The State ( 2017 tv series ) - wikipedia The State ( 2017 tv series ) The State Written by Peter Kosminsky Directed by Peter Kosminsky Starring Ony Uhiara Sam Otto Shavani Cameron Ryan McKen Composer ( s ) Debbie Wiseman Country of origin United Kingdom No. of episodes Production Producer ( s ) Steve Clark - Hall Cinematography Gavin Finney Running time 48 mins Release Original network Channel 4 Picture format HDTV 1080i Audio format Stereo Original release 20 August ( 2017 - 08 - 20 ) -- 23 August 2017 ( 2017 - 08 - 23 ) The State is a four - part television serial written and directed by Peter Kosminsky, dramatising the experiences of young British Muslims going to Syria to join Islamic State. The series was broadcast in the UK by Channel 4 on successive nights between 20 and 23 August 2017, and shown worldwide by National Geographic, showing in Australia from 23 August, and premiering in the United States on 18 and 19 September, In France it will also be shown by Canal+ from 4 September. Contents 1 Cast 2 Production 3 Reception 4 References 5 External links Cast Ony Uhiara as Shakira, a British doctor and single mother. Sam Otto as Jalal, a Londoner following his dead elder brother to Syria, wanting to understand what he had experienced. Shavani Cameron as Ushna, a teenager seeking to be a `` lioness for lions ''. Ryan McKen as Ziyad, Jalal 's closest friend, accompanying him and hoping for adventure. Hiam Abbass as Umm Salamah Jessica Gunning as Umm Walid Yasen Atour as Abu Issa Ali Suliman as Abu Omar, Jalal and Ziyad 's commander Amir El - Masry as Sayed, a Syrian pharmacist who has remained in Raqqah Haaz Sleiman as Dr Rabia, a Syrian doctor in the hospital Fayez Bakhsh as Abu Jihad Al - Brittani, best friend of Jalal 's deceased older brother Nitin Ganatra as Jalal 's father. Karim Kassem as Abu Akram, an Egyptian jihadist Production The series was green - lit in July 2016, following extensive research by Kosminsky. Most of the location filming was undertaken in Spain later that autumn. Reception The first episode was watched live by 1.4 million viewers, which was described by Broadcast magazine as a `` solid start ''. However, Channel 4 is unlikely to make money from the series : according to outgoing chief creative officer Jay Hunt, the channel needs to cross-subsidise such dramas with more populist programmes such as Great British Bake Off. The figure increased to 2.33 million taking into account catch - up viewing over the next seven days, and 2.49 million after a month. The series was widely praised by viewers and critics. The Guardian wrote that `` this Isis drama is... gripping and genuinely enlightening '', and The Telegraph noted that `` viewers on Twitter praised its stars and creators for ' capturing how barbaric and evil ISIS are '. '' Before the drama aired, Richard Kemp, a former advisor to the UK government on counter-terrorism, warned that it would be a `` recruiting sergeant '' for ISIS, a view prominently reported by several tabloid newspapers. However, the idea that the drama made ISIS glamorous or attractive was rejected by most reviewers. Most reviewers found the drama powerful, immersive, and compelling, with both its direction and acting widely praised. However, many questioned the portrayal of the protagonists ' apparent initial ignorance and naivety, and of their subsequent antipathy to brutality and hatred, and doubted that either were representative of real jihadis. Although a few references were made to IS 's online engagement and misinformation, the decision not to present detailed back - stories for the characters led some critics to suggest that the series failed to explore why people might become radicalised, and that such apparently reasonable people would never have gone to Syria to support it. On the other hand, as former Conservative minister Baroness Warsi commented, `` There are many proud parents who can not understand why their children find an affiliation with Isil... So often we have lazily defined those attracted to violent ideologies promulgated in far - off countries as mad, bad misfits and yet the reality is far more complicated. '' References Jump up ^ Tom Houghton, Nine - year - old to star in Channel 4 ISIS drama, Wales Online, 1 March 2017 Jump up ^ The State, National Geographic Australia. Accessed 23 August. Jump up ^ Stewart Clarke, First Look at Channel 4 and Nat Geo 's ISIS Drama ' The State ', Variety, 13 July 2017 Jump up ^ The State, National Geographic channel. Accessed 22 August 2017. Jump up ^ THE STATE à partir du 4 septembre sur CANAL+, Canal+. Accessed 22 August 2017. Jump up ^ Canal+ achète The State, une série sur l'État islamique, Le Figaro tv mag, 28 July 2017 Jump up ^ Fox Seals First Sale for Nat Geo ISIS Drama ' The State ' With Canal Plus Deal, Variety, 3 August 2017 ^ Jump up to : Character biogs for The State, Channel 4, 8 August 2017 Jump up ^ Interview with Ony Uhiara, who plays Shakira Boothe, Channel 4, 8 August 2017 Jump up ^ Interview with Sam Otto who plays Jalal Hossein, Channel 4, 8 August 2017 Jump up ^ Interview with Shavani Cameron, who plays Ushna Khaleel, Channel 4, 8 August 2017 Jump up ^ Interview with Ryan McKen who plays Ziyaad Kadar, Channel 4, 8 August 2017 Jump up ^ Leo Barraclough, National Geographic, Channel 4 Greenlight ISIS Drama, Variety, 20 July 2016 Lucy Morris, Channel 4 taps Wolf Hall 's Peter Kosminsky to write new scripted ISIS drama, Digital Spy, 20 July 2016 Jump up ^ Georg Szalai, U.K. 