The Parole Officer

Steve Coogan - Simon Garden
Lena Headey - Emma
Om Puri - George
Steven Waddington - Jeff
Ben Miller - Colin
Jenny Agutter - Victor's wife
Stephen Dillane - DI Burton

Like Tony Hancock before him, Steve Coogan is renown for small screen comic monsters such as Paul Calf and Alan Partridge, like his predecessor, Coogan now attempts the tricky transformation from television performer to big screen film star with a comedy vehicle for his talents. The final product is a gentle heist comedy that brings back memories of Ealing’s great traditions.

Simon Garden (Steve Coogan), a useless parole officer, is so incompetent and unpopular that he soon finds himself transferred from Blackpool to Manchester by his colleagues. This is only the beginning of his Garden’s troubles, after inadvertently witnessing the murder of an accountant he is framed for the crime by corrupt policeman D.I. Burton (Stephen Dillane). The only evidence that can save him is surveillance videotape locked away in a bank vault. He reluctantly decides to recruit the assistance of the only three criminals (Ben Miller, Om Puri and Steven Waddington) he's ever managed to reform to pull off the robbery that will clear his name. His gang is a particularly hopeless crew, but a stunning policewoman, Emma (Lena Headey), finds him so attractive she helps him out in the stickiest of situations.