DQ100 - Content London

Drama Quarterly’s guide to the biggest series and the actors, directors and writers making them

THE HIT THRILLER BASED ON JESS RYDER’S BESTSELLING NOVEL

THE BAFTA -NOMINATED SMASH HIT SERIES RETURNS

Eight-Time A A C T A - n o m i n a t e d series starring T r a v i s F i m m e l

ON LOCATION: Mudtown

DQ heads to South Wales to hear from the stars and creatives behind this drama that brings together a local magistrate and a criminal kingpin.

IN PRODUCTION: Outrageous

Exec producer Elizabeth Kilgarriff and writer Sarah Williams reflect on this six-part dramatisation of the lives of the aristocratic Mitford sisters in 1930s Britain.

WELCOME TO THE DQ100

Drama Quarterly editor Michael Pickard introduces this special issue.

DQ100: Actors

DQ100: Directors

Our pick of 20 actors whose performances are really catching the eye.

Find out who’s behind some of the most eagerly anticipated new projects.

DQ100: Writers

DQ presents a mix of new and established names behind some of the hottest series coming to TV.

DQ100: Series

Our selection of 20 new and upcoming series worth staying in for.

DQ100: Trends & Trailblazers

The people, places and things providing the biggest talking points in television drama in both the past year and the months ahead.

SCENE STEALERS: Weiss & Morales

FACT FILE: Dangerous Truth

OF THE BEST: Sara Richardson

Director Trent O’Donnell

Sarah Parish in Curfew, which is in our pick of series

In the thick of it

The South Wales town of Newport is the setting for Ar y Ffin (Mudtown), a crime drama that sees a local magistrate and a criminal kingpin brought together in a story about what people will do for their families. DQ gets stuck in with stars Erin Richards, Tom Cullen, producer Hannah Thomas and writers Hannah Daniel and Georgia Lee to find out more.

utside a sprawling mansion on the outskirts of Newport in South Wales, tempers are fraying. This is the home of Saint Pete, a notorious criminal kingpin operating in the town – but here he is firmly being put in his place after being ordered to pay back a large sum of money.

“When I come, it is to talk,” his visitor explains. “When they come, it is not to talk.” DQ is on set to watch this scene from Ar y Ffin (Mudtown), a six-part crime drama commissioned by Welsh-language broadcaster S4C and UKTV’s U&Alibi. Shot back-to-back in Welsh and English, it is produced by Severn Screen – the makers of Craith (Hidden) and Steeltown Murders – and distributed by All3Media International.

Gotham’s Erin Richards (pictured) stars as experienced magistrate Claire Lewis Jones, who faces personal turmoil while presiding over cases at Newport Magistrates’ Court. When Ned Humphries, a childhood friend of Claire’s daughter Beca (Lauren Morais), faces arson charges, Claire’s loyalty to her community is put to the test.

Matters are made worse when Saint Pete (Tom Cullen) – a man who shares a close personal history with Claire – appears on the scene. As she delves deeper into the case, and suspicions grow around Beca’s bad-boy boyfriend Sonny (Lloyd Meredith), Claire uncovers a web of criminality that could put her and her family at risk, with the lines between her maternal instincts and her commitment to the rule of law becomng blurred.

On set in June, it’s day 48 of a 75-day shoot as filming continues apace on block two, which comprises episodes four, five and six. With the cameras setting up on the winding driveway in front of Saint Pete’s mansion, “it’s everything you’d expect a Newport kingpin to have,” Severn Screen producer Hannah Thomas says about the location. “He’s got his pool, he’s got his manicured lawns and a fountain in the front garden. It’s lovely, and the crew love it because there’s plenty of room. We’ve been in some pretty gnarly locations, so it’s always a treat to film here.”

When the cameras roll, it’s for a scene featuring Saint Pete, who is being questioned over the loss of a substantial amount of money by an associate called Agron (Dritan Kastrati). “So it’s a kind of turf war playing out in his house, encroaching on his family life and making everyone feel on edge,” Thomas explains.

“The action set pieces are always the ones that are a bit more challenging, especially because there’s a lot more action than [other Severn series] Hidden or Steeltown Murders. We’ve spent three nights filming in Saint Pete’s garage, and then we did a really amazing scene where Saint Pete was essentially su ocating one of his minions who double-crossed him – bag over the head, proper gangster shit.”

Cullen is known for parts in The Gold, Insomnia, Becoming Elizabeth, Knightfall and The Six, as well as a leading role in one of Black Mirror’s standout episodes, season one’s The Entire History of You. Yet the role of Saint Pete is one he never imagined he’d get to play. “In my older age, I’m quite a gentle person,” he says. “Violence doesn’t come to me >

naturally, but I do get cast in these violent roles sometimes and it is scary for me. I have to tap into something that is not me.”

During filming, “I just have to try to be as relaxed as possible, which opens up the doors to psychopathy or violence. And the thing about Pete is I don’t think he’s a psychopath at all. But what he’s learned is that violence is a tool he can use. So as an actor, I have to understand what that tool is and I have to justify it and realise that he isn’t necessarily a violent man; he just has to have violence in order to maintain control.”

But when Cullen is called on to perform one of the drama’s most violent scenes – Saint Pete can erupt at a moment’s notice – they can take their toll. “We had a scene where I had to torture someone and it does leave me shaky because you have to really go into a very dark place,” he says. “I got home and I couldn’t sleep for hours. You have to really try to learn to purge it.”

His juxtaposition with Claire, a respected magistrate, is at the heart of the story. After an early romance between the pair, they took di erent paths, only to meet again years later.

“You have these two people who have known each other since they were teenagers, and one’s taken one path and the other’s taken another path and it’s really di cult to know which one’s better o ,” Cullen says. “Is it the guy who’s had to make a life of crime in order to survive and provide for his family, or the woman who has gone the other way but their financial circumstances are completely di erent? It raises a lot of really interesting, complex questions.”

Originally from Wales, Cullen has enjoyed the chance to return to his home country and work “in the Welsh accent.” But as Pete is an English-speaking character, the actor didn’t have to double up on scenes in Welsh. “It feels such a Welsh story. In so many ways, it’s not specifically a Welsh story, but the environment and the characters feel unique to Newport as well,” he says. “I haven’t seen that before, and that feels really exciting. The Welsh crew are just phenomenal. They’re one of the best crews I’ve ever worked with and it’s just lovely. It’s just such a nice atmosphere. The character I’m playing is so challenging for me and something I never really thought I would get to do. So it’s terrifying, but I’m really enjoying it.”

Saint Pete, he explains, is a product of his environment, hailing from one of the most deprived areas of the UK and being shaped by the time he spent in prison as a young man.

O screen, making Mudtown has proven to be a particularly happy time for Cullen, who has been reunited with a number of Welsh colleagues among the cast and crew, not least Richards. The pair are old friends, and Richards even introduced Cullen to his partner.

“It was lush to work with him,” Richards says of her co-star. “We did a short together [2010’s Balance] when we were about 20 or something. I played a blind surfer. He was my boyfriend, so we kept making reference to that, and actually one of the crew members worked on it as well, so we had a bit of a laugh. But we’ve known each other and supported each other through our whole careers so it’s really nice to actually be able to work together.”

Like Cullen, Richards was excited to take a leading role in a Welsh drama. Mudtown is also notable for the fact that it marks her first major screen role since returning to Wales after living and working in the US for a number of years – a return that coincided with the arrival of her baby son, who was a popular visitor to the set.

“I was very scared about doing the Welsh language of it all because, even though I am a fluent Welsh speaker, I haven’t acted in Welsh for a very long time,” she says of her bilingual duties. “A lot of the time, what I was doing on this job was just quickly translating the English into Welsh in my head because I found it hard to learn the Welsh lines exactly.”

Richards’ Claire works as a magistrate in a volunteer role that she pairs with another job to earn money to support her family alongside husband Alun (Matthew Gravelle). When Saint Pete reappears, her whole world is thrown into turmoil.

“Claire came up through quite a chaotic upbringing. She came from a slightly less affluent family and got into a lot of trouble when she was younger that you find out has consequences for her older life,” Richards explains. “She’s fiercely loyal. She’s funny. She’s really dogged. She’s got a strong sense of justice now in her magistrate role.

