Party Animals

Matt Smith (Doctor Who) welcomes you to Westminster as Danny Foster, the loyal, hardworking researcher who loses his heart to a scheming intern, while his boss risks losing her seat in Parliament. From pubs to politics, you'll party on with the young and ambitious, behind the scenes of British government. All eight episodes of the hit BBC drama.

WARNING: Contains brief nudity and adult language. Viewer discretion is advised.

Episode 1 - Drama series taking a look at Westminster from the ground up, based around the young researchers and advisers shouldering huge responsibility in a frantic, high-stakes world.
Jo Porter, Labour MP, is demolished in a Commons debate by her Tory counterpart James Northcote. Jo wants to know how this happened and Danny her researcher has to own up - he left the speech in a pub toilet the night before. Danny has to fight for his career but is not helped by scheming intern Kirsty who he adores.

Episode 2 - Ashika visits Scott at the flat to cheer him up after Jake's death. Sensitive counselling cheers him up and he invites her to the New Statesman party later that week. The date goes well until Sophie Montgomery arrives and spreads malicious gossip about Scott. Ashika takes the bait and flees the party, leaving Scott angry and confused.
Ashika leaks a story to the papers about George in retaliation for comments made against James. When she is later threatened by one of George's aide's, James finds it funny. Cracks in their relationship are beginning to show.
A row over the filming of a controversial novel breaks out in Jo's constituency. Kirsty tries to manipulate the situation for political gain. Danny teases her about it, but it backfires and she rejects his invitation for a date.

Episode 3 - Scott returns to the office and is relegated to charity work. The charity's aim is to free Chinese bears illegally held in captivity for their bile, and to everyone's surprise, he throws himself into the cause, ending up in a jail cell. Ashika is approached to put herself forward as a candidate for the upcoming Longton South by-election.

Episode 4 - It's Jo's 40th and she asks Danny and Kirsty to organise an intimate birthday dinner for close friends. Kirsty has bigger ideas and uses the occasion as an excuse to network.
Scott is asked to help prevent a wealthy Russian client from being extradited and finds that he has bitten off more than he can chew. He resorts to desperate measures to get himself out of trouble.

Episode 5 - Danny tries to contact Jo while fending off calls from the press demanding a statement on the murder of a white prisoner by his Asian inmate. When Jo finally arrives at work, hungover from her party the night before, she lets slip that Kirsty and Scott left together. Danny is left wondering what really happened between them.

Episode 6 - Stephen tells Scott that he's been head-hunted to help the flagging Labour by-election campaign. Scott's flattered and heads up to Sedley to assess the candidate only to discover that he's unimpressive and uninterested in Scott's help.
James visits Ashika in Sedley as she prepares for her first big public debate. Against his advice she comes out in support of planning permission for a local mosque. Her decisive approach makes the Labour candidate, Sullivan, look out of touch.
Kirsty receives a threatening letter from an angry constituent who continues to stalk her. She's later distraught when the police inform her that he set fire to his wife's home, injuring the whole family. She flees to Danny and Scott's flat where the hostility between her and Scott is barely concealed.
When Danny confronts Jo about her excessive drinking she reacts angrily. She later relents but refuses to seek counsel elsewhere.

Episode 7 - Danny urges Jo to seek counselling for her escalating drink problem. Ashika uses a picture of Scott's dad to promote herself and boost her campaign. Danny suggests Kirsty for a new research job for an MP. Unbeknown to Kirsty the job is not available to her, but she will stop at nothing to climb the political ladder, even if it means sleeping her way to the top.

Episode 8 - Jo Porter has to perform well in the opposition debate otherwise her career is over. When her husband does a kiss and tell in a tabloid paper, it looks like her fate is sealed. Danny and Kirsty have to get her back on track in time.
Danny is devastated when Kirsty admits to sleeping with a potential employer for a research post. When she realises he has no intention of giving her the job she looks to Danny for support but finds that this is too much for Danny.
As the Sedley by election hots up, so does the relationship between Ashika and Scott. However, when Scott receives a CD containing photos of Ashika and James Northcote he is torn. Trying to protect their father's former constituency from being run by a Tory, Danny tries to emotionally blackmail Scott into releasing the pictures. Is blood thicker than water?

Directed by Brian Grant, Julian Holmes, Niall MacCormick
Written by Ben Richards
Produced by Eleanor Greene
Executive Produced by Simon Heath
Cinematography by Jan Jonaeus
Film Editing by Jonathan Amos
Costume Design by Simone Grace