As this episode of The Night Caller or Black Cab begins, Tony (Robert Glenister) takes a shower to remove blood from his face. Lawrence Brightway (Sean Pertwee) speaks on air during NightTalk while Tony drives his black cab. People call into the radio show to complain about the young people partying and using drugs. Tony stops to clean his cab. One man tells Lawrence that their city is ruined and no one gives a crap anymore. Tony picks up a man who wants to go to Crosby. The passenger recognizes Tony Conroy. He seems surprised that he’s driving a cab. The man tells Tony it wasn’t right the way they treated him. Tony goes to St. Kevins and sees a memorial of sorts outside.
Lawrence talks about how people struggle while Tony goes through his day. He insists he’s there for them because he’s been there. Lawrence thinks people need to look after each other. One night, Tony runs into a problem at the car wash. He almost confronts the cashier but walks into the bathroom instead. Tony calls the radio show and says he’s a cab driver in Bootle. Tony explains that he was a teacher and they were all paralyzed with fear. He was eventually out on his ear. Tony tells Lawrence that the most frustrating thing was that you couldn’t talk to the leadership team. He says his face didn’t fit. Lawrence suspects there was more to it than that. He has to cut off the call to go to the news. Before he does, Lawrence tells Tony that he hears him.
Tony keeps remembering something in the past involving a young boy. Rosa (Suzanne Packer) greets Tony and tells him she’s doing a foundation course. Rob (Stephen Walters) enters moments later. Rob tells Tony he’s seen him around. He reveals he did two tours of Afghanistan. Tony tells him he was a teacher. Rosa comes back with two teas. Rob tells Tony that Rosa’s face lightens up every time he comes into this place. Rob says the night workers remind him of the people in the army. There are those who have trouble and there are those who are trouble. When Tony goes to pay, he hears a conversation about teachers. Lawrence tells his listeners about Tony and what he said about teachers being told exactly what to teach. Tony gives Rosa advice for thinking about matter.
Rosa suggests she can pick his brain over coffee sometime. Once Tony agrees, Rosa gives him her phone number. Back in his cab, Tony listens to Lawrence. Tony picks up books from the library before going to a local supermarket. Later, Tony calls Rosa and leaves a message about getting coffee. He receives a scam call and tells them not to call back. Once Tony gets back in his cab, he calls Lawrence who remembers him. Lawrence mentions what he said about his face not fitting. Tony explains he had more experience so he was being paid more. They could get someone straight out of college and pay them less. Tony says the money is the stick they keep beating you with. They keep beating you until you lose your self-respect and self-worth.
Tony thinks you have to be someone the exact opposite of him. He has to hang up when he gets some rowdy passengers. After the call, Tony continues his night. He keeps thinking about Lawrence. Tony sees Rosa standing outside with Stephen (Anthony Brophy). When Stephen grabs her hair, Tony gets up out of his cab giving Rosa enough time to run inside. Stephen and Tony look at each other until Stephen finally leaves. Tony goes inside and speaks to Rosa about Stephen. Rosa explains he’s her ex. She tells Tony about their relationship and why she didn’t get in touch. Rosa doesn’t think the cops will be of any use. Tony calls Lawrence to tell him there are good guys and bad guys. They talk about police. Tony says he worked for the kids. If the kids thought he was doing a good job, that was good enough for him.
Lawrence agrees and says he works for the listeners. He asks for one of Tony’s best stories. Tony tells him about the time his students locked him in a store cupboard. Lawrence asks for the name of the ringleader so they can give them the right to reply. Tony remembers what appears to be a boy in a pool. The boy is wearing a St. Kevins uniform. Later, Tony gets upset when he can’t use his card to get a drink. Stephen gets up getting into Tony’s cab. He talks to someone on the phone about Rosa doing him in. He is adamant that she’s going to pay and he’s going to enjoy every minute of it. When Stephen gets out, he attempts to intimidate Tony. Then, Tony tries to get in touch with Rosa to warn her. As Tony attempts to reach the café, he hits something and has to change his tire.
Outside the café, Rob tells Tony that Rosa didn’t turn up to work so it’s closed. Tony contemplates getting in touch with the guy who owns the place. He thought Rob would know how to deal with someone like Stephen. Rob sees things he doesn’t want to see when he closes his eyes. That’s why he works night. Rob urges Tony to stay out of it and keep his head down. Lawrence talks about needing to stand up and do something. Tony sees Stephen while driving around. He ends up hitting and killing him. Tony instantly regrets his decision.
The Night Caller Review
The opening episode of The Night Caller or Black Cab set up an interesting story by following the unraveling of a nighttime cab driver. Tony lost his job as a teacher after something possibly happened and he’s still bitter about it. He becomes emotionally attached to a woman in a café named Rosa while listening to Lawrence on NightTalk.
When Tony finds out that Rosa is in danger, he obeys Lawrence’s order to stand up and do something by fatally striking Stephen with his vehicle. Part of the story is unique while the other half is just a copy of every other British mystery. The concept of Tony driving a cab, meeting strangers, and developing a relationship with a radio host is very intriguing.
It could’ve and should’ve ended there. The series didn’t need a murder or a hurried relationship with a woman in a café. These things really weren’t needed and they’re probably going to hurt the overall believability of the series in the long run. After all, they’ve already made Tony look like an idiot.
On the other hand, the performances are strong and the series has an enjoyable, bleak mood. Overall, the first episode wasn’t bad with some elements of the story being more compelling than others. It’s four episodes and easy to watch so it’d be easy to justify sticking with it. The episode scores a 5.5 out of 10. Recaps of The Night Caller can be found on Reel Mockery here.
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Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
