Hustle

Mickey beleives that he has found the ultimate mark in multi-millionaire businessman Madani Wasem. The stakes end up being much higher than usual as Wasem is extremely dangerous and the kind of mark they usually try to avoid dealing with.

Albert decides to return to an old haunt and soon discovers that it’s been pulled down by ruthless property tycoon, Dale Ridley. He ends up recruiting the rest of the team to deliver a special form of retribution.

After one of the teams friends called Carol suffers a heart attack, the gang find out that she’s been the victim of a sham diet plan run by American Dr Dean Deville and his wife, Dana. Mickey comes up with a weight-loss scam to sell them a a new miraculous diet pill, but knows they'll first need to gain their trust.

The police end up catching up with the Hustle conmen after corrupt police officer DI Fisk is bribed into helping bring them down. The team move onto their latest mark, Linda Runcorn, the crooked CEO of an online hotel and restaurant guide. They have no clue they are being watched though. Fisk ends up arresting Sean’s ex-girlfriend on false charges and blackmails her into spying on the gang so he can catch them.

Mickey finds himself being taken prisoner by a gangster and international art collector called Petre Sava, who wrongly thinks the team were behind the theft of his stolen Picasso painting. The gang find themselves facing a race against time to find the missing painting and return it before Mickey becomes Sava's latest victim.

The team take on take on gold dealer Dexter Gold who is well known for parting the elderly from their treasures in return for a pittance.

The team show up at Eddie's bar after an all-night card session to discover they've received an unusual delivery. After they look inside the box, they are surprised to find Cool Hand Cooper, a popular character from the grifting world. The soon learn that he posted himself to the bar as part of an elaborate prison escape and that he is serious trouble.

After Ash discovers that the local football club where he grew up has gone bust and closed down, he wants the teams help in dealing with the greed that has taken over the sport.

Albert, Mickey, Ash, Sean and Emma attend the funeral of a fellow grifter called Benny. Benny had a history with the team having helped Mickey out of a difficult situation years ago and nearly taking Ash's place in the group. Ash bumps into a panicked man that looks like Benny after the funeral. Ash the chases after him and learns that Benny is still alive. Benny explains to Ash why he had to fake his own death and the team decide to help him.

Mickey and Albert visit the first Wendell Casino to open in in the country. The Wendell family are well known for their strict policy on cheaters and have a rogue's gallery on show of anyone who has ever been caught. Albert isn't happy when he sees a picture of his grand father Charlie Stroller up on the wall. Albert is determined to do what ever it takes and clear Charlie's name even it it means that the whole team's pictures end up hanging up on the wall.

The team are close to closing in on a small con in a café until Joe Ryan, a former boyfriend of Emma's, shows up unexpectedly and blows their cover. Emma ends up agreeing to see him again so she can find out what he has been up to. After finding out that he has hit hard times following the death of his wife and becoming involved with a dodgy money-lending business called Dosh4you the team have found their next mark.

The team has three targets set for them by Albert who are an arrogant aristocrat called Viscount Manley, corrupt MP Jeremy Garret and shady judge Stanley Mead. The team find it hard to decide which of them is the most deserving of their special treatment. After Eddie's niece is caught up in a modelling scam though the choice ends up being made for them.

No summary available (yet)

The Mikey ends up being conned by lowlife Mervyn Lloyd after he buys a useless mobile phone from him. Mickey is forced to pass the con-running baton to Ash as because he has been conned it means he is due some bad luck. Ash tries to convince Mervyn that Albert is on the verge of creating the next big thing and the team need to come up with a foolproof plan otherwise Mickey's bad luck may be with him for quite a while.

When their father shows up who they haven't seen for the last 25 years, Sean and Emma are shocked.

The team start an insurance scam which involves a playboy and a full size gold tiger.

Albert takes a short holiday in Sin City as he decides to try his luck in the casinos. As the rest of the team are saying goodbye to Albert at the airport they run into an old friend called 'Liability' Finch, who is an ex-grifter friend of Ash. Fitch is in trouble with the head of customs.

Albert finds out as much information as possible about the next target, former banker Piggy Richardson before the sting is put into action.

The team hope to con upper-class twit Alfie Baron, but all is not as it seems. Alfie is the plant of aggrieved former mark Carlton Wood, who is determined to get his own back. Seeing a straightforward con, Ash convinces Mickey that Sean is ready to play the inside, and the team set about gathering all their savings as they plan to take Alfie for millions. As Sean lays down a one million pound convincer, their largest ever, could this be the end for the team?

Caught out while posing as lawyers, the team promises to save a community centre under threat. Mickey becomes interested in the youth club's plight when it is threatened with demolition. When he discovers that corrupt MP Rhona Christie is involved, he sends Sean into the murky world of politics to investigate, much to Sean's annoyance. Sean is even more annoyed when he catches Mickey and Emma in an intimate embrace.

Can the team find a way to expose the deceitful MP and survive their week in politics?

