The Outlaws (2021 TV series)

The Outlaws is a crime thriller comedy television series created by Elgin James and Stephen Merchant, and directed by Merchant and John Butler. It is shown on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK and Amazon Prime Video in some international territories. Filming of series 1 was halted in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2021 it was confirmed that a second series had been ordered, with series 1 production resuming in February 2021. It was later confirmed that both series had been filmed back to back. A third series aired on BBC One in May 2024.

Plot
The story follows seven strangers from different walks of life who are forced together to complete a Community Payback sentence, set in Bristol. However, their luck changes – not necessarily for the better – when they discover a bag full of money, unaware that its true owners are dangerous drug dealers and criminals.

Main

 * Christopher Walken as Frank Sheldon, an American former conman living with his estranged daughter and grandchildren. (series 1–2; guest series 3)
 * Stephen Merchant as Greg Dillard, an unsuccessful and socially inept lawyer attempting to rebuild his love life following his divorce.
 * Rhianne Barreto as Rani Rekowski, a straight-A student and serial shoplifter who struggles under the expectations and high standards of her strict and austere parents.
 * Gamba Cole as Ben Eastfield, a young nightclub security guard looking after his younger sister, who assumes the identity of Christian Taylor to carry out community service in his name.
 * Darren Boyd as John Halloran, a businessman and "right wing blow-hard" who struggles to impress his unloving father and keep his struggling business afloat.
 * Clare Perkins as Myrna Okeke, an activist and "left wing militant" who frequently clashes with John, whilst struggling with guilt over the death of a police officer for which she was responsible.
 * Eleanor Tomlinson as Lady Gabriella "Gabby" Penrose-Howe, an out-of-touch socialite, reality TV star and social media influencer with anger management and substance abuse issues.
 * Jessica Gunning as Diane Pemberley, a former juvenile delinquent, now acting as both a supervisor for community service, and later a PCSO, with an inflated sense of authority.
 * Dolly Wells as Margaret, Frank's daughter. (series 1–2)
 * Charles Babalola as Christian Taylor, the leader of the Brook Hill gang running the drug operation in Bristol for the Dean.
 * Aiyana Goodfellow as Esme Eastfield, Ben's sister. (series 1; recurring series 2)
 * Ian McElhinney as John Halloran Snr., John's father. (series 1–2; recurring series 3)
 * Nina Wadia as Shanthi Rekowski, Rani's mother. (series 1–2)
 * Gyuri Sarossy as Jerzy Rekowski, Rani's father. (series 1–2)
 * James Nelson-Joyce as Aiden "Spider" Haswell, a drug dealer who works for Christian. (series 1)
 * Claes Bang as Liam Matheson / The Dean, a London drug dealer overseeing the Brook Hill gang. (series 3; guest series 1; recurring series 2)
 * Tom Hanson (English actor) as Spencer Fitzwilliam, Greg's sleazy and mean-spirited colleague who bullies him. (series 1–2; recurring series 3)
 * Grace Calder as DS Lucy Haines (series 2–3; recurring series 1)
 * Kojo Kamara as DS Selforth (series 2–3; recurring series 1)

Recurring

 * Guillermo Bedward as Tom, Frank's grandson. (series 1–2)
 * Isla Gie as Holly, Frank's granddaughter. (series 1–2)
 * Sam Troughton as Mr Wilder, Diane's superior. (series 1)
 * Richard E. Grant as the Earl of Gloucestershire, Gabby's aristocratic absentee father. (guest series 1; recurring series 3)
 * Gerard Horan as Graham Hilgard (series 1 and 3)
 * Marcus Fraser as Souljah, a drug dealer who works for Christian. (recurring series 1; guest series 2)
 * Alexandria Riley as Yvonne, Myrna's sister. (series 1)
 * Julia Davis as Rita (series 2)

Guest

 * Michael Cochrane as Mr Kingsley, Greg's boss. (series 2)


 * Elizabeth Dulau as Lesley (series 2)

Production
The series is a co-production between BBC One and Amazon Studios. The series was commissioned by BBC Comedy and BBC One, and produced by Big Talk with Stephen Merchant's Four Eyes. The series is created by Merchant and Elgin James. Executive producers are Merchant for Four Eyes; and Luke Alkin, Kenton Allen, and Matthew Justice for Big Talk. Kate Daughton is the Commissioning Editor for the BBC, with the directors for the first series being Merchant and John Butler, and the producer is Nickie Sault.

After some delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, filming on location in Bristol began in February 2021, as well as at The Bottle Yard Studios in Whitchurch. Originally announced with the working title The Offenders, the series was renamed during production, with the new title confirmed in September 2021. Series one and two were filmed back-to-back. A small piece of Banksy's art was used on set.

A third series was confirmed to be in production by the BBC in March 2023. In May 2023, production crew and cast were seen filming in the Bristol Harbour area, and in Clifton, Bristol, as well as the seafront at Weston-super-Mare. Eleanor Tomlinson confirmed in an interview on The One Show in November 2023 that filming on series three had been completed.

Broadcast
The series premiered on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK on 25 October 2021; it was later released on Amazon Prime Video in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Nordic countries.

The second series was released in full on BBC iPlayer on 5 June 2022.

The third series was made available from 30 May 2024 on BBC iPlayer, and on 31 May 2024 on Amazon Prime Video.

Accolades
On 9 January 2023, the show received a nomination at the Comedy.co.uk Awards 2022 in the Best Comedy Drama Series category. On 23 January 2023, Stephen Merchant received a nomination in the Outstanding Comedy Actor category at the National Comedy Awards 2023. The soundtrack composed by Stew Jackson and Dan Jones was nominated for the Best Television Soundtrack Ivor Novello Award.