“When we meet her, she’s been a magistrate for a few years and she has this relationship with Saint Pete. She’s

Erin Richards stars as magistrate Claire, opposite Tom Cullen as gangster Saint Pete

got this past with him and that means she gets dragged into the criminal underworld of Newport, which she thought she’d left behind. As we watch her through the series, she’s trying to balance this past with being a mother, a wife and a magistrate. That all comes to a head as the series ends.”

Directed by Rhys Carter ( Yr Amgueddfa ) and Chris Forster ( Hidden ), Mudtown is penned by new writing duo Hannah Daniel and Georgia Lee, who have been friends since they studied English literature together at university. Daniel is best known for acting roles in Hinterland and Une Bore Mercher ( Keeping Faith ), while Lee is a magistrate who drew on that experience for Mudtown

The choice of a magistrates’ court – where the majority of criminal cases begin their journey through the legal system in England and Wales – as the basis for a television drama emerged because “it is inherently a very dramatic place,” Lee says. “Even if the crime is not a big crime like murder or a huge conspiracy or fraud, it’s often where these big turning points happen in people’s lives, where there are two di erent paths they can go down – are they going to get another chance or not?”

Lee was also interested in the idea of a volunteer magistrate and the specific tone of the court, “which can be really harrowing but it also can be really funny,” she says. “The legal advisors are brilliant and all the different court staff and the characters… it’s just this really rich world of characters to dive into. There’s this great feeling with a lot of the crimes that you could be seeing them in Victorian England or even in Ancient Rome. Justice is just continuing to go along, and these people are doing the best they can to execute it. So that was kind of the inspiration.”

Developing the series began with Claire, a “salty, tenacious South Walian warrior” who is a pillar of the community and has worked hard to earn her place on the magistrates’ bench. Lee and Daniel are both new parents, with five young children between them, so they were also clear the series should address the anxieties parents face about how much control they have over who their children become and how far people go to protect their families.

“That is really universal, which is why it will hopefully connect with audiences everywhere,” producer Thomas says.

“Claire’s placed in the worst dilemma – how far will she go to save her daughter, who’s made some really appalling life choices, and does a mother’s love trump the sense of duty she feels towards the magistracy? Saint Pete has got to uphold a lifestyle, so how far will he go to protect that? That’s the

commonality that brings everyone together – how far will you go to protect the ones you love? It sounds vague but, when you watch the series, it penetrates every scene and every character.”

“There’s also a central theme of survival – everybody is trying to survive,” says Daniel, “and for all of our judgement of Saint Pete and his way of life, he’s trying to do the same as Claire. He’s trying to support a family in an unfair world. He’s had to work hard to get anywhere. And this is the life he’s chosen and he’s being successful at it.”

Lee and Daniel have been “sitting around trying to make each other laugh and telling stories” since they met, and have more than five years’ worth of ideas, scripts and short films to show for their writing partnership so far. Mudtown is now their first series together, and during development they filled whiteboards with ideas and story details before splitting episodes between themselves and then passing drafts back and forth.

“The starting point was if we had a really heroic moral character, what would motivate her to want to put her thumb on the scales of justice?” Lee says. “And then we built the story around her using the court this way and the criminals using it as part of their conspiracy. So that was a backbone. Then we knew we wanted to talk about family and ambition and all these other things and we could build around that.”

With Daniel from Cardiff and Lee from Bristol, Newport was the perfect setting located between the two cities. “Most things we’ve worked on together have been Wales-based, and when Georgia talked to me about the court and the gallows humour, it felt like that would lend itself so easily to a South Walian sensibility,” Daniel says.

“It’s totally and shockingly underrepresented, and I do find just generally the Welsh are quite often misrepresented in film and telly,” she continues. “They’re quite often the butt of the joke, so I was dead set on having Claire and all the characters playing to their highest intelligence. These are smart people. And Newport, in terms of its cinematic value, it’s quite mad to us that it’s very unseen. It’s ‘Mudtown,’ and when the tide goes out in Newport it’s just this expanse of mud [on the banks of the River Usk]. It was this amazing image for the sort of story we were telling. That really spoke to us.”

After completing filming earlier this summer, the bilingual version of Ar y Ffin will now debut on S4C and BBC iPlayer on December 29, before the English version, Mudtown , comes to U&Alibi next year.

The Welsh are often misrepresented in film and telly. They’re quite often the butt of the joke, so I was dead set on having all the characters playing to their highest intelligence.

Hannah Daniel Writer

“ ”

Richards has since moved on to her next project, this time directing the second block of Y Golau: Dŵr (Still Waters ), the S4C, Sundance Now and Channel 4 follow-up to another bilingual Welsh and English drama, Y Golau ( The Light in the Hall ). But in her eyes, the success of Welsh drama around the world since breakout hit Y Gwyll (Hinterland ) in 2013 has been “a long time coming.”

“It’s such a brilliant thing for our country,” she adds. “We have such great talent and our crews are insane. We used to lose actors because there wasn’t the industry here to keep them, but now they’re all coming back and they want to do these dramas. Hopefully it’s now Wales’s moment, because we’ve just got such strong talent and our writing is amazing. That we can now show that to the world and get recognition for it is wonderful.” DQ

Lauren Morais is Claire’s daughter Beca, whose boyfriend Sonny (Lloyd Meredith) spells trouble

TOTALLY

Executive producer Elizabeth Kilgarriff and writer Sarah Williams reflect on Outrageous, a six-part series that dramatises the lives of the aristocratic Mitford sisters in 1930s Britain, revealing why the title perfectly describes both its protagonists and the way their story is told.

To paraphrase an old saying, never judge a TV show by its title. Yet it is the name of a new period drama that best sums up its vibrant, modern tone and the attitudes of its protagonists to their life of privilege in 1930s Britain.

Commissioned by UKTV for U&Drama and BritBox International, Outrageous is the story of the aristocratic Mitford sisters, who refused to conform to society or play by the rules as their often-scandalous lives made headlines around the world. The series follows the siblings across six episodes that explore family bonds and betrayals, public scandal, political extremism, love, heartache and imprisonment, with each woman charting a different, complex and dangerous path through life.

“When we stumbled upon that [title], that was really the moment when the whole show gelled,” writer Sarah Williams (Flesh & Blood) tells DQ. “If it was called The Mitford Sisters, I just felt like that would be the dullest possible route to go. We really wanted something that summed up the attitude they had.

“We should be fascinated and shocked by them,” adds executive producer Elizabeth Kilgarriff. “The show doesn’t try to make light of anything. In fact, you enjoy the fact that these are women often behaving badly. There should be a

“

It was about trying to make it feel authentic and true, but with this sense of maturity about it so it doesn’t feel like it’s a period drama. It’s big energy. It’s not quiet, small and delicate. It’s outrageous.

Elizabeth Kilgarriff Firebird Pictures

”

fascination. It’s just so interesting to watch. You think, ‘How did that happen?’”

As one of six children herself, Williams was drawn to the “bold, outspoken” lives of the Mitford sisters and the chance to bring the stories of six transgressive women to the screen. Yet despite the familiarity of the Mitford name – there have previously been TV adaptations of eldest sister Nancy’s novels The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate – “it’s the story you think you know, but you don’t really,” the writer says. “A lot of people have felt, ‘Well, I’ve seen The Pursuit of Love or Love in a Cold Climate, I know that. But the true story, my God, is so much more compelling.”

“Nancy’s books have been adapted and Diana Mitford was [a character] in Peaky Blinders. So they turn up in other things, but no one’s dramatised their story, which feels extraordinary,” says Kilgarriff, whose Firebird Pictures produces the drama. “There’s something very relatable about a big family all sat around a dinner table, all the different rivalries, all the different things that were happening. But the stakes are very high because, actually, they went down different paths, but they did it in such an explosive, scandalous way. They all worked against what they were supposed to do.”

The actors playing the Mitfords include Joanna Vanderham (left) and Bessie Carter

OUTRAGEOUS

Taking Mary Lovell’s biography, The Mitford Girls, as her inspiration, Williams used “thousands” of letters the sisters wrote to each other to capture their individual personalities and tones of voice. That Lovell also knew four of them was “absolute gold dust” to Williams, giving her a personal route into the story.

Distributed by BBC Studios, the series follows the lives of the sisters – Nancy (Bessie Carter), Diana (Joanna Vanderham), Pamela (Isobel Jesper Jones), Unity (Shannon Watson), Jessica (Zoe Brough) and Deborah (Orla Hill) – from the perspective of Nancy, a witty yet not entirely reliable narrator, through the years 1932 to 1936; a time between two world wars when the siblings were able to shrug off their parents’ control after growing up with a very strict father.