When a deal goes wrong and the team are left with a priceless diamond, they are forced to take on their most dangerous mark to date. Mickey thinks they can keep the necklace if Emma is willing to trick Toby Baxter, the rich recluse who had it stolen to order. The team put everything in place to back up the fabricated story, but has Emma agreed to the risky plan for the wrong reasons? And if so, will Baxter see through her lies?

Albert is up for parole, and the Grifters decide to con greedy judge Anthony Kent to raise money for his coming home party. Kent was rumoured to have been involved in a gold bullion robbery, but never got his share.

Mickey and Emma reignite the case to convince him they know where it is buried, while Ash gives Sean some vital training on a casino con. But with the team unaware Albert is in trouble, will he be waiting for them when they collect him at the prison gates?

With a new crew in place, Mickey decides to con intellectual property experts Carlton and Harry, whose ruthless business practices have led to a suicide.

Posing as a hot new PR company, Mickey and Emma sell the pair a gimmick to promote the 'Spider's Web', a security device for precious works of art.

Naturally the con artists have a hidden agenda, but when rookie grifter Sean messes up a simple task, will Mickey regret taking on someone so green to play the long cons?

Legendary con artist Mickey Bricks is back and the con is on, in more ways than one...

After a close brush with the law in Australia, Mickey returns to a changed London to sting a new breed of avaricious marks. Albert, currently detained at her Majesty's pleasure, already has one lined up: a callous young businesswoman, Sara Naismith, and her assistant Aaron.

Posing as city traders, Mickey and Ash offer her the chance to join an insider dealing scam. But when the con starts to unravel, has Mickey met his match, or has someone been playing them all?

Albert's on holiday in Vegas, trying as hard as possible to keep a low profile in a town built for gamblers. But he hadn't reckoned on Johnny Maranzano - the son of the late mafia boss Frank Maranzano, whose casino Albert has ripped off and been banned from in the past.

Johnny's the kind of man to hold a grudge, and when he breaks Albert's fingers, Stacie, Danny, Ash and Billy decide to pay a visit to Albert's attackers and seek revenge.

This time, the gang are dealing with the mafia and they have their own version of justice. Even if the grifters get the money out of the casino and out of Vegas, with the mafia on their tails it's going to be a tough road-trip back to London. If they make it that far...

The team are on a post-con high after successfully liberating a greedy Japanese man of his cash with the 'currency slide'.

Keen to ride the crest of a wave and assert his roping credentials, Billy quickly finds another victim for the same con. Though they rarely do the same con twice in a row, particularly when the exchange takes place in Eddie's Bar, Billy's picked a good mark.

Before the mark can arrive, Eddie's called away and a young Japanese man named Shiro appears in the bar. He tells them that his father has been conned by the gang and it's time for revenge.

He reveals that Eddie is being held hostage and one of them must die. But this will be no ordinary death, for Shiro has bought five pieces of puffer fish which is deadly when prepared incorrectly. The gang must play Russian Roulette with Sushi...

Charity-robbing Clarissa has a passion for fashion. She buys all the latest trends and is desperate to get her hands on the most exclusive designer items. The Hustle gang decides that the way to con this woman is to make her want what she can't have. It's time to give her the 'Emperor's New Clothes.'

It may be more fairy-tale than con, but the same rules still apply: create the hype and let the mark do all the chasing.

And so begins a cat and mouse game in which Clarissa believes she is hot on the tails of celebrated new designer, Lorde. He's urban, he's cool - he's Billy in disguise, but will she want to invest in this bright young thing?

A ruthless nursing home owner, Veronica Powell, has roped Eddie into a contract that'll cost him fifty grand to get out of - otherwise, his father loses his house and everything he's worked for.

Veronica is a woman who likes robbing old people and stealing from charities - so she's more than a mark for the gang.

This con needs to be cleverer than usual, and Billy, still awestruck in the presence of Danny, has full confidence in their leader - even though the others don't share this enthusiasm.

After a sleepless night Danny finally comes up with a plan. But will it work, and just how much will Veronica pay when she thinks she's in for a cellar full of vintage wine?

Porn-baron Dickie Brennan is desperate to own a winning racehorse. So that's what he thinks he's getting when he swoops in to buy Cindy's Fortune, a horse said to be a classic winner in the making. To rope the mark, Albert poses as a syndicate member poised to get his hands on this flying machine.

Meanwhile there's a young man shadowing the gang. Billy, a street kid and short-con artist wants in. He knows about all the great con artists and is convinced Danny Blue's the only man who can teach him about the long con.

Unfortunately for Billy, Danny's adamant that the perfect addition to the team is a sexy female. Billy is eager to please, but will his eagerness jeopardise their latest con in the meantime?

Danny steps up to be leader, as the gang head to LA in an attempt to sell the Hollywood sign.

With Mickey heading to Australia to help pull off a major con, Danny feels it's time for him to take the lead. To make his mark, he comes up with an ambitious plan to sell the Hollywood sign to Texan movie memorabilia fanatic Anthony Westley (Robert Wagner).

