How BBC thriller Nightsleeper inadvertently parodies the state of the UK's railways

A train that ‘suddenly finds itself on an uncertain journey with an even less certain destination’ is not as rare as BBC publicists seem to think

Nightsleeper is a “real-time” BBC thriller out this month that will follow the terrifying journey of a speeding train from Glasgow to London after it is “hackjacked” by cyber-terrorists. “Part fast-moving, heart-in-the-mouth action-adventure and part twisty-turny whodunnit detective story, it’s a rollercoaster ride set across a single night where no one is ever quite who they seem,” says the Beeb’s blurb.

However, the line that the train “suddenly finds itself on an uncertain journey with an even less certain destination” suggests BBC publicists don’t use rail travel very often. For regular passengers, this hardly counts as outlandish fiction, coming perilously close to everyday life. Trains cancelled because of strikes, lack of train crew or an array of other excuses (letters to the editor about the most bizarre, please) are an all-too-common occurrence.

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In September last year, comedian James Nokise told of an “insane” 11-hour journey from London to Edinburgh, which included receiving a text saying the train had been cancelled while he was on it and it was still moving. Perhaps the next rail drama should be a black comedy. The reality certainly isn’t particularly thrilling.

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