's Channel 4 Developing ISIS Drama, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 October 2014 Jump up ^ Lisa de Moraes, Peter Kosminsky Made ' The State ' As Antidote To Simplistic Thinking About ISIS Recruits -- TCA, Deadline.com, 25 July 2017 Reid Nakamura, Nat Geo 's ISIS Drama ' The State ' Aims to Humanize Terrorist Group, The Wrap, 25 July 2017 Jump up ^ Peter Kosminsky, tweet, 8 November 2016 Jump up ^ Alex Farber, The State recruits 1.4 m, Brodacast, 21 August 2017 Jump up ^ Tim Dams, Jay Hunt warns of impact of ad downturn on budgets, Televisual, 23 August 2017 Cameron Clarke, Channel 4 chief expects Great British Bake Off ratings to fall well short of BBC 's 14m, thedrum.com, 23 August 2017 Jump up ^ Weekly top 30 programmes for Channel 4 for 14 - 20 August 2017, Broadcasters ' Audience Research Board. Accessed 20 November 2017. Jump up ^ The State : Viewers and critics praise Channel 4 IS drama, BBC News, 24 August 2017 Jump up ^ Joe Nerssessian, Channel 4 's The State lauded for ' important ' insight into Isis, Press Association, 23 August 2017 ( via Irish Independent ) Jump up ^ https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/aug/21/the-state-review-isis-peter-kosminsky Jump up ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2017/08/23/gut-wrenching-haunting-channel-4s-state-lauded-important-insight/ Jump up ^ eg Ben Lawrence, The State, finale review : Kosminsky 's Isil drama was no recruitment video, Daily Telegraph, 24 August 2017 Jump up ^ Keith Watson, Daesh drama tells a story that the world needs to hear, Metro, 24 August 2017 Jump up ^ `` EYE tv '' column, Private Eye 1451, 25 August 2017. `` even casual viewing revealed that, as the characters are deluded idealists who rapidly became disillusioned by the psychopathic murders, rapes and gender apartheid practised by IS, it was hard to accuse the show of sanitising IS or promoting Syrian jihad as an alternative to university entrance '' Jump up ^ Jamie Grierson and Graeme Ruddick, Channel 4 defends Isis drama The State after criticism, The Guardian, 21 August 2017 ^ Jump up to : Rachel Cooke, Isis drama The State shows the sheer stupidity of these young fanatics, New Statesman, 24 August 2017 Jasper Rees, The State, Channel 4 review - dishonest portrait of British jihadis, The Arts Desk, 21 August 2017 Peter Crawley, The State review : What has driven 1,000 UK people to fight with Isis ?, Irish Times, 24 August 2017 Stuart Jeffries, The State review -- Peter Kosminsky 's disillusionment dramas fail to satisfy, The Guardian, 24 August 2017 Chris Harvey, The State, C4 -- drama grows in depth and power, Financial Times, 18 August 2017 Phil Harrison, The State : a meticulous, human examination of radicalisation, The Guardian, 20 August 2017 David Patrikarakos, How new drama The State ' captures the essence of IS ', BBC Global News Ltd, 19 September 2017 Jump up ^ Rachel Cooke noted that `` somewhat weirdly '' some further motivating back - story information was available, but only in a press pack Jump up ^ Baroness Warsi, The new British drama that 's daring to humanise terrorists, Daily Telegraph, 17 August 2017 https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/aug/21/channel-4-defends-isis-drama-the-state-after-criticism External links The State on IMDb Teaser trailer, YouTube National Geographic trailer, You Tube Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_State_(2017_TV_series)&oldid=801584346 '' Categories : Films directed by Peter Kosminsky 2010s British drama television series 2017 British television programme debuts 2017 British television programme endings Works about the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Channel 4 television programmes National Geographic Channel British television miniseries Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français Edit links This page was last edited on 20 September 2017, at 15 : 45. 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Question: when does the tv series the state start
Answer: between 20 and 23 August 2017