It’s easy to forget now, but there was a window in the early 2010s where period dramas weren't just about high-society tea parties or gritty Vikings. They were about the adrenaline of the newsroom. At the center of that whirlwind was The Hour Dominic West led, playing a character so charismatic and deeply flawed that he basically redefined the "suave newsman" trope for a new generation.
West played Hector Madden. He was the face of a fictional 1956 BBC news program, a man who looked like he stepped off a billboard but carried the internal weight of a person who knew his best years might be an illusion. If you haven't seen it, you're missing out on one of the most underrated performances of the decade.
Why Hector Madden Wasn't Just Another Pretty Face
Dominic West has a way of occupying space. You saw it in The Wire as Jimmy McNulty, and you definitely saw it in The Crown. But in The Hour, his portrayal of Hector Madden was something different. Hector was the "Face." He was the anchor. While Ben Whishaw’s character, Freddie Lyon, was the neurotic, brilliant brains behind the operation, Hector was the one the public trusted.
But here’s the thing. Hector knew he was being used for his jawline.
There’s a specific nuance West brings to the role—a mix of entitlement and crushing insecurity. He’s the guy who has everything but feels like a fraud because he didn’t "earn" it the way the reporters in the trenches did. Honestly, watching West navigate the Suez Crisis backdrop while his own personal life unraveled was some of the best television the BBC produced in that era. It wasn't just about the news; it was about the performance of being a "Great Man" while the British Empire was literally crumbling in the background.
💡 You might also like: Cliff Richard and The Young Ones: The Weirdest Bromance in TV History Explained
The Suez Crisis and the Birth of Modern News
Context is everything. The Hour takes place in 1956. This wasn't a random choice by creator Abi Morgan. The Suez Crisis was the moment the UK realized it wasn't the global superpower it thought it was.
- The show mirrors this geopolitical ego-bruising with the personal lives of the characters.
- Hector (West) represents the old-school establishment trying to adapt to a gritty, investigative world.
- Romola Garai as Bel Rowley provides the emotional and professional glue, often outshining the men around her.
The show was often compared to Mad Men, which is a bit of a lazy comparison, if I'm being real. While Mad Men was about the slick lie of advertising, The Hour was about the desperate search for the truth in a world governed by the Official Secrets Act. West’s character is caught right in the middle. He wants to be a serious journalist, but he’s also a product of the very "Old Boy" network the show is trying to dismantle.
Why Was It Cancelled?
It still stings. Two seasons. That’s all we got.
The second season ended on a massive cliffhanger that left Hector’s future—and his very life—hanging in the balance. Ratings were decent, but not "blockbuster" level, and the BBC made the controversial call to axe it. It’s one of those decisions that still gets fans riled up on Reddit and Twitter.
📖 Related: Christopher McDonald in Lemonade Mouth: Why This Villain Still Works
The chemistry between the lead trio was lightning in a bottle. You had Ben Whishaw, fresh off his rise to fame, Romola Garai being incredible as always, and then West, who provided the gravitas. When the cancellation news hit, it felt like a robbery. We never got to see how Hector would have handled the 1960s. Can you imagine Hector Madden in the era of the Beatles and the Profumo affair? It would have been legendary.
Looking Back at the Legacy of The Hour Dominic West
If you go back and rewatch it now, the show feels eerily relevant. We live in an era of "fake news" and hyper-partisan broadcasting. The Hour shows the infancy of these problems. It shows the moment when news stopped being a polite reading of government press releases and started being a confrontation.
Dominic West’s performance is the anchor (pun intended) of that transition. He starts the series as a puppet and ends it as a man trying, desperately, to find his own voice. It’s a masterclass in subtle character growth. He doesn't just change; he erodes. You see the polish wear off to reveal the grit underneath.
How to Watch and What to Look For
If you’re diving into this for the first time, or maybe a much-needed rewatch, pay attention to the silence. Some of West's best moments aren't his big speeches on camera. They are the moments in the dressing room, staring at himself in the mirror, wondering if he’s just a suit.
👉 See also: Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne: Why His Performance Still Holds Up in 2026
- Check streaming platforms: It often rotates through BritBox, Acorn TV, or Amazon Prime depending on your region.
- Focus on the 1950s production design: The attention to detail is staggering. The smoke-filled rooms, the heavy wool suits, the clacking of typewriters. It’s immersive.
- The Scripting: Abi Morgan (who also wrote The Iron Lady and Shame) doesn't do "easy" dialogue. Every line has a double meaning.
Practical Next Steps for Fans of West and British Drama
If The Hour left a void in your soul, you aren't alone. To get that same fix of high-stakes drama and complex character work, there are a few specific things you should do next.
First, track down the DVD or digital copies of the "missing" Season 3 scripts or outlines if you can find interviews with Abi Morgan; she has dropped hints over the years about where the characters were headed.
Second, if you want to see Dominic West in another role that captures that same "man out of time" energy, his work in The Crown as Prince Charles is a fascinating evolution. It’s almost like seeing what Hector Madden would have become if he’d been born into royalty instead of the newsroom—trapped by duty, desperately wanting to be understood, and constantly overshadowed by the institutions he serves.
Finally, dive into the actual history of the Suez Crisis. Reading the non-fiction accounts of the BBC’s struggle with the government during that period makes the events of the show even more chilling. It wasn't just TV drama; it was a dramatization of a literal fight for the soul of British journalism.
The show might be over, but the questions it asked about who gets to tell the story—and who gets to be the "face" of the truth—are more important than they've ever been.