The show was filmed in the Cotswolds, the Home Counties and parts of London

“If you think of Jane Austen, who also wrote thinly disguised novels about her own family upbringing, she was also unlucky in love but wrote about romance all the time,” Williams says of Nancy. “There’s a real connection there about those big families of girls who must marry, so that it’s an archetypal story for women. And these women just refused point blank to live the conventional lives that society and their parents wanted for them. They all went in their own very different ways.”

Kilgarriff and Williams wanted to create a fun world for viewers while also tackling some dark themes. But even those moments are punctured by the sisters’ gallows humour over their own predicaments.

Producing the series, which was filmed in the Cotswolds, the Home Counties and parts of London, was about “giving it scale,” Kilgarriff says. “We wanted it to be beautiful, but not over-stylised. There’s an energy to it and there’s an effervescent quality. I feel like I know so many versions of that 1930s, 1940s world, and it was about trying to make it feel authentic and true, but with this sense of maturity about it so it doesn’t feel like it’s a period drama. It’s big energy. It’s not quiet, small and delicate. It’s outrageous.”

In fact, using Nancy as the narrator was another “key” to opening up the series. It’s an element that brings an immediacy to the drama, while the character also serves as an anchor in a show where the sisters all head off in different directions.

“She was the one who was sort of much more down the middle,” says Kilgarriff, “and was able to stand back and observe and go, ‘Gosh, well, can you believe this?’”

With LA-based musician Sami Goldberg giving Outrageous a “punchy, propulsive” soundtrack that is “jazzy, rebellious and anarchic,” Kilgarriff adds: “I hope there’s a modernity and a contemporary feel to the storytelling. The way the story unfolds, it’s not slow. The story keeps turning and you forget you’re in the 30s. You really relate to these women and these characters.”

Williams already has designs on how she might continue Outrageous, taking the Mitfords to the brink of the Second World War in a second season and then seeing their lives during the conflict in a third run that would end with the death of the sisters’ only brother, Tom. “He dies in the very last days of the war. That’s a natural end to this series and it brings all the sisters back together, after they’ve been quite fragmented,” she says. “It’s in my head. If it happens, I don’t know. It’d be interesting to see what the appetite is.”

While period dramas continue to hold a special place on British television – and British period dramas among international viewers – Outrageous promises to be a “different, distinct” proposition when it debuts in 2025 thanks in part to its six female leads and the fact it is based on a true story. “And the eccentricity and, dare I say, the outrageousness,” Williams adds. “That title is a big pull. It’s ticking quite a lot of boxes that you don’t necessarily expect to be next to each other.”

Welcome to the DQ100

Since it first launched in 2014, Drama Quarterly has sought to curate coverage of the boldest, most exciting and ambitious scripted series coming to television at a time when there is more to watch – and more platforms to watch it on – than ever before.

And even if the international drama boom that began a decade ago is slowing down, there’s still a plethora of eye-catching, compelling and addictive scripted series to consume.

DQ aims to help its readers find those shows that stand out from the crowd, the popular hits or the hidden gems that are worth spending hours of their valuable time watching. But Drama Quarterly isn’t just about which shows are being made. It’s also about how they are made.

Uniquely, DQ aims to go deeper into the production process to explore the craft of making TV drama. That means speaking to actors, writers and directors not only about storylines and characters, but also how they do their jobs, from auditioning for roles to setting up writers rooms, storyboarding, stunts and their experiences on set. DQ also seeks to highlight the work of numerous other aspects of production, from costume, production and makeup design to casting, location scouts, visual e ects and music, to find out how those in the business do what they do, both in front of and behind the camera.

DQ also recommends the hottest new shows airing around the world, as well as highlighting some of the actors, writers and

directors with new projects to watch out for. Now, following its launch in 2021, that information has once again been compiled to create the DQ100 — our rundown of some of the most exciting, intriguing and highly anticipated projects airing this year, next year and beyond, and some of the key players worth watching out for — both newcomers in their field and some more established names.

Actors featured in this year’s list include Joel Basman, star of Austrian period drama Ka a; Renegade Nell lead Louisa Harland; new Maigret star Benjamin Wainwright; and Sharon D Clarke, whose credits this year include Mr Loverman and Ellis. Lena Góra, the star of Max’s first Polish original The Easterngate, also features alongside The Seven Dials Mystery’s Mia McKenna-Bruce and Turkish superstar Can Yaman.

Among the directors to appear in the DQ100 are Aisling Walsh, who is helming the Keeley Hawesled Miss Austen; Alauda Ruiz de Azuá from Spanish series Querer; King & Conqueror filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur; Denmark’s Bille August, who is behind a new version of The Count of Monte Cristo; Eva Sigurdardottir, the Icelandic director working on Sarah Vaughan adaptation Little Disasters; and Italian filmmaker Sydney Sibilia, who is working on his first major TV series.

Denmark’s Jenny Lund Madsen, who is behind six-part crime series Graverne (O the Record), features on our list of writers to watch, alongside Kelly Jones, who is dramatising the story of the last woman to be hanged in Britain, in

A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story

Samuel Je erson is the British writer behind German hospital series Krank Berlin; Canadian star Allan Hawco is balancing acting and writing duties on procedural Saint-Pierre; and Victoria AsareArcher has been tapped to as lead writer on the latest Harlan Coben adaptation for Netflix, Missing You

Among the trends and trailblazers highlighted is the spate of biopics devoted to iconic fashion designers, how podcasters are turning into TV’s next detectives, author Harlan Coben himself after the monumental success of Fool Me

Once, True Detective showrunner Issa López and Mr Bates vs the Post O ce, which created a real-world political storm on its launch earlier this year.

DQ editor Michael Pickard introduces this year’s special issue focusing on 100 of the people, shows and trends shaping the TV drama industry in 2024 and beyond.

Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, our picks of series to look forward to include Sky’s The Death of Bunny Munro, based on the novel by Nick Cave; Gaelic-language drama An t-Eilean (The Island); Paramount+ series Curfew; Danish family drama Generationer (Generations); and Spain’s Su Majestad, a comedydrama about a princess catapulted into the public spotlight.

With more television to watch than ever before, the DQ100 seeks to highlight some of the best new shows to tune in for and the people involved in bringing them to the screen. These are our ones to watch.

Director Alauda Ruiz de Azuá

Mr Bates vs the Post Office

Sharon D Clarke in Ellis

Sarah Parish in Curfew

Actor and writer Allan Hawco

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CAMILLE LOU, CON- STANCE LABBÉ & CLAIRE ROMAIN

THIS TRIO HEAD THE CAST OF CAT’S EYES, A LIVE-ACTION DRAMA BASED ON THE CULT MANGA TITLE OF THE SAME NAME. They play the Chamade sisters – Tam (Lou), Sylvia (Labbé) and Alexia (Romain) – who are on the prowl for the most beautiful and protected artworks in Paris. After years apart, they reunite to steal an artwork on show at an exhibition at the Eiffel Tower, and hope their prize might shed some light on

Picked

the disappearance of their father years earlier after a fire at his own gallery. Picked up by Germany’s ZDF, Italy’s Rai, Belgium’s RTL and Switzerland’s RTS – plus Prime Video in Latin America and Japan – before its French premiere on TF1, produced by Big Band Story and distributed by Newen Connect.

Cat’s Eyes is

SÎLVIA ABRIL

ACTOR AND COMEDIAN ABRIL (SEÑOR, DAME PACIENCIA) STARS IN MAMEN MAYO, the first Spanish original series from SkyShowtime. Blending comedy and family drama, each episode follows mediator Mamen (Abril) and her team as they attempt to resolve conflicts of interest within families caught up in inheritance disputes – from a cabin in the woods to a restaurant on the beach, a successful manuscript and a sacred relic. Nostromo Pictures is producing.

