On BBC1’s Question Time in 2003, in the wake of the Twin Towers atrocity, Sir Frederick Forsyth casually remarked that, years earlier, he had decided against writing a thriller in which hijackers fly a plane into a skyscraper.

The idea was too plausible and easily copied, he said.

And he knew how dangerous that could be — his superbly believable 1971 novel The Day Of the Jackal, filmed with Edward Fox as the meticulous assassin, included a blueprint for obtaining a fake passport and identity.

More than 50 years later, criminals still use the Jackal’s method, applying for papers in the name of children who died in infancy.

As the remake with Eddie Redmayne reached its first series finale, we received another handy tutorial: how to blow up a camper van.

Simply place a petrol can on the front seat. Open the Calor gas jets on the stove, without lighting them.

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The Mail’s TV critic is blown away by the explosive last episode of Eddie Redmayne’s hitman saga The Day of the Jackal. Pictured: Eddie Redmayne as the Jackal

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The last episode of this opening season, setting up the storylines for the show’s return, was crammed with spectacular moments to send the adrenaline surging. Ursula Corbero (pictured) plays Nuria – the Jackal’s unsuspecting wife

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Lashana Lynch (pictured) plays Bianca – an MI6 agent trying to track down the Jackal

Then wrap an aerosol can of hairspray in tin foil, place that in the microwave and set it to full wattage. Now walk away.

By the time you’re 100 yards off, there’ll be a satisfying explosion and a fireball above tree level.

The last episode of this opening season, setting up the storylines for the show’s return, was crammed with spectacular moments to send the adrenaline surging.

A roadblock in a tiny Croatian hilltop village triggered a car chase worthy of Steve McQueen, as Redmayne raced a hatchback through streets so narrow that police cars in pursuit became wedged and motorcycle outriders went tumbling over cobbles.

The Jackal himself survived two crashes that appeared fatal at first, the second without any hint of an explanation.

In one scene, he was speeding towards a Spanish airport when a gunman in the car behind apparently blasted his windows out.

In the next, bloodied and disguised, he was stepping off a tram in Budapest.

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The show was renewed last month for a second season, so we’ll have to wait for his full explanation – for now, it’s a classic case of the Dick Bartons: ‘With one bound, he was free’

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High-octane action and wry humour isn’t all this Jackal delivers as the cast are outstanding

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In one scene in the explosive last episode the Jackal was speeding towards a Spanish airport when a gunman in the car behind apparently blasted his windows out

His contact, the go-between Zina (Eleanor Matsuura), took in his dyed hair and cheap sunglasses at a glance. ‘You look like a battered Italian waiter,’ she said.

‘Not quite what I was going for,’ he admitted ruefully. But when she asked what had happened, he just shrugged.

The show was renewed last month for a second season, so we’ll have to wait for his full explanation – for now, it’s a classic case of the Dick Bartons: ‘With one bound, he was free.’

High-octane action and wry humour isn’t all this Jackal delivers.

The cast are outstanding, their characters clearly defined: Charles Dance as the amoral billionaire, quite insane beneath his cold exterior; Lia Williams as the duplicitous head of the secret service, all injured innocence and double crosses; Ursula Corbero as the broken-hearted Nuria, realising the man she loves is merely the facade for a psychopathic hitman.

And it all looks sensational.

In a climactic shootout, the Jackal and his nemesis, Bianca Pullman (Lashana Lynch), confronted each other through a two-way mirror — her bathed in blue light, him in red.  Stunning.