The gang return to BBC One for a seventh series of Hustle in January, with some new, ingenious and brilliant plans to relieve the filthy rich of some of their ill-gotten wealth.
Albert is played by Robert Vaughn, Mickey by Adrian Lester, Ash by Robert Glenister, Sean by Matt Di Angelo, Emma by Kelly Adams and Eddie by Rob Jarvis.
> Order the Series 1-7 boxset on Amazon.
Episode 1
Friday 7th January 2010, 9pm
Albert has three new marks lined up for the five tricksters: arrogant aristocrat Viscount Manley, corrupt MP Jeremy Garret and shady judge Stanley Mead. The group of hustlers can’t decide which mark is most deserving of their special treatment, but when Eddie’s niece is caught up in a modelling scam, the choice is made for them…
Wendy Stanton, CEO of Model Devotion, is a failed model, scamming £100,000 each year from naive young girls hoping to make it in the modelling business. Ruthless, hard-nosed and ambitious, Wendy wants to hit the big time and hates parting with money; cue the Hustle gang.
Mickey poses as emerging fashion guru Hilary King, who is launching a new line of women’s clothing at Milan Fashion Week. He approaches Wendy looking for a face for the line, deliberately selecting Eddie’s niece from the list of potentials. As the con unfolds, Mickey tries to persuade Wendy to invest a substantial amount of cash into the fashion line with the help of Ash and Sean, who are posing as his business associates.
When Wendy’s reluctance to part with money becomes problematic, Emma steps in to play a premium psychic life coach exploiting Wendy’s superstitions. She attempts to convince Wendy that investing in the fashion line is her one big opportunity with a few clever tricks. But will the hustlers succeed and teach Wendy a lesson on behalf of Eddie’s niece?
Episode 2
Friday 14th January 2010, 9pm
The Hustle gang are near to closing a small con in a café, until Joe Ryan – an old flame of Emma’s – turns up unexpectedly and blows their cover. Intrigued to see what he’s been up to since the pair last met, Emma arranges to meet him for a glass of wine…
She soon discovers that his wife tragically died a few months earlier, causing Joe to take six months off work to care for their son. Now poor Joe is knee-deep in debt and set to lose his home after becoming involved with a dodgy money-lending business called Dosh4you. With Emma unable to let go of the past, it looks like the Hustlers have found their next mark.
Leaving Albert in London, Mickey, Ash, Sean and Emma head to Birmingham in order to reel in their target – entrepreneur and founder of Dosh4you Georgina Althorp. However, despite her many business achievements, Georgina can’t escape her lowly background – try as she might to become accepted in the circles of the social elite.
The team conjure up a brilliant con to entice Georgina with what she most desires: a title and a castle to go with it. But the Hustlers soon find it harder than they’d initially thought to give the ruthless businesswoman a taste of her own medicine.
Episode 3
Friday 21st January 2010, 9pm
It’s the ultimate showdown for the hustlers as they take on their trickiest mark yet. Mickey and Albert pay a visit to the first Wendell Casino to open in Britain. The Wendell family have run casinos for generations and are notorious for their strict policy on cheaters, vowing to take down anyone who tries to con them. The no-nonsense family loathe “grifters”, adding photos to their very own wall of shame once they’ve been caught, to ensure their days of dishonesty are over.
Albert is angered to find that a photo of his great-great-granddad, Charlie Stroller, has pride of place on the wall. The casino’s current owner, Marcus Wendell, claims that Charlie was the first ever grifter that the Wendell family caught. Knowing that Charlie was innocent, Albert is prepared to pay any price to clear Charlie’s name and have the photo taken down, even if it means the Hustle gang have their own photos added in its place.
Albert proposes a high-stakes deal to Marcus. If the Hustlers can win a game on the original Wendell roulette wheel, under Marcus’s watchful eye, the photo comes down. However, if they lose, their days as grifters are over as there’s no coming back from being busted by a Wendell.
It’s poker chips at dawn as the Wendell versus Stroller rematch commences. Mickey, Albert, Ash, Sean and Emma are the best in the business, but can they outsmart someone who knows all the tricks in the book?
Episode 4
Friday 28th January 2010, 9pm
Albert, Mickey, Ash, Sean and Emma pay respects to one of their own when they attend the funeral of a fellow grifter Benny. Benny had a long history with the Hustle gang, having helped Mickey out of a sticky situation many years ago and nearly taken Ash’s place in the group. But it looks like Benny’s days of the long con aren’t actually over…
On his way to the bookies after the funeral, Ash bumps into a panicked man that looks suspiciously like Benny. Convinced he’s seeing things, Ash chases after the lookalike only to find that it is in fact Benny, the very same Benny whose funeral he’s just left. Keen to get some answers, Ash takes Benny for a drink.
Benny reveals to Ash that he’s lost his grifter mojo, forcing him to become involved with Danush, a dodgy credit lender. After multiple gambling loses, Benny has been left deep in debt and, with no way of paying Danush back, faking his own death was his only option.
The hustlers then discover that Danush is having problems with his regular supplier of cigarettes. In a win-win situation for the gang, they realise they can help a fellow grifter and make some serious cash in the process. The con is on!
Episode 5
Friday 11th February 2010, 9pm
When Ash finds out that the local football club where he grew up has gone bust and closed down, he suggests the Hustle gang should tackle the greed that has taken over the great game, as the drama continues. Of course, the team stand to make loads of cash in the process!
Railton FC fell at the hands of Don Coleman, a ruthless football agent who is prepared to step over anyone who gets in the way of him making money. Coleman pulled a clever trick on the football club using the small print in a talented young player’s contract. As a result, the club didn’t get a transfer fee when the player left, leaving it in piles of debt it couldn’t pay off. It’s time for the Hustlers to give Coleman a taste of his own medicine, playing the game of the long con…
Sean poses as Brandon Harris, a star striker from Canada looking to relocate to England, with Ash acting as his manager. The pair gain Coleman’s trust by involving him in a transfer deal which will make him some serious cash before Mickey, who plays the role of an investment facilitator, goes to reel him in.
When Ash has an accident and develops a rare condition that means he can’t lie, it looks like it won’t just be the con that’s over but Ash’s days as a grifter as well. Can Mickey, Albert, Sean and Emma convince the seemingly untouchable Coleman to score an own goal, or will they be shown a red card?
Episode 6
Friday 18th February 2010, 9pm
After an all-night card session, the team arrive at Eddie’s bar to find they’ve received an unusual delivery. When the gang look inside the box, they’re surprised to find Cool Hand Cooper – a well-known character in the grifting world. It soon becomes apparent that he posted himself to the bar as part of an elaborate prison break and he is now in grave trouble.
Cooper used to be the best safe-cracker in the game. But he got himself into a spot of bother a decade ago when he stole some diamonds and he has been serving a long prison sentence ever since. However, just before he was thrown into the slammer, he managed to bury the jewels and now he needs the team’s help to find them.
Cooper is desperate to unearth the sparklers after discovering that they belong to well-known Mafia family the Bachinis. He knows that if he doesn’t return the stones to their rightful owner soon, he could end up swimming with the fishes…
Mickey also knows that people shouldn’t get involved with the Mafia unless they like danger. But, when Eddie’s bar is set on fire, he realises that he doesn’t have a choice and is forced to help Cooper. Just when things look like they couldn’t get any worse, the crew discover the somewhat inconvenient burial place of the diamonds.
As the team start to set their plan into action, Albert has an unexpected visitor from his past who has some news that will change his life for ever…
> Order the Series 1-7 boxset on Amazon.
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