Father & Son is a British crime drama television mini-series written by Frank Deasy and produced by Left Bank Pictures and Octagon Films which depicts the return of Michael O'Connor (played by Dougray Scott) to his native Ireland, after spending several years imprisoned in the United Kingdom.
The series aired in Ireland on RTÉ One from 29 June to 20 July, 2009. There are four hour-long episodes in the series.
Father & Son premiered in South Africa on DStv's BBC Entertainment channel on Monday 12 July 2010, at 20h30. New episodes air daily at the same time.
Synopsis
Set in Manchester and Dublin, Father & Son depicts the complexity of modern inner-city life where crime is now a global business, and where gun culture is an ever more entrenched part of everyday life.
Ex-criminal Michael O'Connor (Dougray Scott) returns to Manchester from a quiet life in Ireland with pregnant girlfriend Anna (Flora Montgomery) in order to save his teenage son Sean from prison. He also wishes to redeem his own troubled past.
Michael was once a king-pin in the Manchester crime-world, running one of the biggest and most dangerous gangs in the city.
A few years back, on a trip to Ireland to pick up some decommissioned weapons to run into Manchester, Michael is arrested. Three days later his wife Lynne is murdered.
Devastated Michael turned his back on his life of crime and when released from jail, remains in Ireland, determined to build a new life.
But his decision meant his only son Sean was left behind in Manchester; under the care of Lynne's sister Connie. Their relationship, fractured by Lynne's death, is further complicated by Michael's lack of contact with Sean.
Connie is a serving police officer, living and working in South Manchester, an area riddled by street gangs and underage gun crime. Sean lives with Connie and her 10 year old daughter Imani and has managed to keep out of trouble until now.
It's only when his girlfriend Stacey (Wunmi Mosaku) arrives at Connie's house with Maurice, a young member of the Motor-Way Crew, that that things take a turn for the worse.
Maurice has a gun and wants to leave it at Sean's for safekeeping. But Sean is horrified and refuses, despite Maurice and Stacey's entreaties. And then tragedy strikes and Sean ends up in jail, charged with gunning down a member of the Young South gang.
Michael returns to Manchester to help Sean but it quickly becomes clear there is a greater force at work in his son's arrest.
Sean is sharing a cell with Barrington Smith (Terence Maynard), Michael's old partner in crime. Barrington's kidneys are failing, he needs to get out of jail so he can get an operation to save his life. Barrington believes Michael is the only person who can rescue him.
Forced to make a deal with Barrington, Michael is reacquainted with the ghosts of his past including Augustine Conlon (Stephen Rea), an IRA gun dealer turned property magnate, and Greater Manchester Police DCI Tony Conroy (Ian Hart).
Conroy has been pursuing Michael for years and is determined to put him behind bars for good. And a powerful man like Conlon has his own agenda where Michael's concerned.
Michael is 2nd generation Irish and his father John (John Kavanagh) is less than pleased to see him back in Manchester. Their relationship destroyed by Michael's criminal past. However his father's ill health puts further pressure on Michael's situation.
Lynne's murderer has never been found and returning to Manchester brings all the painful memories flooding back to Michael. While the police believe that Michael is responsible for the revenge killings on a rival gang, Lynne's killer has never been identified and as events unfold Michael finally has to come to terms, that he had a part to play in Lynne's death.
With so many forces working against him, will Michael be able do right by his son while at same time protect his future wife Anna and their unborn child?
Has he the courage to reject his past and instead choose the future, setting his loved ones and above all, himself, free?