Plunkett (Robert Carlyle) is a highwayman who's partner is killed by the evil Police Detective Chance (Ken Stott). He soon hooks up with disgraced soldier Captain Macleane (Johnny Lee Miller) to continue robbing the rich to fund his move to America. Things get a little bit muddled for them when Macleane falls in love with Lady Rebecca (Liv Tyler) and Chance comes closer and closer to nailing them.

The two aristocrats introduced to Plunkett and Macleane by Rochester are called Dixon and Winterburn. These are the names of two players for the English football team Arsenal during the late 1980's / early 1990's and part of Arsenal's famous "back four."

French Count:
I hope they hang you in Tyburn for your bad French.


Macleane:
Merci Monsieur. I hope it rains every day of your fucking visit.

Factual errors: While there was an Earl of Rochester extant in 1748, he would have been 76 years old, and was certainly not known as a bisexual profligate. The character seems to be based upon John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester who lived during the reign of Charles II and died in 1680.

Written by Craig Armstrong, Marius De Vries
Performed by Craig Armstrong