Once in LA, Danny convinces Westley that the sign is being put up for sale to be replaced with a brand new one.

Westley's willing to pay big money to get his hands on the sign and will stop at nothing to ensure he wins the bid. But how will the gang get the cash if they can't deliver the sign itself?

Still on a high from their last triumph, the crew are hauled off to the police station on trumped-up drug charges by ambitious and fearless cop DCI York (played by Ian Puleston-Davies).

York's latest obsession is catching notorious thief, Adam Rice (played by Paul Nicholls), also known as 'The Ghost'. Ingeniously, he's decided to blackmail the Hustle crew into doing his dirty work by keeping Albert locked up until the gang deliver Rice. Once he has The Ghost, York promises they can all go free.

Having weighed up their options, the gang attempt to make contact with Rice. He lives up to his elusive reputation and they have to go to extraordinary lengths to track him down. Finally they make contact and convince him to join forces to pull off his next con together.

Rice has been commissioned to steal a lost Hans Christian Andersen* manuscript from inside a security-tight country house the next night.

Mickey arranges to call York once they're in the house and Rice has the manuscript so he can catch him red-handed. Unfortunately for the gang, York is a bent copper at best and plans to take them all in.

With the security diverted, Rice, Mickey and Danny skydive into the grounds - but a bad landing puts Rice out of the game and the Hustlers have to take over.

On cue, York arrives to reel in his prize catch, only to discover he's been outwitted him. With all the conmen vanished into thin air, York is left at the scene of the crime just in time to be caught by rival police officer, Cooper.

A newspaper prints a scurrilous and completely false exposé on Stacie's closest friend, Emily. They've picked on the wrong person this time - in revenge the Hustle team decide to make their next marks the editor, Frances Owen (played by Paul Kaye) and his weasely reporter Tim Millen (played by Kenneth Cranham). Both suffer from a serious lack of morals and are about to wish they'd never been born.

Stacie is furious when their actions lead to Emily attempting suicide. This time, she's not after their money, she's after their resignations. By the time she's finished with them there will be nothing left of their reputations, or their careers.

The gang intend to expose Owen by selling him a bogus story with a surprising and shocking Royal connection.

They convince Millen that he has the scoop of the century; proof that the real Queen Mother died many years ago on a visit to the East End during The Blitz. To cover up the death, the powers that be recruited a doppelganger by the name of Cynthia Felgate. Now Danny claims to have tracked down Cynthia's long lost son, Albert. Could the biggest royal scandal ever be about to break?

After conclusive DNA tests, Millen falls hook, line and sinker for the scam and is convinced he's going to blow the competition out of the water. Little does he know, Mickey is already in secret talks with their biggest rival and about to expose them for the immoral creeps that they are.

The rival newspaper grabs the opportunity to humiliate Millen and Owen in the most excruciatingly embarrassing way possible - simply by showing their gullibility, stupidity and greed.

Harold (played by Renu Setna), an old friend of Albert, summons the crew to take revenge on Kulvinda Samar (played by Silas Carson, a greedy sweatshop owner who's caused pain and suffering to Harold's sisters and the Asian community for many years.

Samar is an ardent fan of Bollywood films - a perfect target for a classic movie investor con. Although the gang's knowledge of Bollywood is limited, they decide on a con based around them, which, as always, must be perfect.

Producer Gerard Bruce (Mickey) is making a Bollywood film aimed at the western market with a British cast - but regular film investor, Harry Kaplan (Albert) is out of his depth and knows nothing about Bollywood, so convinces Samar to invest in his place.

Thrilled at the prospect of turning his dreams into reality, Samar agrees to the investment on condition he visits the set and meets the stars of the film, including the lead actress (Stacie) and director (Ash).

As perfectionist Samar mulls over this amazing offer, he figures it's too good to be true. He's announces he's realised that it's a con. This revelation surprises his chauffeur (Danny) so much that he crashes.

At the hospital, Danny explains that Samar rumbled them because they were too perfect. The con is off - until Albert discovers that Samar has amnesia.

The crew decides that such a vulgar character deserves to be conned again - but with a little less perfection. As they replay the con, they're baffled by Samar's apparent change in nature - he's no longer cruel or arrogant. Their grifter sense tells them to walk away; but is Samar just playing them at their own game?

There's a new grifter in town and he's in search of a great crew. This stranger turns out to be the grandson of the legendary 19th Century American con artist James Whittaker Wright (JW1), who made a fortune flogging fake gold mines on the stock market by using Cornfoots Merchant Bank.

When JW1's fortune became too much for the bank, they turned on him and left him to die penniless. His grandson, James Whittaker Wright III - JW3 (played by Richard Chamberlain) has come to avenge his death.

Initially wary, the Hustle crew accept the challenge - bringing down a greedy bank and outwitting a fellow grifter is far too tempting. With the gang's expertise, they're going to take Quenton (played by Stephen Campbell Moore) and Charles Cornfoot (played by Terence Harvey) down.

