Nightsleeper on BBC One is exactly what it promised to be - a thrilling six hours of pulse-raising action.

While many so-called thrillers often go way too far and delve into the ridiculous - step forward ITV's Red Eye - Nightsleeper stays on the right side of preposterous.

The series, which streams on BBC iPlayer from Sunday, September 15, 2024, sees Joe Cole in the leading role. And Tom Cruise should be watching his back... Joe is THE new face of action thrillers, after more than proving his credentials in The Ipcress File on ITV.

So is the BBC One thriller Nightsleeper worth a watch? Short answer is yes. Here's why...

Nightsleeper review: Is BBC thriller worth watching?

Nightsleeper is a bingeworthy, action-packed series that certainly delivers the thrills. Hell yes, it's worth watching.

It's tense, but doesn't take itself painfully seriously like Hijack - the Apple TV+ Idris Elba series which also played out in real time.

Amidst the twists and turns, there's humour, and real conversations as Abby and Joe work towards saving the passengers on the sleeper train.

The plot: Cyber-hackers take control of a sleeper train from Glasgow to London. On board is a cop (Joe Cole) who tries to save the train, alongside cyber-security nerd Abby (Alexandra Roach). Oh, and of course, there are the passengers onboard who all seem to have something to hide...

Meanwhile, in my house, we like to play soap bingo - shouting TREVOOOOOR every time actor Alex Ferns appears. Famous for playing Trevor Jordache in EastEnders, he plays Aaron Moy in Nightsleeper. The great cast also includes Sharon Small, James Cosmo, and Sharon Rooney.

Cyber-hacking thriller on BBC One

The six-parter also addresses an all-too real concern these days - cyber-hacking. It was only weeks ago that CrowdStrike - a global cybersecurity leader - went down.

Although the outage was not a cyberattack, hackers quickly capitalised on the chaos...

The outage (in July 2024) affected airlines, airports, banks, hotels, and hospitals. Meanwhile, experts in the field maintain that Russia poses an "enduring global cyber threat" now and in the future.

Nightsleeper dramatises a scarily realistic threat. And throws in a high-speed vehicle for good measure - think Speed, Hijack, and Collateral. All films and TV series that have dealt with an out-of-control or hijacked vehicle. It's a real fear of being powerless and in danger that every viewer can relate to.

Nightsleeper review: Does Joe Cole cut it as a leading man?

I'm going to admit something, and hope Joe Cole isn't reading... I've never been convinced he's leading man material. In fact, I've struggled to warm to him in the likes of Gangs of London, The Ipcress File, and Black Mirror.

But this is the series where he won me over. And, honestly, my grudge stems from Peaky Blinders. Joe played the heinously annoying John Shelby and, reader, I believe I haven't forgiven him until now.

In Nightsleeper, however, he's a convincingly flawed action hero. His character - also called Joe - is the right side of sardonic, and has a cheekiness about him that's straight out of Ryan Reynold's handbook.

I was rooting for him every step of the way (or lurch of the train).

***Warning: minor spoilers from episode 1 of Nightsleeper below***

Nightsleeper episode 1 recap

In the first episode of Nightsleeper, a sleeper train from Glasgow to London is 'hackjacked' and left hurtling towards London with no driver. Because the hackers have blocked all comms, none of the passengers can use their phones. But luckily a dig worker has a satellite device with him, enabling Joe and Abby to communicate.

Alexandra Roach's character Abby proves she has no delegation skills whatsoever when she refuses to go on her planned holiday to Morocco, instead staying in the UK to help stop the train. She calls on the help of an old colleague, Paul, who left the cyber security office under a mysterious cloud.

Although the train stops at Motherwell, several of the passengers don't get off (for various outlandish reasons), leaving several still on the train.

At the end of Nightsleeper episode one, a twist about hero Joe blows the whole drama wide open... And will leave you wanting to know more. Not least, who the hell are the hackers and what do they want?

Nightsleeper streams on BBC iPlayer from 6am on Sunday, September 15, 2024.