Clockwise from left: Lou, Labbé and Romain in Cat’s Eyes

KAYA IS THE STAR OF SORGU (BENEATH THE SURFACE), the Turkish drama that has become the most streamed series to date on local platform TOD. Produced by Karga Seven Pictures and distributed by Eccho Rights, the series follows Kaya’s character, police officer Cihan, who finds herself grappling with a professional and personal crisis when her father is murdered. Compounding her dilemma, she is prohibited from investigating his death herself. Cihan's growing romantic feelings for her colleague assigned to the case, Metin (played by Çağlar Ertuğrul), become even more complicated when Cihan’s sisters emerge as prime suspects. Kaya is one of Turkey’s biggest stars and is also known for roles in Netflix’s Midnight at the Pera Palace, Aşki Memnu, Adını Feriha Koydum and Bizim Hikaye

HAZAL KAYA

ALICIA SILVERSTONE

KIRBY’S BREAKOUT ROLE CAME IN 2016’S ROOTS, A REMAKE OF THE CLASSIC US DRAMA, before he landed appearances in Small Axe entry Mangrove, Black Mirror episode Men Against Fire, Curfew, Devils and feature film Boiling Point, alongside Stephen Graham. He now reunites with Graham on A Thousand Blows, a Hulu and Disney+ series airing in 2025 that will transport viewers into the world of illegal boxing in 1880s Victorian

London. Kirby plays Hezekiah Moscow, who is drawn into the criminal underbelly of the thriving boxing scene and meets Mary Carr (Erin Doherty), leader of notorious all-female gang The Forty Elephants, and Graham’s veteran boxer Sugar Goodson.

Created by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders), the show is produced by The Story Collective in coproduction with Matriarch Productions and Water & Power Productions.

MALACHI KIRBY

THE CLUELESS STAR IS HEADING TO IRELAND FOR IRISH BLOOD, a new series commissioned by Acorn TV that follows a lawyer searching for the truth about her father’s past. The six-part murder mystery stars Silverstone as Fiona, whose life has been marked by her father Declan’s decision to seemingly abandon her and her mother on her 10th birthday. But when a message from her father sends her to Ireland, Fiona learns about a secret family she didn’t know existed and that the reason for her father’s abandonment was a lie. The series is produced by Shaftesbury and Deadpan Pictures, in association with AMC Studios.

Photo: Glenn Francis via CC

Pictures, in association with

SHARON D CLARKE

CLARKE’S NEAR 40-YEAR CAREER BEGAN WITH ROLES IN THE SINGING DETECTIVE, CHILDREN’S WARD AND WAKING THE DEAD, before she appeared in more than 100 episodes of medical series Holby City She’s since had roles in Doctor Who, Showtrial and Lost Boys & Fairies, and this year leads two more series: Mr Loverman and Ellis Mr Loverman sees her star opposite Lenny James in Fable Pictures’ BBC adaptation of Bernardine Evaristo’s novel about Barry (James), a 70-year-old Antiguan-born, exuberant personality who has been married to Carmel (Clarke) for 50 years. But while she suspects him of cheating on her with other women, he has actually

been involved in a secret, decadeslong affair with his best friend Morris. Then in Ellis (pictured), Clarke plays the title character in a three-part series that follows tenacious cop DCI Ellis, who is parachuted in to solve failing investigations.

solve

As a black female cop, Ellis is used to being dismissed and overlooked, but she is a firstclass murder detective, with a determination for justice and a deep well of compassion for those who need it.

The show is produced by Company Pictures for Channel 5 and Acorn TV.

SHAUN EVANS

LIFE POST-ITV DETECTIVE SPIN-OFF ENDEAVOUR IS TURNING OUT TO BE BUSY FOR EVANS, who has a number of projects in the works. They include Until I Kill You, an ITV drama from World Productions that tells the true story of Delia Balmer (Anna Maxwell Martin), who survived a near-fatal relationship with murderer John Sweeney (Evans). He will also star in ITV espionage thriller Betrayal, playing a spy trying to avert a serious and dark threat to national security while making sense of his own place in the world. Produced by Mammoth Screen, filming is due to begin in 2025.

THE SUCCESSION STAR IS FOLLOWING UP THE HIT HBO SERIES WITH THE LEAD ROLE IN ALL HER FAULT Produced by Carnival Films (Downton Abbey) and directed by Minkie Spiro, the suburban thriller is based on Andrea Mara’s book of the same name, which opens with a plausibly terrifying situation that eventually unearths the deep secrets of a community. Marissa Irvine (Snook) arrives at 14 Arthur Avenue expecting to pick up her young son Milo from his first playdate with a boy at his new school. But the woman who answers the door isn’t a mother she recognises. She isn’t the nanny. She doesn’t have Milo. And so begins every parent’s worst nightmare. Megan Gallagher (Wolf) is the creator and writer.

SARAH SNOOK

THE DANISH RAPPER MAKES HER ACTING DEBUT IN SOSU, playing the rebellious Sille in a series that follows the SOSUs (social and health assistants and helpers) who provide care to people living in Copenhagen but are under pressure from tight schedules and internal turmoil. Sille comes under scrutiny when she starts in home care and is trained by the experienced Rie (Iben Hjejle), while Rie has made a deal with team leader Patrick (Zaki Nobel Mehabil) to take over his job if she helps him to get promoted and cover up his mistakes. But when Patrick abuses his power, will Rie protect him or stand up for Sille? The series is produced by Nordisk Film Production for Denmark’s TV2, and is due on air in 2026.

BENJAMIN WAINWRIGHT

THE BELGRAVIA: THE NEXT CHAPTER ACTOR WILL TAKE THE LEAD IN MAIGRET, the first contemporary adaptation of Georges Simenon’s beloved novels about streetwise Parisian detective Julies Maigret. Masterpiece PBS and producer Playground are collaborating on the series, which is filming in Budapest. Stefanie Martini (The Gold) has been cast as Maigret’s wife Madame Louise Maigret.

MIA MCKENNA-BRUCE

SET TO BRING THE WORK OF AGATHA CHRISTIE TO LIFE FOR A NEW GENERATION, McKennaBruce will star in a Netflix series that takes its title from the Queen of Crime’s novel

The Seven Dials Mystery. In 1925 England, a practical joke at a lavish country house party appears to have gone horribly, murderously wrong. It’s then up to the unlikeliest of sleuths – the fizzingly

inquisitive Lady Eileen ‘Bundle’ Brent (McKenna-Bruce) – to unravel a chilling plot that will change her life, cracking the mystery wide open. Described as a witty, epic and fast-paced drama, it comes from Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall and director Chris Sweeney (The Tourist). McKenna-Bruce, who won the Bafta Rising Star award at this year’s ceremony in the wake of her feature film How to Have Sex, will star opposite Helena Bonham Carter (Nolly) and Martin Freeman (The Responder).

CAN YAMAN

ALMOST 50 YEARS AFTER IT WAS LAST ADAPTED FOR TELEVISION, A NEW VERSION OF EMILIO SALGARI’S HISTORIC SAGA SANDOKAN IS IN PRODUCTION – with Yaman in the lead as the titular pirate who wages war with his motley crew against colonial powers in South-East Asia. In Borneo, a tropical paradise inhabited by the native Dayak tribes but dominated by the ruthless law of the colonialist British, Sandokan is a pirate who fights only for himself and his crew. But his life changes when, during a raid, he meets Marianne, the beautiful daughter of the British consul. As he embarks on an impossible love affair with Marianne, he is also called upon to help the Dayak tribes fight for freedom – a road that leads him to become the legendary Tiger of Malaya. The series is produced by Lux Vide for Italy’s Rai and distributed by Fremantle, with Yaman already a superstar in his home country of Turkey following roles in Dolunay (Full Moon), Erkenci Kuş (Daydreamer) and Bay Yanliş (Mr Wrong).

LENA GÓRA

GÓRA BEGAN ACTING AGED 16 ON STAGE IN LONDON AND NEW YORK, before making her TV debut in 2019’s The King of Warsaw. Feature films including Imago and Roving Woman followed, and she is now taking the lead in The Easterngate, the first Max original series from Poland. The suspense thriller delves into the world of modern espionage, following the journey of Ewa Oginiec (Góra) who, after a personal drama, aims to exit the secret service and start her life again. But with Russian war manoeuvres on NATO’s eastern flank, her plans take a turn when her partner, who is also an agent, gets outed by Russian intelligence and vanishes mysteriously. The series, which is set in spring 2021, began filming in March and is directed by Jan P Matuszyński.