Danny poses as a brash city entrepreneur eager to float his mining company on the stock market, whilst Stacie plays a market analyst working on the inside. Having agreed to set up the flotation, the Cornfoots employ a Dutch oil consultant (Ash) to fuel rumours about the company's impending success and start selling shares to JW3 and Albert, their newly found investors.

Danny irritates the Cornfoots to the point of no return - they turn sour and plot his downfall. Fully prepared, the team up their game, but whilst their attention is focussed on the marks, they forget just how devious JW3 is.

He's sure to double cross them; it's not a matter of if, but when. After all, the greatest con of all is to con another grifter.

The power struggle between Mickey and Danny is as fierce as ever and shows no signs of abating. Both of them claim to be the best man to lead the team, and no amount of arguing is going to settle the dispute.

In an attempt to end the bickering, Albert offers a possible solution. He suggests they take on an old American grifter's settlement - The Henderson Challenge. It's the greatest test of grifter skill ever devised.

As naked as the day they were born, Mickey and Danny are dropped in the middle of London. Armed only with their skills and charm, they are given six hours to collect as many valuables as they can and get back to their meeting point. Whoever's haul has the highest monetary value wins - as simple as that.

Ash is assigned to Mickey while Stacie can assist Danny - but neither of them can suggest cons.

Flying by the seat of his pants - once he manages to find some - Danny's rapid-fire short cons leave his marks astounded. While Mickey, with his long con specialist skills is quietly confident.

The bets are on and the odds are stacked in Mickey's favour, but Danny has a few tricks up his newly acquired sleeve. And the fact that Mickey's sense of fair play has lead him to declare he will walk away from the group if he loses and leave Danny in charge, means big changes could be ahead for the group.

Back from a spell in Las Vegas - a very expensive one, thanks to a mistake by Danny - the team are strapped for cash and desperate to get back into the game.

Their first big mark is Benny Frazier (played by Mel Smith), an obnoxious pub owner who smuggles in illegal refugees to work for him. The apple of his eye is his son Joey, who's a wannabe rap artist. Joey's keen to hit the big time as a British Eminem - and the most talentless fool Mickey and the gang have ever had the pleasure to con.

Never one to turn down a challenge, Albert ropes Benny in by telling him about a friend (Danny) who's big in the record industry. When he's introduced, Danny speaks before putting his brain in gear as usual. He promises not only to take Joey to the exclusive and prestigious MOBOs - but to get his demo played on Radio 1!

After blagging entry into the MOBOs, Ash hunts down a rather tipsy Sara Cox and sneakily stashes a copy of Joey's single in her handbag.

Posing as a big shot American hip hop record producer, Mickey is the man that is going to make Benny's son's dream come true. Thrilled to be rubbing shoulders with his idols and industry moguls, Joey's brimming with joy.

When Joey's record is played on Radio 1, Benny is putty in their hands. Having gained his trust, Mickey convinces Benny into parting with £100,000 to get Joey's record promotions going.

However, Benny catches on to the con, and it's up to Ash to hatch a plan B - with a little help from the boys in blue.

Mickey's got a plan and this one is like no other. They're going to steal the Crown Jewels.

Initially, the gang assume Mickey is joking - they are not thieves but Mickey asks them to trust him and so they reluctantly agree to the elaborate con. This will be the biggest challenge they'll ever undertake, but Mickey's convinced they're good enough to pull it off...

Posing as a cleaner, Ash gets a job in the gallery where the diamond is going to be exhibited. The news isn't good - it will be virtually impossible to get near the diamond with the level of security.

The plan is to cut power for 30 seconds, use the blackout to re-route the CCTV and with all the alarms on the street going off, turn off all the motion detectors.

The gang are ready - but so are the police. Surrounding the gallery and desperate to catch Mickey and the gang in the act, the police lie in wait.

The gang are one step ahead and when the police charge into the gallery they discover that the gang have disappeared - and so has the diamond.

However, the team are caught by surprise when they arrive home later that night and the police are ready to take them into custody. Will they evade capture and live to con again?

Hustle returns for a third series in 2006

When Stacie claps eyes on her estranged husband Jake (played by Max Beesley), who left her five years ago taking everything she owned with him, she's certain he is to be the gang's next mark. Having graduated from the short con world to the professional poker circuit, he's good and he won't be an easy target. But the team swear to exact revenge on him for Stacie.

Albert introduces himself to Jake, explaining that he's organised a high stakes game with some big name players, and he wants to take a Daddy's boy - aka Danny in disguise - for everything he's got.

The game isn't enough to keep Jake in town though, but as he gets up to leave, he sees Stacie with Mickey, an old enemy. It's clear they've made a cosy life together and he is riled by it.

He tries to explain to Stacie that he didn't just walk out; he was in real trouble and his life was in danger. Mickey can feel the chemistry is still there between Stacie and Jake and is concerned that Stacie may be falling for her ex again.

Jake finally agrees to take part in the poker game and it's not long before the first two players are out of the game. However, Jake proves harder to beat than the gang initially thought and Stacie seems to let her conscience get the better of her and secretly tells Jake that he's being set up. As Jake cleans the gang out, Stacie leaves with him.

