In the lift, Oli glowers. Cooper’s the one who is out of line. In fact, she wouldn’t have to worry about him at all if he hadn’t bluffed his way into working with her. She wrestles with the resentment that burns through her. Maybe he’ll come around once the first episode is done. No matter what he says, she knows he’s nervous about it; perhaps that’s why he’s acting so childishly. It’s a shame, because they were getting into a rhythm. But they can hardly keep working together if they’re not talking, and this first episode is the easy one. She feels another flutter of her own nerves at the thought of her voice being blasted out into the world. Publishing articles never feels this confronting, and a big part of her wants to head back upstairs and tell Cooper she wants out.

Compared to the quiet of his studio, the newsroom is a madhouse. Her colleagues are still hostages to the bank of screens, typing with one eye fixed on the news reports. An intern in a tie-dyed boilersuit stands at the printer, stapling sheets of paper together before they even have a chance to hit the tray.

‘We’re running it with or without your quote,’ Brent says firmly into his mobile as she walks past. ‘I’ll give you until four pm to come back to me.’ He hangs up with the wild-eyed look of a spooked kitten. Pia’s cheeks are flushed as she types a message on her phone, her foot tapping against the floor.

Remnants of a birthday cake sit on the corner of TJ’s empty desk, a knife lying across the crumby carcass. Oli’s insides clench at the memory of his strange intervention in the car park. They should talk properly, cut the bullshit, but the whole thing just feels so tedious. She really hates the politics, she always has, and she’s aware that her refusal to aggressively play the game might mean she loses. TJ, however, is clearly in his element.

The TV footage cuts to Bowman stepping out from police headquarters. Mics and phones are thrust into his face. He ushers the media away, not bothering to hide his irritation. The entire newsroom quietens; people freeze mid-task or hastily end phone calls.