The star of one of the best British crime dramas has left the door open for its return.
Hustle first aired in 2004 and ran for eight seasons (Image: BBC/Angus Muir/Kudos)
The star of a BBC crime drama that has been hailed as a “masterpiece” by fans has hinted at its return.
Adrian Lester starred alongside Robert Glenister and Robert Vaughn in Hustle, which first aired in 2004 and ran for eight series until 2012.
The beloved show followed a group of con artists specialising in ‘long cons’, high-risk, high-reward activities of deceptive fraud.
While they were con artists themselves, the group, led by Adrian’s character Mickey ‘Bricks’ Stone, targeted greedy, amoral and undeserving individuals, with each episode featuring one complex scam that would reveal itself at the end.
The BBC originally teased: “Hustle will take you into a world with a whole new set of rules, where the good guys can be very bad and you can’t always trust what’s right before your eyes . . .
“An action-packed blend of humour and intrigue, Hustle follows the fortunes of a gang of five expert con artists let loose on the streets of London.
“They are specialists in the ways of the grifter and all are keen to liberate cash from the amoral and undeserving.”
Fans were left devastated when the series came to an end, but Adrian has now left the door open for its return.
During an appearance on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday 29 April, the star spoke about his new West End production, before referring to his widely-praised role.
He told hosts Sarah Campbell and Ben Thompson, when asked if there was any chance Hustle would come back: “There’s always conversations about it possibly coming back.
“It’s something that’s been really well-loved by the public, and it was a great success for the BBC, and we are ever hopeful that it might come back on our screens.”
This comes after the cast of Hustle previously hinted at its comeback in 2023, sending fans wild with a snap of their reunion.
Matt Di Angelo shared a snap alongside the cast including Adrian and Kelly Adams, writing: “We’rrrrreeeee Baaaccckkkk.”
Fans were left delighted, with one writing: “Shut up!!!!!!!!! Oh my god I’m sooooo excited!!” as another said: “Remember you can’t con an honest man so this has best be true.”
His post came despite the cast insisting in 2012 that Hustle “couldn’t be brought back” in the future.
Kelly told the BBC: “We were contracted to be in it for three years, which was supposed to end last year, but the ratings were the highest they’ve ever been.
“So they [the producers] said ‘Shall we just do one more and finish it properly with a fantastic leading storyline so it can’t come back?’ and we said, ‘Yes.'”
Describing the ending, Matt added: “It’s really bizarre. None of us saw it coming.”
Viewers have branded Hustle “TV gold”, with one fan calling it a “masterpiece”, adding: “The Brits have a classic on their hands with this one.”
Another said: “From the marvellous, absolutely thrilling opening title sequence to the vintage splitscreen shots and cliché montage tricks, this is an incredible breath of fresh air from the BBC.”
Yet another echoed: “This is quite simply the best British television programme that I have seen grace our screens,” while someone else added: “It’s probably the best crime drama I’ve ever seen.”
Hustle is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.