Is Stacie really prepared to leave her friends for love? Or has she really got another card up her sleeve....?

The team's plan to con an auction house with a comic book forgery goes awry when corrupt copper, Sam Phillips (played by Fay Ripley), decides she wants in on the play.

Dodgy detective Sam is determined to blackmail bar owner, Eddie (played by Rob Jarvis), into grassing up the team or face losing his licence - or worse, jail. Eddie is forced into choosing between his friends and his livelihood, and is racked with guilt when he gives into the corrupt copper.

Sam barges in on Mickey and Danny to discover they're working on a big scam. Sam wants in and if they won't make her a partner, she'll arrest them.

The team have recently bought original Black Storm comic book artwork at an auction which they are having forged - they'll use the original to fool the auction house expert but will switch it for the forgery before the sale and then go on to sell the real artwork to a collector for a tidy sum.

Stacie ropes in Neil (played Kieran Bew), the first rival collector; a comic book fan and real geek. Albert works on the second collector, Gideon (played by Mark Tandy); an art snob and complete bore. Meanwhile Ash rigs the CCTV so Mickey and Danny can make the switch without being seen.

However, once inside the auction house, the plan starts to go pear-shaped. The gang spot someone they attempted and failed to con in the past, so it's too dangerous for them to show their faces. Sam volunteers to submit the artwork herself and with absolute delight, she pockets the bankers draft and leaves the team behind.

Have the con artists finally met their match or can they outsmart her?

Danny has found a potential new member of the gang, Trevor (played by Lee Ingleby). He's a short con artist, who's very good at what he does, but his marks are not always the greedy; he also targets the elderly and the poor....

However, he's looking for his big break and Danny thinks he can mentor Trevor as Mickey has for him. But the team are not as taken with Trevor as Danny, and Danny threatens to walk if they won't give Trevor a chance.

Danny threatens to walk if the gang won't give Trevor a chance. They reluctantly trust Danny's instincts and get to work on their next mark.

The target is Anthony Mgabe - a ruthless and corrupt Nigerian billionaire and avid collector of antique banknotes. He's missing one extremely rare note - and there are only two in the world. One is held by the American bank and the other by a private collector. Posing as insurers, Danny and Trevor pay the collector, an elderly lady, Anne, a visit.

With an expert grifter creating the forgery, the gang reel Mgabe in. He is so keen to have the note that he offers Danny and Trevor £500,000.

But before they're able to collect the cash, disaster strikes when Trevor loses the note and the gang are furious about the con falling through.

But Trevor can't let it go and pays Anne another visit. Claiming the note is damaged, Trevor convinces her to sell and takes it straight to Mgabe to take all the spoils for himself.

Have the gang finally been conned themselves? Unfortunately for Trevor, he soon finds out that being greedy never pays and the team are always one step ahead.

The gang are on the verge of completing a job but Albert's gone AWOL.

When he finally appears it's all too late because 'the mark' has pulled out - but Albert has a new plan. After spotting Johnny Keyes (played by Stanley Townsend) - a prominent restaurateur with a notorious gangland background - in a church, he goes undercover as a priest to hear Keyes' confession.

Ill health means that Keyes is worried about never finding James, the son he lost years before to a gangland kidnapping. He's consumed by guilt for not paying the ransom but has no idea where his son is.

While Stacie uncovers more about Keyes' unpleasant violent history, Mickey and Ash set up a missing persons organisation. Mickey approaches Keyes as a charity worker to inform him that they've found James, who wants to meet him.

A counterfeit blood test confirms that Danny is Keyes' son. Pretending to be 'Jimmy' and fiancée Paula, Danny and Stacie are escorted by Mickey to meet Keyes for the first time.

Posing as a troublesome diner, Ash kicks up a storm, providing Danny the perfect opportunity to prove his loyalty to his father and his beloved restaurant.

Keyes decides he wants to give his newfound son some money to set up his own restaurant but, as Mickey reminds him, Danny must remember he is supposed to be a chip off the old block and pride would stop him accepting charity.

So instead Keyes decides to test Danny's cooking skills and if they are up to scratch he will invest - but Danny's not exactly Jamie Oliver in the kitchen so how have the team planned to extract Keyes' cash?

Mickey, Danny, Albert, Ash and Stacie return from a well-earned break to discover that old time grifter Harry Holmes (played by Ronald Pickup) has been banged up. After attempting to con ruthless property developer, Howard Jennings (played by Charlie Creed Miles), Holmes may be in for a long stretch. Jennings has been stung before and won't be out-smarted by anyone - or so he thinks.....

Danny's eager to take Jennings on, but the team don't share his enthusiasm. Convinced he can pull it off, Danny makes a bet with Mickey for a mere 50p. But Mickey is worried by Danny's insistence of throwing tried and tested tradition to the wind.

With a little help from Stacie, Danny is struck by inspiration and prepares the most outrageous con that they've ever engineered. They're going to sell Jennings a gold mine - in London.

