Hustle (2004)

Gold Mine

The gang are back and despite his better judgement, Mickey gives Danny a chance to run his own scam. However, the object of the scam has a habit of sending con men to jail so the risks for the gang are high. And it doesn't make them feel any better to discover that Danny plans to convince the man, a savvy property developer, that there's a goldmine in the heart of London.

Confessions

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?

The Lesson

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.

Missions

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?

Old Acquaintance

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....?

Eye of the Beholder

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? Yes indeed they will, they managed to full the police and flee the city. They're up to more cons in the third season.

Be My Eminem

Mickey's team is back in London, so the con is on. Just back from Las Vegas, the crew is a little low on funds, so their eager to get back in the game. Their target? Benny Frazier (Mel Smith), a pub owner with obnoxious airs and an illegal immigration smuggling operation on the side. The in? Benny's son, Joey (Ben Smith), thinks of himself as the British Eminem, but in reality is a talentless fool. Albert happily ropes Benny in by telling him about a friend's son (Danny) who is big in the record industry. Unfortunately this time Mickey and co. haven't covered up their tracks as well as think. Who will save them once Benny realises he has been conned ? Regardless of the outcome, one thing is for sure, Mickey, Stacie, Albert, Ash and Danny will do it in style in launching the third season of this BBC hit show!

Leader of the Pack

After two seasons of clashes of style and methods, Mickey and Danny finally put it all on the line. In a head-to-head competition, the two men are dropped naked in the middle of London and must use all of their skills as con man to make it through the day - whomever has acquired the highest monetary value of goods wins. The rub is that if Mickey loses, he declares that he'll hand over the role of leader to Danny. Are big changes a foot? Will Danny's moxie ultimately win him control of the crew?

Whittaker Our Way Out

Fellow con-man James Whittaker Wright III (Richard Chamberlain) enlists the help of the Hustle crew to avenge his legendary grifter grandfather's treatment by Cornfoots Merchant Bank. Posing as entrepreneurs and investors, they plan to take the bank in a complicated scam, but after Danny derails things, everyone is caught up in trying to save the con. Have the Hustle crew forgotten just how devious James Whittaker Wright III can be?

The Bollywood Con

An old friend of Albert's asks for his help in bringing down ruthless sweatshop owner Kulvinda Samar, who has caused his family and the Asian community a great deal of pain. The team discover he is a Bollywood fanatic and step into action with a classic movie investor con, but the plot is jeopardised when they become almost too good at their job.

Royal Scoop

A newspaper editor and his sneaky reporter publish untrue reports about Stacie's close friend Emily, so the team step into action to find a way of exposing their greed and immorality. They come up with a con involving a far-fetched tale claiming the Queen Mother actually died during the Blitz and a double was drafted in to take her place, and convince the journalists to print it.

The Ghost

The Hustle crew find themselves under the thumb of DCI York, an unconventional cop set on catching "The Ghost" - the legendary thief Adam Rice. DCI York blackmails the the gang into helping him, so they make contact with Rice and talk their way into his latest scam. While stealing from a country-house, they try to arrange for Rice to get caught red-handed. Can the Hustle gang escape this dodgy copper, or will York nick them all?

As One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest, One Flew In

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?

Signing Up to Wealth

Getting Even

A Designers Paradise

Conning the Artists

Big Daddy Calling

Return of the Prodigal