IN THE LATE 1980s and early 1990s, Margaret Thatcher began a crackdown on drugs in the UK, somewhat inspired by the US’s Reagan-era war on drugs in the 1970s. 

Tasked with a key role in curbing drugs getting into the UK were the staff at British Customs. Though they weren’t handed a bigger budget or resources, some of their staff took on a frankly unbelievable job to try and help Thatcher in her aims.

Their story – based in part on the book The Betrayer: How An Undercover Unit Infiltrated the Global Drug Trade, by Guy Stanton, one of the Customs staff – is explored in a new six-part Netflix series Legends, which is available to watch now. 

Legends tells the story of how a small number of Customs staff went from humdrum jobs to high-intensity undercover roles, and looks at the impact the work had on their real lives. 

The series is written by Neil Forsyth, who has form in the true crime space. He was also behind the series Gold, which starred Hugh Bonneville and Jack Lowden, about the Brink’s-Mat gold bullion robbery.

Heroin epidemic

The series stars Steve Coogan as Don, the Customs staffer who’s tasked with training the new recruits. Don is sarcastic and dry, and wearing some resentment because of an undercover role he had in the past.

Tom Burke plays Guy – based on Guy Stanton – an introverted dad married to Sophie (Charlotte Ritchie), who also works for Customs. Don spots that Guy is a loner, so sends him out into the field to try and infiltrate a Turkish drugs gang. Guy’s new persona (or ‘legend’, hence the name) sees him getting to be more brutish than in real life, but we discover he draws on his own past for this.

Kate (Hayley Squires) and Bailey (Aml Ameen) are paired together to gather up intelligence about a Liverpool drug gang, while Erin (Jasmine Blackborow) is the data-hunter back in the office.

Each of these characters’ stories is strong enough to carry through the whole series, and inevitably there’s a collision of sorts between them. Without saying too much, know that they all end up mixing with some very dodgy sorts. 

Legends is a crime drama-meets thriller, with a sharp, humorous edge provided by Don’s asides. It takes itself seriously but is never po-faced, because Forsyth knows he has to write a series that’s entertaining as well as gripping. It’s slick, well-paced, and there’s plenty of edge-of-your-seat moments.

We never lose sight of the fact that the undercover staffers are all real people who gave up part of their real lives to do a job that they hope will help others. But we also sense that for them the job is an escape into what might seem like a make-believe world, and they are due a rude awakening on that front.

Wider view

Netflix Netflix

Legends could have stayed just within the bounds of the operation itself. There’s plenty of drama there alone. But cleverly, and in a clear effort to tug on our heartstrings, Forsyth pulls the lens wider, briefly taking in the stories of those affected by the heroin epidemic.

So the series opens with some scenes involving a boy from a Liverpool housing estate and a young woman at Oxford, who both die after taking heroin. Their personal stories are described as the impetus behind the crackdown on drugs, and the housing estate goes on to play a larger role in the series. At another point, we’re brought to Afghanistan to trace the route drugs take when they’re smuggled into the UK.

The decision helps the audience to see that the drugs are not in and of themselves abstract; their importation, sale and use impacts on individuals and wider communities. In addition, we see both the appeal of heroin and its use as an escape from reality, and also how the classist judgment of drug users affected government policy. Some people’s deaths are seen as more impactful and sad than others.

It’s this wider scope – the knowledge that Forsyth recognises that drugs are not just the purview of criminals, the police and Customs – that lifts Legends above your ordinary thriller. It’s got as its focus real people and real lives, whether they be victims of drug use or the people trying to stop the flow of the drugs.

There’s also the sense that to fight the drug trade is a Sisyphean task, because the forces behind it are stronger and more determined than anyone else. It’s a David vs Goliath story, and the viewer is rooting for the side that’s always on the back foot. Still, this isn’t like Slow Horses, where the experts bumble around cluelessly.

There’s skill on show, and Guy in particular shows he’s more than capable of standing up to the people he gets involved with. But it all comes with a price. Tom Burke is earthy and appealing in this role, surprising us with how Guy deals with his work tasks versus how at home he’s a sensitive, caring husband and father. We can see there’s violence simmering beneath his anxious exterior, but it’s never aimed at those he loves.

If you’re looking for a gripping, moreish thriller that feels down-to-earth yet very entertaining, definitely watch Legends. It’s also an excellent showcase for Steve Coogan, who front-loads Don with seriousness, but allows him streaks of sensitivity and caring which round out what could have been a one-note character. Getting to watch him throw witty barbs around just at the right moment lightens up even the darkest of scenes in Legends. 

Legends is streaming on Netflix now.