But the long answer is way more interesting.
The six-part series marks the TV screenplay debut of Sotiris Nikitas, who also writes crime novels under the pen name Ray Celestin. He previously worked at a financial services company — the same kind of company that gets robbed in Steal, he told RadioTimes.com.
“A lot of financial services companies in the City — a lot of money moves through those desktop computers and gets routed all around the world,” he explained. “And it was just the idea of: there’s a lot more money in those offices than there is in the average high street bank… and absolutely zero security.”
“So it was basically just imagining my workplace getting robbed,” he laughed. “That was the seed of the story. And when I thought of it, I thought, oh, this is a really good idea for a thriller.”
Ludovic Robert/Amazon
So while Steal isn’t strictly a true story, it’s rooted in reality.
“It is completely how it would happen in real life,” Nikitas said. “I previously worked at that company, and when I was writing the scripts, it was very much exactly the procedure you would go through to effect the transfer of money. So fingers crossed — hopefully — it’s very authentic.”
The commitment to realism extended to the cast as well. Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, who plays DCI Rhys Covac, consulted a retired London murder detective and a professional poker player to inform his performance. “We love police and detectives in this country, and I have played a detective before,” he said. “But I was relieved to see some unusual stuff — it made the role feel very authentic.”
Samuel Dore/Amazon
Who is in Steal?
As mentioned, Sophie Turner leads the cast — the Emmy-nominated actress will also soon be stepping into the iconic role of Lara Croft in Tomb Raider. Keeping pace with her is Archie Madekwe, who has recently been nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star award, and will be playing a fellow employee at the pension fund caught in the heist chaos.