Using a genuine discovery of Bronze Age gold artefacts in London, the gang concoct a myth about these artefacts being sourced from a secret mine under London's streets.

As the scam unfolds, it appears that Jennings is falling head first into their trap. But at the crucial last stage Jennings decides to conduct his own tests on the land they are attempting to sell him - the team look to Danny for plan B, but has his harebrained scheme actually accounted for one?

Karen Wilson, Script Editor on Hustle series 1, provides the full episode update:

Mickey and Danny complete their deal on the 'sale' of the London Eye. Fairground owner, Arthur Bond (played by Philip Jackson), is chuffed with his new star attraction, a bargain at a few thousand quid! Mickey and Danny are happy too - it's another easy con, another job done.

Onto their next mark: Anthony Reeve (played by David Haig), a greedy fat cat who's just got the cream with a golden handshake worth £½ million. A secret gambler and a weakness for prostitutes: the team have their 'in'. Reeves is the perfect bait for 'the wire'. But ...



"No-one's worked the wire in a hundred years".

However, not a team to turn down a challenge, Ash sets up a fake gambling club ('the big store') where the races are delayed by a vital couple of minutes so they see the results before the punter. Fill the club with grifters posing as customers and who'd spot the difference?

Albert's already befriended Reeves through his gentleman's club, so it's just a case of offering him the bait. Enter Danny, as a rogue nephew with insider racing knowledge. A winning tip impresses Reeves (played by David Haig) and Stacie's killer charm as girlfriend 'Yvonne' soon has him chomping at the bit.

Time to reel him in. When Danny 'confides' that Yvonne, actually a high class escort, can provide names of the winning horse before a race is even run, Reeves wants in. Danny offers to show him his private gambling club, where the bets have no limits.


At the club, the team are all in place: Mickey's the Manager, Ash the man behind the counter, while Albert and Stacie keep tabs in the back office. The plan goes sweetly with Reeves winning £72,000 on a race. Danny and Stacie help him celebrate, but Reeves is cautious - he wants to try another race before betting big.

The team are forced to block him out. Danny takes Reeves (played by David Haig) back to the club, Stacie calls with the winner's name, but they run the race just as Reeves tries to place the bet. He's too late. Watching the horse romp home he can't believe he's missed out. Next day and it's time for the big one.



"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, sir. It's now or never."

Stacie makes the call to Reeves who bets £1/2 a million on the horse to win. When the horse only comes third she claims she told Reeves to place the bet not to win. He's distraught but it's too late to get his money back.

To add salt to his wounds, he's besieged by 'journalists' interrogating him about his golden handshake and gambling habit. Reeves makes a hasty retreat, a beaten (and broken) man.

As the team celebrate, gunshots are heard. It's Arthur Bond, demanding the London Eye money he was scammed. It's simple: pay up or get killed. They look from one to the other: any bright ideas?...

Mickey sees a newspaper article about a recently divorced businesswoman, Katherine Winterborn (played by Tamzin Outhwaite), who's accused of wreaking revenge on her ex-husband. Katherine is perfect bait for the 'Congreve', an old con which targets bitter, rich women. Albert goes off to do his stuff, and rope her at an art class.

"When he was younger, Albert was the doyen of the 'Congreve'. He could sniff out a vengeful woman like a pig with a truffle."

The team's desperate for a lucrative con, particularly Ash. Mickey's shocked to discover that Ash's ex-wife, fellow con artist June, recently suffered brain damage, whilst doing 'the flop' . Ash has been paying for her care bills in a nursing home, but his money is about to run out. Mickey tells Ash they'll all help to pay - after all, "she's family".

It doesn't go well at the art class. Katherine (played by Tamzin Outhwaite) is rude, cold, and refuses to fall for Albert's charms. It's time for plan B - blatant sex appeal. Danny's obviously keen to give it a try(!) but the con requires experience, so it's up to Mickey to reel Katherine in. She's terrified of lifts, so Ash orchestrates the ideal situation: Mickey and Katherine in a lift, when it suddenly breaks down. The lift is out of action long enough for Mickey to break down Katherine's barriers and by the time they reach ground level, she's offering to take him out for dinner.


Over dinner, Mickey tells her the tale: he's setting up a spa business, to rival her ex-husband's. Katherine wants to help - she knows how spas work, what makes them special, and she also wants to impress Mickey. There's a real spark between them.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team go about setting things up - Danny's meeting architecture students, Stacie's arranging business space and Ash is designing a website. Katherine finally agrees to invest £100,000 in the new spa business but, when Mickey brings her the contract, she's changed her mind.

In the heat of the moment, when both are feeling vulnerable, Mickey breaks all the rules and makes love to Katherine. When Mickey goes to leave, he tells her he's a con man, there was never any spa for her to invest in. "You were rich, bitter, angry, obsessed. You were ripe to be plucked." Shocked, Katherine offers Mickey £250,000 to destroy her ex-husband instead - "a rat to catch a rat".

