History is messy. Usually, when we talk about the end of World War II, we get these polished, cinematic images of soldiers kissing nurses in Times Square or somber, clean-cut trials. But Stephen Poliakoff’s 2016 miniseries Close to the Enemy leans into the grime and the moral gray areas that actually defined 1946 London. It’s a weird, claustrophobic, and surprisingly stylish piece of television that focuses on the British government’s desperate scramble to steal German technology before the Soviets could get their hands on it.
Honestly, it’s not your typical "victory" story.
The show centers on Captain Callum Ferguson (played by Jim Sturgess), an intelligence officer tasked with a job that feels kinda gross if you think about it too long: convincing a captured German jet engine scientist, Dieter Koehler (August Diehl), to work for the British. It all goes down in the Connington Hotel, a bombed-out but still posh-ish setting where the ghosts of the war are basically walking the hallways.
What Close to the Enemy Gets Right About Operation Paperclip
While the Americans had Operation Paperclip, the British had their own version called Operation Surgeon. Most people forget that the UK was just as hungry for Nazi aeronautical data as the US was. The show highlights that uncomfortable transition where yesterday’s mortal enemy becomes today's essential business partner.
You’ve got Dieter, who just wants to find his missing daughter and stay out of a cell, and you’ve got Callum, who has to play "good cop" while his soul slowly erodes.
It’s about the cost of progress.
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Poliakoff doesn’t shy away from the fact that the jet engines that would eventually power the Cold War era were built on the backs of slave labor in places like the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp. This creates a friction in the show that’s hard to watch. You want to like Dieter because August Diehl plays him with such vulnerable, frantic energy, but then the show reminds you—sometimes subtly, sometimes like a punch to the gut—exactly what he was doing while London was being bombed.
A Cast That Actually Carries the Weight
The acting is where Close to the Enemy really finds its legs. Jim Sturgess is fine as the lead, but the supporting cast is where the real magic happens. Freddie Highmore plays Callum’s brother, Victor, who is suffering from what we’d now call severe PTSD. His performance is heartbreaking and loud and uncomfortable. It provides a necessary counterpoint to the high-level political maneuvering happening upstairs in the hotel.
Then there’s Phoebe Fox as Kathy Griffiths, an investigator for the War Crimes Commission.
She’s basically the moral compass of the show. While the men are busy trying to secure jet tech for the next war, she’s trying to ensure that the horrors of the last one aren't just swept under the rug for the sake of "national interest." The dynamic between her and Callum is great because it’s not just a standard "will they, won't they" romance; it’s a philosophical battle.
- Alfred Molina shows up as a mysterious, high-ranking official who basically treats the whole world like a chessboard.
- Angela Bassett plays Eva, an American jazz singer who brings a completely different energy to the hotel, reminding us that life—and art—continued even in the ruins.
- Charity Wakefield plays the socialite Lucy, who represents the upper-class British desire to just go back to "normal" as if the world hadn't just ended.
The pacing is deliberate. Some critics at the time thought it was too slow, but if you’re into atmospheric historical dramas, the slow burn is the whole point. It feels like a stage play that accidentally leaked into a film set.
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The Connington Hotel as a Character
Most of the action stays inside the hotel. This wasn't just a budget choice; it was a narrative one. Post-war London was a place of scarcity. Rations were still a thing. Coal was short. Buildings were literally falling down. By keeping the characters trapped in this decaying grandeur, Poliakoff creates a pressure cooker.
You feel the cold. You feel the dust.
The hotel acts as a microcosm of Europe in 1946. You have the victors, the vanquished, the refugees, and the profiteers all eating in the same dining room. It’s awkward. It’s tense. It’s fascinating. If you look at the set design, the colors are muted, except for the jazz club scenes where the reds and golds pop, representing a desperate grasp at joy in a world that’s still mostly gray.
Why Nobody Talks About the Ending
The finale of Close to the Enemy is polarizing. Without spoiling the specifics, it doesn’t give you the clean, heroic payoff you might expect from a BBC drama. It’s messy. It leaves threads dangling. Some viewers hated that. They wanted Dieter to either be a clear villain or a clear hero. They wanted Callum to save the day.
But history isn't clean.
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The real Operation Surgeon ended with many German scientists simply being integrated into British and American society. The moral compromise was total. The show reflects this by refusing to give the audience a "victory" moment. Instead, you're left wondering if the "enemy" was actually the guy in the room next door or the system that decided certain lives were worth more than justice.
The Reality of Post-War Intelligence
If you're a history buff, you'll notice the show pulls from real-life figures. While Callum Ferguson is fictional, his role mirrors that of several T-Force officers who were tasked with "intellectual reparations."
The British were desperate.
The Empire was broke. The only way to stay relevant in a world dominated by the US and the USSR was to leapfrog ahead technologically. This led to some very dark alliances. Close to the Enemy highlights how the Cold War actually started before the smoke from WWII had even cleared. It captures that specific moment of transition when the "Good War" turned into the "Gray War."
Actionable Takeaways for History and Drama Fans
If you're planning to watch or re-watch the series, or if you're just interested in the era, here is how to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch it for the atmosphere, not the plot twists. Treat it like a long-form character study rather than a spy thriller. If you go in expecting James Bond, you’ll be disappointed. If you go in expecting Mad Men meets Le Carré, you’ll love it.
- Research the "T-Force" units. To understand the real-life stakes, look into the British "Target Force" units that operated in Germany in 1945. It provides a massive amount of context for why Callum is so stressed about Dieter.
- Pay attention to the music. The jazz soundtrack isn't just background noise; it's a commentary on the Americanization of Europe and the struggle to find beauty after the Holocaust.
- Look for the "Poliakoff Style." If you like this, check out Dancing on the Edge or The Lost Prince. Stephen Poliakoff has a very specific way of looking at British history through the lens of the elite and the eccentric.
- Check the BBC iPlayer or Amazon. Availability varies depending on your region, but it's often tucked away in "Historical Drama" categories rather than the front page. It’s a hidden gem that deserves a second look.
The show reminds us that the "end" of a war is really just the beginning of a different, more complicated struggle. We like to think we would have been Kathy Griffiths, fighting for justice, but Close to the Enemy suggests that most of us, under enough pressure, would have behaved a lot more like Callum. It’s a haunting thought to sit with.