Code 404 season 1 – start date, cast, plot and all you need to know

Code 404 Danny Mays Stephen Graham
(Image credit: Sky UK / Photographer: Andrea So)

Line of Duty stars Danny Mays and Stephen Graham join forces for this new futuristic crime caper. Here’s all you need to know…

Everyone loves a cop show and futuristic comedy Code 404 is certainly turning the much-loved genre on its head – as one of the cops is brought back from the dead, so he’s part detective, part robot! Interested? Read on...

Code 404 Danny Mays as DI John Major Stephen Graham as DI Roy Carver

Back from the dead: DI John Major (Danny Mays) surprises former partner in crime DI Roy Carver (Stephen Graham) when he comes back to life...

Code 404 start date: When will it be on Sky One?

Code 404 is basically what Line of Duty would be like if it were a comedy – so if you enjoy that show, you’ll love this.

What’s in store?

DI John Major is working undercover on a sting operation for the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) alongside his partner and best mate DI Roy Carver when their cover is blown and Major is shot dead, leaving his wife Kelly devastated.

A year later, however, Major is chosen as the prototype for an experimental police Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) project and brought back to life! But Major 2.0 is still a ‘work in progress’ and, as he and Carver try to track down criminals, hilarity ensues…

Code 404: who’s in it?

This show teams up former Line of Duty alumni Danny Mays and Stephen Graham as the slightly wayward DI John Major (yes, really!) and his straight-laced partner DI Roy Carver, respectively.

Code 404 Danny Mays plays DI John Major

Danny Mays plays the new but perhaps not so improved DI John Major...

"Major is now part man, part A.I. and thinks he’s even better than he was before but his wiring is slightly wrong, so he’s not," Danny reveals about his character. "Major 2.0 gets into all kinds of scrapes and mishaps and it’s usually up to Carver to save him."

Stephen adds about his own character: "For Carver, he knows Major is effectively on probation and that there’s a chance he could be switched off, so he often takes the rap for him."

Stephen Graham plays DI Roy Carver in Code 404

Stephen Graham plays DI Roy Carver, who has the uneviable task of keeping Major in check...

Code 404: any other faces we might know?

The Bletchley Circle’s Anna Maxwell Martin is also a key player in the show as Major’s wife Kelly. While the newly resurrected Major is keen to get his life and marriage back on track, it seems Kelly is hiding a big secret…

"In the year Major’s been dead, Kelly and Carver got together," reveals Danny. "It must be your worst nightmare to have the third person in a love triangle actually come back to life!"

Anna Maxwell Martin plays Kelly

Torn between two lovers: Kelly (Anna Maxwell Martin) is thrown when husband Major comes back from the dead...

Stephen adds: "Carver and Kelly have to decide what’s best to do for Major’s and everyone else’s best interests. This is a comedy but there’s a lot of drama in there as well. That said, I’ve never laughed so much on any job I’ve ever done in my life."

What else do we know about Code 404?

  • The show was filmed at Dagenham Science Park in Essex
  • As Major, Danny has a prosthetic ‘microchip’ fitted to his neck each day. "That’s where Major receives his ‘updates’ from the SIU," he explains. "It takes about half an hour to fit and I can’t really feel it when it’s on. It’s a proper USB port, so if you want to charge your mobile it actually works."
Victoria Wilson
Feature Writer for What’s on TV, TV Times, TV & Satellite Week and WhatToWatch.com

With over 20 years’ experience writing about TV and film, Vicky currently writes features for What’s on TV, TV Times, TV & Satellite Week magazines plus news and watching guides for WhatToWatch.com, a job which involves chatting to a whole host of famous faces. Our Vicky LOVES light entertainment, with Strictly Come Dancing, Britain’s Got Talent and The Voice UK among her fave shows. Basically, if it’s got a shiny floor, she’s all over it! When she’s not watching TV, you might find Vicky in therapy… retail therapy that is!