New BBC drama turns spotlight on City work pressure
The BBC is turning its attention to the City with a new drama that documents the lives of university graduates battling the pressures of a cut-throat career in finance.
The series, called Industry, is set at the fictional investment bank Pierpoint, where five fresh-faced grads are subjected to gruelling hours and brutal bosses as they compete to secure permanent roles.
The eight-part drama was inspired by the tragic death of Mortiz Erhardt, a 21-year-old Bank of America Merrill Lynch intern.
Erhardt suffered an epiletpic seizure and was found dead at his London flat in 2013 after working three nights in a row.
This brutal practice, known in the City as the “magic roundabout”, is one of the many aspects of the Square Mile lifestyle portrayed in the new series.
“You leave the bank at some point in the early hours of the morning, get an Uber back home, change, wash and shower, then go back into work again,” executive producer Jane Tranter told the Times.
Screenwriters Mickey Down and Konrad Kay experienced this lifestyle first-hand, starting careers in finance after securing places on highly sought-after summer internships at investment banks at the age of 21.
But after years of working under high pressure, both City slickers quit their jobs in finance to write about their experiences.
In addition to brutal workplace practices, Industry also highlights the excesses of the party lifestyle enjoyed by the Square Mile’s highly-paid young professionals.
Robert, played by Harry Lawtey, is shown enjoying hedonistic, drug-fuelled nights out in London.
Actor Myha’la Herrold, who plays American trainee Harper, told the Times she researched the role by looking at Instagram accounts popular among young bankers.
One account, Litquidity, shares memes and in-jokes aimed at young City workers to its 415,000 followers. Another US-based account dubbed Midtown Uniform, which has 169,000 followers, satirises the popular fashion choices finance workers.
Industry, which is a co-production between HBO and the BBC, will begin at 9.15pm on Tuesday 10 November on BBC Two.