The team agrees that, if Stephen Winterborn played by Ben Miles) is as bad as Mickey says he is, it's morally OK for them to go ahead. After all, they need the money. But how can they destroy Stephen? An embarrassed Danny has the answer. He's 'discovered' that prostitutes work at the spa. If this information were made public, it would destroy him, his business and his stock market flotation.

Stacie orchestrates a meeting with Stephen, played by Ben Miles), then introduces him to her 'PR associate' - brilliantly played by Ash. Stephen's presentation is consequently doctored and it's just a case of waiting, then watching his very public downfall.

But during the launch party, alarm bells start ringing for the team. Slowly they realise that Katherine has conned Mickey into thinking that Stephen, played by Ben Miles) is the bad person, when it's really her! Katherine, played by Tamzin Outhwaite) has been pulling the strings all along; not Mickey. Could it be that, on this occasion, the con man has been conned...?

Mickey's morning coffee is rudely interrupted by Albert's nemesis, Victor Maher (played by David Calder) - an ex-fraud squad officer, and the only man to have ever put Albert away. Maher 'has something' on Danny, which he'll hand over to the police unless Mickey helps him catch the bank robber who's been plaguing the bank for which he is now head of security.

"When the chance comes to lock horns with the great Mickey Bricks, it's too good an opportunity to miss.""

Maher wants Mickey to befriend the robber, Sam Richards (played by Richard Harrington), then help catch him as he breaks into the London branch. Albert advises Mickey not to get involved - "You can't outsmart him or out manoeuvre him, he knows every trick we do and more besides". But Mickey agrees to the deal.

He thinks it best to tell the team it's just another job, not revealing exactly what's at stake, but asks Stacie to keep Danny out of the way for a while. Albert ropes Sam in, just like any other con and tells him how he knows a dodgy alarms man. Sam's hooked and before long, Albert arranges a meet - with Mickey.

Ash plays the alarms expert and, before long, Sam is telling them how he plans to break into the bank. He explains how his father died while he was just a child, something that rings true for Mickey. Moores Bank robbed his father blind in his hour of need and Sam wants to recover the money his father was owed, together with his priceless diamond.

"I know it sounds stupid, but this isn't about the money."

There's a problem though: Moores' security system needs two people to override it - Mickey agrees to go in with Sam. The second problem: there'll be no way out.

Albert counsels Mickey that, in order to beat Maher, Mickey must tell the rest of the team what's at stake. He does. Danny can't believe that the job is all to save his skin. The team go at the bank job with a new vigour - they want to beat Maher (played by David Calder), save Danny and help Sam Richards, but can they do all three?

The night of the break-in: Mickey and Sam are in the bank and Albert arrives to collect the tape of Danny. Once Sam and Mickey make it into the vault, Maher rushes down to catch them both. But when he gets there - there's nobody in the vault, and no sign of a break-in.

Maher spots a CCTV camera and, finally, he begins to think about the possibilities. Has he actually taken on something - or someone - bigger than he is? Is it possible that Mickey and his team have achieved the impossible and conned him right under his nose?

Later, after Mickey and Sam have said their fond goodbyes, Mickey has one last surprise for Maher, the griftbuster...

Danny overhears art collector, Meredith Gates (played by Orla Brady), talking big figures and - ever the hustler - pays her gallery a visit. His grifting instincts are right - Meredith's an ideal mark. She's unscrupulous, greedy and selfish, and a huge fan of artist Pier Mondrian, having just bought one of his paintings for £250,000. Mondrian famously went from picture-postcard paintings to abstracts some time after Picasso. As Danny explains to the team, IF a Mondrian painting were discovered in the Abstract style pre-dating Picasso, it would turn the art world on it's head.

"We fake the right painting, and all we gotta tell her is how many noughts we want on the cheque."

It's an interesting proposition, but Mickey has other things on his mind. While he was in prison, Ash and Albert roped a mark and conned him out of £50,000. Only thing is, the mark was broke and now his factory's about to go into receivership. They're jinxed and - according to grifter lore - the jinx will only be lifted if they put things right. They need to find £50,000 NOW. Mickey decides not to tell Danny, and goes along with the art con for a while - to see if it has legs.

Certain his scam's a winner, Danny introduces Mickey to art journalist, Bea Watson, as someone with an interesting art 'discovery'. Mickey tells her there's no story, but this just intrigues Bea more.

"She wasn't interested until she thought I wasn't interested. Now she's intrigued."

Art forger, Tip Jones, is a renowned conman, known for his inimitable forgeries but, disappointingly, Mickey, Albert and Danny find him in a vegetative state following an operation gone wrong. Ever-astute Albert isn't so quick to believe and whispers in Tip's ear he's got a job needs doing. It'll pay £100,000. Suddenly Tip's alert. He agrees to paint a new Mondrian pre-1902, but he's going to need an original work, if they want it done properly. Using a combination of flirting, good timing, glue and toilets, Mickey and Stacie manage to steal a Mondrian without anyone even realising it's missing. Tip begins work on the 'new find'.

