Industry returns for fourth season on BBC One with sharpened satire

Independent.co reports that Industry returns to BBC One this week for its fourth season, arriving with more hype than ever and a merciless, unflinching tone. The series follows Tender — a payments processor for seedy porn and gambling sites — as it tries to go legit. Founders Whitney (Max Minghella) and Jonah (Kal Penn) are applying for a banking licence that requires involvement from financial institutions and government officials, prompting questions about the clean‑up of the self‑styled "PayPal of bukkake." Harper (Myha’la) is burning through another volatile self‑started fund, while Yasmin (Marisa Abela) tries to massage the ego of her husband Henry (Kit Harington), who has slipped into substance abuse since the failure of his start‑up, Lumi; "I failed upwards and then failed totally," he says.

When Industry first appeared in November 2020 it focused on City graduates; now those interns are masters of the universe, and the show emphasises how trauma and brutality become cyclical. Writers Mickey Down and Konrad Kay have expanded the canvas and added new players including Kiernan Shipka and Charlie Heaton, but kept the series' commitment to unlikeability and sharp social commentary.

The review highlights Myha’la’s evolution of Harper and Harington’s portrayal of Henry, cites memorable lines such as "jerking off is recession‑proof" and "there should be a tariff on podcast equipment," and argues Industry is more about alliances and fragile truces than deals.

Key Topics

Culture, Industry, Tender, Harper, Yasmin, Banking Licence