun is optimistic because it shows that, when confronted by the apocalypse, you choose life and do all you can to defend that.”

Hard Sun was inspired by an unlikely source: the late singer David Bowie. Cross, who has also written for Spooks and Doctor Who, says that he has always loved Bowie’s glorious track “Five Years”.

The song presents a vision of how the human race might respond if faced by the prospect of destruction in five years. It includes the lines: “We’ve got five years, my brain hurts a lot/ We’ve got five years, that’s all we’ve got.”

Cross explains how the song is the root of the drama’s surprisingly optimistic outlook. “I’ve loved that song since I was a kid. The character in the song has learned that the world has just five years before its destruction.

“What in lesser hands could have turned into nihilistic, death metal, grungefest nonsense is instead very human, uplifting and beautiful. In the light of knowledge about the end of the world, everything has value. We only truly value things when we are in danger of losing them. It’s a really positive song.”

This idea of an impending cataclysm is certainly what unifies the fractious pairing of Hicks and Renko in Hard Sun. This very mismatched couple are brought together by the common aim of saving the world.

Sturgess, who was also starred in Close to the Enemy and Cloud Atlas, expands on this idea. “At one point, Hicks says, ‘All the madness is going to come out of the woodwork,’ and he’s right. The coming apocalypse immediately divides people.

“Different religious groups start proclaiming different views. The drama asks whether in this situation society would behave in a sane or a really dangerous way. That confusion unites Hicks and Renko. They have a common understanding that is bigger than anything else.”

Deyn, who has made a successful transition from modelling to acting, agrees that in the end there is more that unites Hicks and Renko than divides them. “As the story unfolds, they become human to each other and suddenly the obstacle is everyone else. If you break it down, ultimately they’re not enemies. It’s about what’s going on underneath the surface. And they both have incentives to keep going.”

​Sturgess believes that another positive aspect of Hard Sun is that it will oblige us to remember that life amounts to far more than our petty daily concerns. “Anything that forces you to look up to the sky and look outside the world we live in and remind yourself that there is more to life is compelling. We all need to be reminded of that on a regular basis. We are all privileged to be here. Those massive ideas are humbling.”

That is not to say that Hard Sun is devoid of hardness. As the human race hurtles towards seemingly inevitable disaster, the drama depicts a world beset by chaos and cruelty.

In Hard Sun, Cross says he is inviting us to “imagine the world you see when you look out of your window – except it’s been given a death sentence. There is no hero to come and save us. We’ve got five years.”

The writer continues: “This is the world of Hard Sun. What’s it like trying to enforce the law in a city that, day by day, slips closer to certain destruction? How do you get up in the morning?

“And what about predators? What about the murderers, the rapists, the religious madmen, the cult leaders? Who among them would fear a prison sentence in a world like this? What’s the point of justice in the face of Armageddon?”

At a time when some nations seem to be adopting a very cavalier attitude towards the idea of global warming – you know who you are – Hard Sun also acts as a timely warning about the perils of wantonly damaging our planet.

Professor Brian Cox, who is a scientific consultant on Hard Sun, says the drama demonstrates “that the universe is a dangerous place. One of the misunderstandings people have about nature is that it is cuddly. They think that if we get on with nature and are groovy about it, it’ll be fine. But nature is not cuddly. It has to be respected. If you don’t respect it, it will bite you.

“We are very fortunate to be here. That idea is central to the drama. Hard Sun points out that we have no right to be here forever – it could very well be otherwise. We can’t sit here and say it will all be fine. Nature may well have other ideas.”

So while Hard Sun plays into our longstanding fixation with the apocalypse, it also suggests that in the end our innate humanity will shine through.

In addition, the drama underscores that we should never, ever take for granted the wellbeing of our planet or the human race. Sturgess concludes that when you watch Hard Sun, “you’ll want to know how you would react in that position and remind yourself that this apocalypse is possible. We are floating on a rock in space, and there is a lot of cosmic debris floating around us. We are very vulnerable. I think it’s really important to remind ourselves of that.

“We are all earthlings, and we all need a group hug!”

Hard Sun begins on BBC1, Saturday 6 January at 9.35pm