Meredith Gates (played by Orla Brady) still needs to be hooked. Thinking he's a fellow art collector, she meets Danny at his 'import/export warehouse'. Gates agrees to match his £250,000 if the new Mondrian painting's proven to be genuine in initial tests.

It all goes to the wire, and there are a few surprises along the way. They just have to lift the jinx, and preferably without Danny realising.

"He hasn't sussed that we're just following a different set of rules to everyone else."

What will he do when he does suss though?

Mickey and the team get a call - Albert's been beaten up. The perpetrator: one Frank Gorley (played by guest star Robert Pugh), a renowned thug, who happens to own a top London casino. Albert picked the wrong man to cheat at cards with. Gorley's a loner with no real vices. It'll be difficult wreaking revenge, but Mickey's not to be deterred. He sends Ash off to find an 'in'. "No-one puts their hands on Albert."

As Ash discovers, it seems their only way 'in' to Gorley is via his laptop. Danny, desperate to prove himself, following his monumental cock-up in an earlier pigeon con, determines to work something out. Using a deft combination of eye drops, sparkling water and car alarms(!), Ash and Danny not only access Gorley's computer, but download its memory too. It's only a couple more short moves before they discover that Gorley is a film fanatic.

"Showtime!"

Ash calls in several grifters - and favours, Stacie recreates herself as the new Audrey Hepburn and Danny asks Mickey for his promised chance to be the 'Insideman'. Once everything's in place, Mickey gives Danny his final words of wisdom: "Eyes are the window to the soul Danny…. Look in his eyes, think like he thinks…"



Then, posing as American film producer, Jason Elliott, Danny tips up at Gorley's hotel in a flashy car, 'borrowed' in Mickey's own inimitable way. An intrigued Gorley can hardly wait to meet his movie hotshot guest, and invites Danny along for a drink that very night. He's soon introduced to Danny's fellow 'producers', Mickey and Ash, and between them they convince Gorley to invest in a quick scam, involving extras agencies. Having already read up about Jennifer Cole 'the new Hepburn of the movie world', Gorley's very excited to meet her on the set of her latest film. Of course - to any of us - Jennifer looks remarkably like Stacie in an elaborate costume, but Gorley's none the wiser...The deal goes ahead and Gorley makes £10,000 profit in half an hour.



It's not long before they pull him in for the big con - investing £200,000 in Jennifer Cole's big movie deal in Asia. Gorley's not keen at first but a quick 'reminder' from Danny of James Cagney's vaudeville training and Gorley's convinced.



The deal goes ahead and Gorley hands over a banker's draft for £200,000 - just leaving the team to 'blow him off'. As Danny prepares for his first 'shoot-out', everyone's nervous, but no-one has guessed quite how far Gorley's prepared to go to impersonate his screen idol, Cagney, and it lands one of the team in hospital with Albert.


However, revenge is ultimately sweet - but what is Albert's special surprise…?

Top London con artist, Mickey Stone - "He's in a class all his own, a long con player" - is out of prison (for GBH on his wife's new boyfriend), and keen to get back in the game. His old team-mates have been busy while he's been inside: Ash doing the flop, Stacie the dip, and Albert's just continued being Albert - but Mickey wants them back together. This will be Mickey's last score before he retires, so it's important he has the right team.

Danny Blue is a short-con artist, playing the cards, Find the Lady, Poker, anything to improve his skill. But he's desperate to do a long con. Whilst hanging out at London's renowned con artists' bar, Eddie's, he learns that Mickey 'Bricks' Stone is out. Keen to learn from the master, Danny sets off in search of the man behind the legend. However, despite his ability to talk the talk, Danny can't blag his way into Mickey's hotel room. He'll need a better in, if he's going to join this team.


"This crew is not about conning little old ladies out of their pension - they're strictly major league."

Back at the hotel, Albert's got a mark. Peter Williams is a greedy businessman, keen on making money in shares. The con's a go. Albert ropes him, brings him in, introduces him to the insideman (Mickey) and it's all going to plan - until a knock at the door. It's Danny Blue.

Stacie and Albert are unsure. They're at a crucial stage in the scam; Williams has gone for the convincer and they can't risk losing him now, but Mickey lets Danny have his say. Turns out Danny's good - he's worked out they're doing 'the rag' and joins in, backing up Mickey's story. If he wasn't before, Williams is now convinced - he wants in. Danny's also in - he's made it in to Mickey Bricks' gang.



However, Danny comes down to earth with a bump when he's picked up by two police officers, who are investigating the team. Mickey and his hustlers are going down, there's nothing he can do about that, but the question is - does he go down with them? Danny's offered a deal; tell them everything he knows, or suffer like the rest of them. It's not the easiest of choice.



At the hotel, the culmination of all their work - Williams has arrived with a briefcase full of £50s. Danny arrives, tries to say something to Mickey but they're interrupted by armed police running in. Thing is, will Danny remember the advice Mickey gave him?


"First rule, Danny. Look after number one. If you don't, no-one else will..."

It's not so easy when your team of grifters become family...