MEXICAN ACTOR BONETA (WHO KILLED HIM? LUIS MIGUEL: THE SERIES) WILL STAR IN , a bilingual drama based on the comic book series El Gato Negro. He plays Frank Guerrero, the black sheep of his family, who finds himself at the centre of a vast conspiracy when he discovers his father was the titular 1970s vigilante. When Frank returns home to Mexico after his father’s death and finds his estranged family all vying for control of his father’s business empire, he learns his only inheritance is a seemingly worthless piece of land –which sits atop El Gato’s secret lair. Now he must solve mysteries decades in the making and unravel the truth about his father’s connections to a modernday terror plot. The show is produced by MGM Television for Prime Video.

He

control of his father’s business

DIEGO BONETA

GATO

ALESSANDRO BORGHI

THE AWARD-WINNING ITALIAN ACTOR HAS STARRED IN FILMS INCLUDING THE EIGHT MOUNTAINS, Romulus & Remus: The First King and On My Skin: The Last Seven Days of Stefano Cucchi, as well as long-running roles on TV series such as Devils and Suburra: Blood on Rome. He now takes the lead role in Supersex, a Netflix drama inspired by the life of adult star Rocco Siffredi. Across seven episodes, it explores his family, his origins and his relationship with love to reveal how and when Rocco Tano became Rocco Siffredi, the most famous porn star in the world.

TILLIER TAKES THE TITLE ROLE IN IRIS, a Canal+ series she also created, writes with Constance Verluca and directs with Jean-Baptiste Pouilloux. Produced by Les films entre 2 & 4, the six-parter introduces Iris, who doesn’t often get along with those around her: her boyfriend, the wine merchant, her friends, her sister-inlaw and her colleagues. Longing to find someone who understands her, she meets someone who could be ‘the one,’ only to discover his wife is her editor and the only person who believes in her writing. Tillier has previously been seen in La Flamme and movies including La belle époque, Le Jeu (Nothing to Hide) and Mr & Mrs Adelman

DORIA TILLIER

ANNA SAMSON

SOAP roles in and taking the lead in new spin-off

A FAMILIAR FACE TO FANS OF LONG-RUNNING HOME & AWAY, Samson was a resident in Summer Bay between 2021 and 2022, appearing in more than 120 episodes. The British-born, Australian actor is also known for Dead Lucky, Jack Irish, Wake in Fright Winners & Losers. Now she has become the first female detective in the Death in Paradise universe (‘The Paraverse’) taking the lead in new spin-off Return to Paradise, in which she plays DI Mackenzie

Clarke, an expat who has made a name for herself in London’s Metropolitan Police for cracking uncrackable cases. When she is accused of tampering with evidence, Clarke reluctantly returns to her hometown to join the team at Dolphin Cove Police Station and must attempt to win over her colleagues and the locals who still remember why she fled years earlier. The series is produced by BBC Studios Productions Australia and Red Planet Pictures for the ABC in Australia and the UK’s BBC.

BASMAN (DER ÜBERFALL, KADEWE) STARS IN AUSTRIAN HISTORICAL

DRAMA KAFKA, playing the German-language author in the centenary year of his death. Pitched as an entertaining and humorous approach to his life and character, the sixpart series follows Kafka’s remarkable love affairs with Felice Bauer, Milena Jesenska and Dora Diamant, his difficult relationship with his tyrannical father and his close friendship with Max Brod, who would ultimately come to betray his terminally ill friend. The coproduction from ORF, NDR and Superfilm is distributed by ORF Enterprise.

SUPINDER WRAICH

SORT OF, GUIDESTONES AND COPPER STAR

WRAICH TAKES THE LEAD IN ALLEGIANCE, a Canadian police procedural from Anar Ali, the creator of medical series Transplant

The actor plays Sabrina Sohal, a star rookie officer who must grapple with the limits of the justice system as she fights to exonerate her politician father, in the story of a young woman caught between her allegiance to her flag, her badge and her family. Lark Productions and Universal International Studios are producing for CBC, while NBCUniversal Global Distribution is shopping the drama internationally.

LOUISA HARLAND

JOEL BASMAN

BEST KNOWN FOR HER ROLE AS ORLA MCCOOL IN IRISH COMEDY HIT

DERRY GIRLS, Harland has also appeared in drama The Deceived, Big Boys and Love/Hate Most recently, she starred in Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright’s action-fantasy series Renegade Nell, produced by Lookout Point for Disney+. She plays Nell, a quick-witted and courageous young woman who finds herself framed for murder and unexpectedly becomes the most notorious highwaywoman in 18th century England. And when a magical spirit called Billy Blind appears, Nell realises her destiny is greater than she ever imagined.

English-speaking content with top-class team

*TV-Dags’ list

PEACOCK HAS GIVEN A STRAIGHT-TO-SERIES

ORDER TO MIA, a South Florida-set crime thriller directed by Sollima, whose previous credits include standout Italian dramas ZeroZeroZero and Gomorrah MIA centres on Etta Tiger Jonze, who sees her drug-running family slaughtered in front of her and then sets out to exact justice on those responsible, avenging her blood family while she builds her chosen family and rising from powerless orphan to South Florida’s most powerful criminal queenpin. Ozark co-creator Bill Dubuque is behind the series, which is produced by MRC.

STEFANO SOLLIMA

THE BAFTA-WINNING BRITISH DIRECTOR IS BEST KNOWN FOR FILMS SUCH AS A UNITED KINGDOM AND BELLE, but has been stepping into television through shows including Handmaid’s Tale and Mrs America. Her latest project sees her direct all six episodes of Smilla’s Sense of Snow, a series based on Danish author Peter Høeg’s novel and set in 2040 Copenhagen. Here, Smilla Jaspersen lives in a near-future surveillance state under threat from an impending energy crisis. She is alone and leads a withdrawn life until she meets a young Inuit boy who finds a way to her heart. When the boy

suddenly dies in mysterious circumstances, Smilla wants to know why. Her search for answers leads her to the icy scenery of Greenland and right to the centre of dangerous political power games. The series is a Constantin Film production in coproduction with Viaplay, ARD Degeto Film and Baltic Film Services, in cooperation with Netflix Deutschland and in association with distributor ITV Studios.

1 ST LOCAL FILM AT THE DUTCH BOX OFFICE

FRANCE – GERMANY – SCANDINAVIA – BENELUX – ITALY

1 ST FILM AT THE FRENCH BOX OFFICE OXEN

1 ST FILM IN TERMS OF ADMISSIONS IN DENMARK IL GATTOPARDO DELIVERING ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED SERIES OF THE YEAR

2 ND SEASON OF HIT DRAMA SERIES SHOOTING, TO PREMIERE IN 2025

O’Donnell (centre) with actors Will Forte and D’Arcy Carden

TRENT O’DONNELL

THE COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS, GHOSTS (AUSTRALIA) AND POPULATION: 11 DIRECTOR IS BEHIND TWO UPCOMING SERIES FOR AUSTRALIAN STREAMER STAN. The first, Sunny Nights, sees him working with Will Forte (Bodkin) and D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place) on a darkly comic drama about siblings Martin (Forte) and Vicki (Carden) Marvin, who venture to Sydney determined to start their spray tan business. But when they get caught up in the city's criminal underworld, they must figure out how to stay alive, out of prison and in the black. It is produced by Jungle Entertainment and Echo Lake Entertainment,

with distribution from Cineflix Rights. O’Donnell’s second new project is Good Cop/Bad Cop. It follows Lou (Leighton Meester) and Henry (Luke Cook), a sister and brother detective team in a small Pacific Northwest police force who must contend with colourful residents, a serious lack of resources and their very complicated dynamic with each other and their police chief, Big Hank (Clancy Brown) – who happens to be their father. The CW and Roku are also on board the series, which is produced by Future Shack Entertainment and Jungle Entertainment and distributed by ITV Studios.

ANNE SEWITSKY

THE NORWEGIAN FILMMAKER WAS BEHIND HAPPY, the 2010 feature that became Norway’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards the following year. Her television credits include Castle Rock, A Very British Scandal and Presumed Innocent Now she is partnering with stars Melissa McCarthy and Clive Owen for Paramount+ limited series JonBenét Ramsey (working title), which explores the tragic unsolved murder of six-year-old beauty queen JonBenét and how her parents (played by McCarthy and Owen) deal with the loss of a child under intense public and media scrutiny. It is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios, with production taking place in Calgary.

