The BBC is well-known for its crime dramas – but Giri/Haji isn’t your usual Beeb fare. The eight-episode series, written by Joe Barton, is a thriller set across London and Tokyo, taking in Yakuzas, gang warfare, and the British criminal underworld, with a cast boasting the likes of Kelly Macdonald and Justin Long, as well as Japanese stars like Takehiro Hira and Yōsuke Kubozuka. All eight episodes are available to binge on iPlayer – and if you’ve got to Episode 4, you’ll have seen the ambitious Battle Of Soho sequence.
Empire and Pilot TV has an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the battle, with Justin Long acting as a guide through the carefully-choreographed carnage. “I’ve never been that close to such a big, epic shoot-out, so it’s been really fun,” says Long of the shoot. “So many of the stunt guys are actually in the scenes, so we get to work side by side with them.” There are exploding cabbages, people being kicked out of windows, real blanks being fired, walls being blown up, and much more, plus insights into the fluid cinematography that makes the sequence so immersive. Watch the full clip here.
Episodes of Giri/Haji are airing weekly on BBC Two every Thursday night – but who are we kidding, you’ll want to watch the whole thing back-to-back-to-back on BBC iPlayer right now.