Hustle

Hustle is a slick, stylish production and a prime example of modern British storytelling at its finest. From intelligent, twist-in-the-tale plots to its charismatic, enigmatic cast, the series exudes quality in both presentation and execution.

The drama revolves around a group of highly skilled grifters who specialise in the ‘long con’, using charm, wit and meticulous planning to relieve the greedy of their ill-gotten gains through elaborate scams. Each member of the crew brings a unique talent to the table. Ex-convict Michael ‘Mickey Bricks’ Stone, portrayed by Adrian Lester, is the brains behind each operation—cool, calculating and endlessly resourceful.

Veteran conman Albert Stoller, played by The Man from U.N.C.L.E. legend Robert Vaughn, serves as the Roper—responsible for identifying the perfect target: someone wealthy, arrogant, and vulnerable to manipulation. Once a mark is hooked, the wheels of the con begin to turn.

Ash ‘Three Socks’ Morgan, played by Robert Glenister, is the fixer. Equally adept at bypassing security systems or producing flawless fake documentation, Ash is the team’s dependable problem-solver. Jaime Murray’s Stacie Monroe uses her charm and savvy to disarm and deceive—whether during the long con or in the team’s smaller schemes designed to fund their more ambitious operations.

Introduced in the first series, Danny Blue (Marc Warren) is a brash short-con artist who bulldozes his way into the crew, eager to learn from the best. Arrogant yet oddly likeable, Danny often finds himself chastised by Mickey for his lack of subtlety, but Albert defends him, saying, “He’s got grift sense—and that’s something you can’t teach.”

The first of a number of cast changes takes place in series four with the departure of the team leader Micky Bricks, allegedly to help pull a major con in Australia (the selling of Sydney Opera House) but in reality this was at the request of Adrian Lester who later said he “needed a break” from the role: “When I left to take other parts, it was a bit of a paradox. It was because Hustle was so big and so popular that I needed to be seen being someone apart from Mickey. He had become such a sort of face that when I was going in to auditions it was like, "Oh you're that guy." So people expected some aspect of that guy, and it became a bit of a curse.” 

Danny steps up to take the lead in the gang and the place vacated by Mickey’s departure is filled by Billy Bond (Ashley Walters). Billy's a big fan of Danny and seeks him out to learn the tricks of the trade. Series four did not win as much critical acclaim as the first three series and it was reported in some quarters that the series had played out its last con. But you can never trust a grifter and two years later the series did return. Danny and Stacie have now left but following a hurried departure from Australia Mickey is back to find that the gang have all gone their separate ways. 

Albert, currently detained at her Majesty's pleasure, maybe doing time but isn’t wasting it and already has a new mark for the next con: a callous young businesswoman, Sara Naismith, and her assistant Aaron. But things don't seem to go too smoothly for Mickey, Albert and Ash and it soon becomes unclear just who is conning who. Sara is really a con artist herself called Emma Kennedy (Kelly Adams) and her 'assistant' is really her brother Sean Kennedy (Matt Di Angelo). As the whole con looks set to become unravelled it is revealed that the entire scheme has been orchestrated by Albert in order to find worthy replacements for the permanently departed Danny and Stacie. With the new team in place - once more - the con was on!

The casting of Adams and Di Angelo proved inspired. Rather than mimicking their predecessors, Emma and Sean brought a fresh energy and sibling dynamic that rebalanced the team. Emma had the confidence and polish to fill Stacie’s shoes, while Sean's eagerness and occasional naivety mirrored the youthful spark Danny once provided.

From Series 5 onwards, Hustle doubled down on conning the corrupt: dodgy bankers, heartless developers, ruthless tycoons. In the wake of the global financial crisis, the targets were increasingly reflective of real-world villains, lending the show a sharper moral edge. The series leaned more overtly into Robin Hood territory — stealing not for personal gain alone, but for justice, or at least poetic balance.

That said, Hustle never lost its charm or lightness of touch. Its hallmark remains the stylish execution of each con: clever misdirection, satisfying reveals, and the smug delight of watching the arrogant outwitted by the ingenious. The London backdrop, slick editing, and fourth-wall-breaking narration continued to give it an almost comic-book coolness.

The final series in 2012 brought the story to a satisfying close. Without fanfare or melodrama, the show bowed out gracefully, with one last big con and a final nod to the audience that the grift goes on—even if we’re no longer watching. It was a rare example of a show knowing exactly when and how to leave the stage.

Rating: ★★★★☆