CARVEL IS BEST KNOWN FOR HIS ONSCREEN ROLES IN SERIES SUCH AS THE CROWN, DOCTOR FOSTER, THE SISTER AND BAGHDAD CENTRAL, not to mention his award-winning stage performances. He is also reprising his role as Adam Dalgliesh for the upcoming third season of crime drama Dalgliesh (pictured) – a run of three more two-part mysteries, once again based on PD James’s literary investigator. Carvel will make his directorial debut on story

two, titled Cover Her Face (episodes three and four). Season three of the series is set in 1979 on the cusp of Margaret Thatcher’s election victory and sees Carvel’s character take on three highly sensitive cases – from a remote seminary already mired in scandal, to a wealthy family under political attack and a spate of killings at a nuclear power station. Dalgliesh is a New Pictures production for Channel 5 and Acorn TV, with All3Media International distributing.

BERTIE CARVEL

ABDULLAHI (TOP DOG) DIRECTS A LIFE’S WORTH, A SIX-PART SERIES INSPIRED BY REAL EVENTS WITHIN THE BOSNIAN CONFLICT IN THE 1990S In autumn 1993, amid the devastating turmoil unfurling in Bosnia, Swedish UN soldiers embarked on a perilous mission to bring peace to a fractured land. The series follows the journey of a group of young soldiers and their commander as they struggle with the complexities of war. The show is produced by Sweden’s Jarowskij/Yellow Bird for Arte France and Viaplay Content Distribution.

AHMED ABDULLAHI JULIA FORD

FORD (SHOWTRIAL, THE BAY, SAFE) WILL TAKE CHARGE OF THE NEXT BBC DRAMA FROM TIME WRITER JIMMY MCGOVERN. Exploring the impact of sexual abuse and grooming on one family, the as-yet-untitled show centres on the Mitchell family, who are dealing with the devastating aftermath of an act of abuse, and the knowledge that it was perpetrated by a member of their own family who, after serving his sentence, has just been released from prison. Anna Friel, Bobby Schofield, Anna Maxwell Martin, David Threlfall and Mark Womack are among the cast of the 90-minute show, which is produced by LA Productions. Ford is also a recognisable face on screen thanks to acting roles in Happy Valley, Frankie and Room at the Top, among other series.

PETER GRÖNLUND

GRÖNLUND HAS PARTNERED WITH NETFLIX AND PRODUCTION COMPANY NINJAHUSET FOR SYNDEN, a Swedish crime series he has also created and written. The drama, due in 2025, centres on perpetually angry and odd but highly intelligent investigator Dani (Krista Kosonen), who is partnered with new police graduate Malik (Mohammed

Nour Oklah) to investigate the death of a teenager on the Bjäre peninsula – leading them to become involved in a dark family feud that has been going on for generations. Grönlund’s previous work includes Björnstad (Beartown), a “dark fairytale” about a small-town hockey team and a brutal crime that tears the community apart.

THE ITALIAN DIRECTOR (I CAN QUIT WHENEVER I WANT, ROSE ISLAND)

DRAWS ON REAL EVENTS FOR HIS FIRST TELEVISION SHOW, Accidentally Famous. Produced by Groenlandia for Sky and distributed by Banijay Rights, it is inspired by the story of Italian pop band 883. In the late 1980s, in the small Italian town of Pavia, teenagers Max and Mauro become inseparable thanks to their love of music, and begin composing their own songs. But when success overwhelms them, will they stick together? Sibilia is creator, writer and director on the eight-part series.

CHARLOTTE REGAN

SYDNEY SIBILIA

REGAN WAS AMONG THE NOMINEES AT THIS YEAR’S BAFTA FILM AWARDS FOR HER FILM SCRAPPER, having previously been nominated in 2017 for her short film Standby. On the small screen, she has directed episodes of The Buccaneers and The Responder, and is now writing and directing her own BBC series called Mint. Running across eight half-hour episodes, it is described as a darkly comic and unconventional drama about what it means to be part of a crime family, following the kids, the mum and the grandma in the family as they confront the love, darkness, humour, heartbreak and “plain weirdness” that come with living in that world. Fearless Minds and House Productions are making the show.

JAVIER FESSER

DISNEY+ SHOW CUSTODIA REPARTIDA MARKS THE FIRST TELEVISION SERIES FROM FESSER CAMPEONES, BIENVENIDOS

The eight-episode Spanish comedy-drama explores what happens when Cris (Lorena López) and Diego (Ricard Farré) decide to separate, but neither can afford to live alone and take care of their five-year-old daughter. When they are forced to each return to their parents’ homes, what started out as an amicable break-up begins to deteriorate. Created and written by Juanjo Moscardó Rius and María Mínguez, it is produced by The Immigrant.

( started begins María Mínguez, it is produced by The Immigrant.

Fesser with Custodia repartida star Lorena López

ICELANDIC FILMMAKER SIGURDARDOTTIR SCORED HER BIG BREAK ON VITJANIR (FRACTURES), the story of a city doctor who returns to her small hometown to face the ghosts of her past. She then went to the UK to shoot Domino Day, about a young witch coming to terms with her powers in modern-day Manchester, and her latest project also hails from the UK. Paramount+ in the UK and Ireland has ordered Little Disasters, a series based on Sarah Vaughan’s book of the same name that explores female friendships and motherhood as A&E doctor Liz (Jo Joyner) must decide whether to call social services after her friend Jess (Diane Kruger) brings her baby daughter to hospital with a head injury she can’t explain. The series comes from Roughcut Television, with Fremantle in charge of distribution.

EVA SIGURDARDOTTIR

LAURA WAY JULIAN FARINO

IRISH DIRECTOR WAY HAS HELMED EPISODES OF EASTENDERS, BLOOD AND THE VANISHING TRIANGLE, while also overseeing dramas including The Holiday and Maxine. More recently, she took charge of Paramount+ drama The Serial Killer’s Wife, which starred Annabel Scholey – and has followed it up by reuniting with the actor for Dead & Buried, written by Colin Bateman. Scholey plays Cathy, who is suddenly confronted by Michael (Colin Morgan), the man who killed her brother 20 years earlier and begins a clandestine relationship with the man she despises, embarking on a campaign of harassment and deceit. As her obsession grows, dark fantasies of revenge and reality blur as she sets out on a campaign of psychological warfare to destroy Michael’s life. The series is produced by Three River Fiction and Vico Films for BBC Northern Ireland and Virgin Media Television, with All3Media International handling sales.

FARINO PREVIOUSLY PARTNERED WITH WRITER JOE BARTON ON GIRI/HAJI, the BBC and Netflix series that follows a Japanese detective who travels to London in search of his brother, who is accused of a murder that threatens to start a gang war in Tokyo. Now he’s the lead director on Barton’s latest project, Sky limited series Amadeus, which finds the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Will Sharpe) in 18th century Vienna on a path that will lead him to become one of the greatest musical virtuosos of all time. The series comes from Two Cities Television and Sky Studios, with NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution handling sales. Farino’s directing credits also include Benedict Cumberbatch drama The Child in Time, Sex & the City, Rome, The Office, Entourage and In Treatment.

Azúa

ALAUDA RUIZ DE AZÚA

LULLABY DIRECTOR DE AZÚA, WINNER OF THREE GOYA AWARDS, IS CREATOR AND CO-WRITER OF HER FIRST SERIES, QUERER, which debuted on Spanish streamer Movistar+ in October. Starring Nagore Aranburu, Pedro Casablanc, Miguel Bernardeau, Iván Pellicer and Loreto Mauleón, the fourpart series opens when Miren goes to the police station with her lawyer and denounces her husband for continuous rape during a

marriage – seemingly perfect to everyone who knows them – that has lasted more than 30 years. Her husband claims not to have done anything wrong and feels a victim, outraged and wronged. Their eldest son decides to support his father because he himself is afraid of having crossed that line, while their youngest son decides to support his mother because he has also felt that invisible violence.

BILLE AUGUST

AUGUST IS AN AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER, MOST NOTABLY FOR 1987’S PELLE THE CONQUEROR, which won the Palme D’Or in Cannes, an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. The Dane’s work also includes The House of Les Misérables, Night Train A Fortunate Man and The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones He is now in production on new TV

without trial in the Château d’If, a grim and, under the identity of the

The Count of Monte Cristo, produced by Italy’s Palomar and France’s DEMD Productions for Rai in Italy and France Télévisions, with Mediawan Rights distributing. Starring Jeremy Irons, Sam Claflin, Ana Girardot and Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, it is based on the classic novel and follows Edmond Dantes, a 19-year-old sailor falsely accused of treason, who is imprisoned without trial in the Château d’If, a grim island fortress off Marseille. After many years of captivity, he finally escapes and, under the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo, plans to take revenge on those who have wrongly accused him. the Spirits, to Lisbon, series distributing.

AISLING WALSH

BAFTA-WINNING FILMMAKER WALSH (ROOM AT THE TOP) REUNITES WITH HER ELIZABETH IS MISSING COLLABORATOR, writer Andrea Gibb, for Miss Austen, an adaptation of Gill Hornby’s novel of the same name. Starring Keeley Hawes and Rose Leslie, the story takes a literary mystery – Cassandra Austen notoriously burning her famous sister Jane’s letters – and reimagines it as a fascinating, witty and heartbreaking tale of sisterly love, while creating in Cassandra a character as captivating as any Austen heroine. It is coproduced by Bonnie Productions and Masterpiece, in association with the BBC and Federation Stories. Walsh’s other credits include Wallander, Fingersmith, An Inspector Calls and Maudie

De

(centre) on set with the Querer cast

KORMÁKUR (EVEREST, ADRIFT, THE DEEP) HAS PARTNERED WITH ACTORS JAMES NORTON AND NIKOLAJ COSTERWALDAU FOR HIS LATEST PROJECT, historical drama King & Conqueror. Written by Michael Robert Johnson (Sherlock Holmes), it tells the story of a clash that defined the future of a country – and a continent – for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades and extend out through a pair of interconnected family dynasties, struggling for power across two countries and a raging sea. Harold of Wessex (Norton) and William of Normandy (Coster-Waldau) were two men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; two allies with no design on the British throne, who found themselves forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of the crown. The eight-parter is produced by Rabbit Track Pictures, The Development Partnership, RVK Studios, Shepherd Content and CBS Studios, in association with the BBC. Paramount Global Content Distribution is handling sales.

CHRISTIAN SCHWOCHOW

BALTASAR KORMÁKUR SION IFAN

WITH CREDITS INCLUDING THE CROWN, MUNICH: THE EDGE OF WAR AND BAD BANKS, German director Schwochow has been tapped to lead upcoming drama Nuremberg, a series based on the Nuremberg trials. Produced by Constantin Film and Big Light Productions, it is written by Frank Spotnitz (The Man in the High Castle, The X-Files) and will follow young survivors of World War Two who go to work for Allied prosecutors trying Nazi criminals, only to find their quest for justice is undercut by secret efforts to build a new world order based on power, not principle.

WELSH DIRECTOR IFAN IS BEST KNOWN AS AN ACTOR THROUGH ROLES IN LIVING A LIE, 35 DIWRNOD AND CRAITH (HIDDEN) Behind the camera, his credits include Y Gyrfinach (The Secret), Pobol y Cwm, Y Coleudy (The Lighthouse) and his latest project, Cleddau (The One that Got Away). In the show, which combines a gripping murder mystery with an electrifying love story, the shocking killing of a nurse opens old wounds in a small-town community, throwing a historic conviction into doubt, raising the horrifying prospect of a copycat killer and reuniting two former lovers (played by Elen Rhys and Richard Harrington) who are tasked with finding the killer. The S4C series is produced by BlackLight Television, with Banijay Rights distributing.

BERGERAC

LLUÍS ARCARAZO

ARCARAZO (EL JUDICI) IS THE SHOWRUNNER OF EL MAL INVISIBLE (QUIET), AN EIGHT-PART SPANISH THRILLER BASED ON A TRUE STORY AND SET IN BARCELONA. In late April 2020 at the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown, authorities arrest a man accused of murdering various homeless people, one after another, on the streets of the Catalan city. The murders all follow the same modus operandi: all taking place while the victims are asleep and all involving extreme brutality. The series is produced by The Mediapro Studio and 3Cat for Catalonia’s public broadcaster TV3, while Disney+ has picked up the show for audiences across Spain.

AILBHE KEOGAN

BAD SISTERS AND RUN & JUMP SCREENWRITER KEOGAN HAS LANDED HER FIRST LEAD WRITING CREDIT WITH TRESPASSES, an upcoming Channel 4 drama based on the novel by Louise Kennedy and starring Lola Petticrew, Tom Cullen and Gillian Anderson. Set in 1975 in a town outside Belfast, the story follows Catholic schoolteacher Cushla (Petticrew) who meets barrister Michael, an older Protestant married man who often defends IRA suspects and is friends with cultured Bohemians who enrage and intrigue Cushla. The two are worlds apart, and Cushla knows a relationship like this spells all kinds of trouble, but they are irresistibly drawn to one another. The four-part series is produced by Wildgaze Films, with All3Media International handling distribution.

INCI GÜLEN OARR

KNOWN FOR TURKISH SERIES INCLUDING ELIF, CANIM ANNEM AND WOUNDED BIRDS, Gülen is currently showrunner on Kuma (The Other Wife, pictured). The 100-hour daily drama tells the story of Ceylan, who runs away from home and meets Karan, a wealthy young businessman. They fall in love and soon are set to be married, but when Ceylan is framed for murder, Karan marries his brother’s widow instead and forces Ceylan to become his ‘kuma,’ a second wife to bear his children. The show is produced by Stellar Yapim and notably comes from a partnership between US producer VIP 2000 and Indian distributor GoQuest Media, which has sold the series to multiple territories before its debut in Turkey.

FRANCESCA GARDINER

GARDINER MAY HAVE COLLECTED CREDITS ON SOME OF TELEVISION’S BIGGEST SHOWS

– SUCCESSION, HIS DARK MATERIALS AND KILLING EVE, AMONG OTHERS – but surely her greatest challenge awaits after she was named showrunner and executive producer of HBO’s eagerly anticipated Harry Potter series. Partnering with director Mark Mylod (Succession, Game of Thrones), she is currently developing the first season of the series, which is pitched as a faithful adaptation of JK Rowling’s wizard books 13 years after the last of the eight feature films was released. It is produced by HBO in association with Brontë Film & TV and Warner Bros Television.

THE CANADIAN ACTOR HAS COLLECTED CREDITS ON SHOWS SUCH AS SULLIVAN’S CROSSING, MOONSHINE, HUDSON & REX, DEPARTURE AND TOM CLANCY’S JACK RYAN. Hawco also starred in Republic of Doyle, a comedy-drama about a private investigator on which he was also a co-creator, writer and executive producer. He is now reprising his multi-hyphenate role on SaintPierre, a crime procedural that starts as Inspector Donny ‘Fitz’ Fitzpatrick (Hawco) digs too deeply into a local politician’s nefarious activity and is exiled to work on the titular Newfoundland island. His arrival upsets Deputy Chief Geneviève ‘Arch’ Archambault, a Parisian transplant played by Josephine Jobert who is in SaintPierre for her own mysterious reasons. Hawco is also a writer and co-showrunner on the series, which is produced by his own Hawco Productions and will debut this winter on CBC. The show is distributed by Fifth Season.

ALLAN HAWCO

Hawco stars alongside Josephine Jobert in Saint-Pierre

THE AWARD-WINNING NOVELIST LEADS THE ADAPTATION OF HIS OWN NOVEL, INTERIOR CHINATOWN, for Hulu and Disney+. The 10part series of the same name follows the story of Willis Wu, a background character trapped in a police procedural called Black & White. When he inadvertently witnesses a crime, Willis begins to unravel a criminal web in Chinatown, uncovering his family’s buried history and discovering what it feels like to be in the spotlight. Jimmy O Yang, Ronny Chieng, Chloe Bennet and Lisa Gilroy lead the cast of the series, which is produced by 20th Television, Rideback, Participant and Dive. Taika Waititi directs the pilot. Yu’s other TV work includes American Born Chinese, Legion and Westworld

OKOH

CHARLES YU

JANICE

OKOH IS BEHIND BBC DRAMA JUST ACT NORMAL, A SERIES BASED ON HER OWN PLAY THREE BIRDS, which starred Michaela Coel. The Midlands-set show will star newcomers Chenée Taylor, Kaydrah Walker-Wilkie and Akins Subair as three stubbornly optimistic teenage siblings with a dark secret. When their mother disappears, they will do anything they can to keep it hidden so they can stay together – but as resilient and loyal as they are, can they really outwit the authorities and continue living life under the radar? The Forge Entertainment is producing the drama, which will come to BBC Three and BBC iPlayer in 2025.

LUCY COLEMAN

WRITER AND DIRECTOR COLEMAN’S FIRST TV SERIES, EXPOSURE, DEBUTED THIS YEAR ON AUSTRALIAN STREAMER STAN. Produced by Thirdborn and distributed by All3Media International, the psychological thriller stars Alice Englert as Jacs, a photographer who is coming to terms with the death of her closest friend, Kel. Convinced Kel’s death came at the hands of a man, her search for the truth becomes a turbulent, unruly and confronting quest into the depths of present-day grief while reckoning with the past. Coleman wrote all six episodes. Her previous projects include feature film Hot Mess and web series On the Fringe.

VICTORIA ASARE-ARCHER Writers ÓLAFUR DARRI ÓLAFSSON

THE ICELANDIC ACTOR KNOWN FOR ROLES IN THE TOURIST, THE MINISTER, JOURNEY AND TRAPPED is building a writing career as part of his role in fledgling production company Act4. He is set to showrun Big Brother, a Nordic thriller based on Skúli Sigurdsson’s novel about revenge and justice as a mysterious assailant targets a certain type of victim: sexual offenders who have escaped punishment. A detective and investigative journalist then set out to solve the crimes. ZDF Studios is a partner on the show.

Ólafsson’s upcoming projects also see him star in Act4’s first series, Reykjavik Fusion, a restaurant-set crime thriller described as Breaking Bad meets The Bear. Wild Sheep Content coproduces the series for Simmin in Iceland and Arte in France and Germany.

THE LONDON-BORN WRITER HAS PENNED EPISODES OF DEATH IN PARADISE, TURN UP CHARLIE AND HARLAN COBEN’S NETFLIX SERIES STAY CLOSE – and has now been tapped as lead writer on the streamer’s next Coben adaptation. Produced by Quay Street Productions and due to air in January 2025, Missing You follows police detective Kat, who is still reeling from the sudden disappearance of her fiancé Josh 11 years earlier. Then when she’s swiping profiles on a dating app, she suddenly sees his face and her world explodes all over again. Josh’s reappearance will force her to dive

back into the mystery surrounding her father’s murder and uncover long-buried secrets from her past. Asare-Archer also has a second adaptation on her books, penning a series version of CM Ewan’s The House Hunt for Eleventh Hour Films (The Killing Kind). The story centres on a young couple, Lucy and Sam, who have put their recently renovated dream house up for sale to help clear their debts. When Lucy entertains a potential buyer alone at the house, the man turns on her and reveals something inconceivable, and things quickly spiral beyond her control.

YLÖNEN IS THE HEAD OF DRAMA AT FINNISH PRODUCTION COMPANY HELSINKI-FILMI and has also written on a number of shows –from detective series Codename: Annika to fact-based drama Mädat Omenat (Bad Apples) and a remake of BBC series The Replacement (known locally as Sijainen). Her latest project, Icebreaker, is already an award winner, having won the Coupe de Couer at this spring’s MipDrama event as the standout among a selection of highly anticipated upcoming series. Commissioned by Finnish streamer Elisa Viihde and distributed by About Premium Content, the six-part supernatural thriller is set on a stranded icebreaker ship where, as crew members start to disappear, a rescue operation becomes a fight for survival during a freezing winter storm. Ylönen is the creator, executive producer and head writer.

HANNAH DANIEL & GEORGIA LEE

DANIEL (RIGHT) IS AN ACTOR KNOWN FOR ROLES IN KEEPING FAITH, TREE ON A HILL, THE LIGHT IN THE HALL AND HINTERLAND, while Lee is a musician, songwriter –and a part-time magistrate. But together, they are a new writing duo responsible for upcoming UKTV and S4C commission Mudtown. Centred on life at Newport Magistrates’ Court, the drama follows Claire Lewis Jones (Erin Richards) as she faces personal turmoil while presiding over cases at the

daughter Beca (Lauren Morais), faces arson charges, Claire’s loyalty to her community is put to the test. Matters are made worse when local criminal kingpin Saint Pete (Tom Cullen) appears on the scene, while questions surrounding Beca’s new bad-boy boyfriend Sonny Higgins (Lloyd Meredith) lead Claire to uncover a web of criminal activity that could put her and her family at risk. Severn Screen is producing for UKTV’s U&Alibi and S4C, with All3Media

PORTUGUESE FILMMAKER

GASCON IS BEHIND IRREVERSÍVEL (IRREVERSIBLE), a thought-provoking crime series that tackles themes such as mental health, illegal adoptions, bullying, homophobia and motherhood. In a coastal town, psychologist Júlia Mendes and police inspector Pedro Sousa team up to solve a brutal homicide involving a young girl, but as they unravel the case, they battle their own demons and strive to keep their lives intact. In a town where everyone is hiding something, the quest for truth finds blurred boundaries between love and the justification of violence. Produced by Caracol Studios for public broadcaster RTP and distributed by The Yellow Affair, the show is written and directed by Gascon, and follows other credits such as alt-history feature Patria and child abduction film Sombra (Shadow). Other upcoming projects include Past Waters, a TV series he is due to direct based on a book by João Tordo, again with Caracol producing. It is due to be filmed in 2025.

BRUNO GASCON

CLAIRE OAKLEY

OAKLEY MADE HER FEATURE FILM DEBUT WITH 2019 MYSTERY THRILLER MAKE UP and also directed on Disney+ heist drama Culprits. She is now the creator, writer and lead director on Under Salt Marsh, a Sky original series starring Kelly Reilly Yellowstone). In the fictional Welsh town of Morfa Halen, a tight-knit community nestled between the mountains and the sea, a one-in-a-generation storm begins to gather out at sea as detectiveturned-teacher Jackie Ellis (Reilly) discovers the body of her eight-year-old pupil Cefin. The discovery sends shockwaves through the town and revives the ghost of a cold case three years earlier – the disappearance of Jackie’s niece Nessa, which ended her career. Little Door Productions is producing the series, with NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution handling international sales.

( producing the series, with NBCUniversal Global TV

court. When Ned Humphries, a childhood friend of Claire’s

International distributing. The show is due to air in 2025.

AS AN ACTOR, THOMAS HAS LANDED ROLES IN THE FEED, THE CROWN, SEX EDUCATION AND QUACKS. More recently, however, she has turned her hand to screenwriting, with credits on Clique and River City, and she has now adapted Erik Axl Sund’s novel trilogy The Crow Girl for Paramount+. The six-part psychological thriller begins with the gruesome discovery of a teenage boy’s body that has been discarded in plain sight. Determined to find who is responsible, DCI Jeanette Kirkland (Eve Myles) joins forces with psychotherapist Sophia Craven (Katherine Kelly) to hunt for the killer, despite opposition from her superiors, including confidant DI Lou Stanley (Dougray Scott). But as their investigation takes them into a dangerous world of historic abuse, murder and evidence of police corruption, they begin to share an intimacy that turns into a complex love story. Buccaneer is producing the series, with ITV Studios handling distribution.

SAMUEL JEFFERSON

Louise seeking

JEFFERSON IS THE BRITISH FORMER EMERGENCY-ROOM DOCTOR TURNED SCREENWRITER BEHIND KRANK BERLIN, a German medical drama set in the toughest and most overcrowded hospital in the German capital. Haley Louise Jones (Dear Child) stars as Dr Parker, who takes over as head of the chaotic emergency room – but managing this challenging environment is no small task for a doctor seeking a fresh start in the big city after her private life imploded in Munich. The series is produced by Violet Pictures and Real Film Berlin for ZDF Neo and distributed by Beta Film.

ON

THE FORCE BEHIND HBO’S GROUNDBREAKING DRAMA GIRLS IS PARTNERING WITH NETFLIX TOO MUCH, a romcom created with her husband Luis Felber. Produced by Working Title Television, it introduces Jessica (Megan Stalter), a New York workaholic in her mid-30s who is reeling from a broken relationship that she thought would last forever and slowly isolating everyone she knows. Taking a job in London, Jessica plans to live a life of solitude – but when she meets Felix (Will Sharpe), she finds that their unusual connection is impossible to ignore. Actor, producer and director Dunham’s recent writing credits also include Generation and Camping, plus films Sharp Stick and Catherine Called Birdy She is also behind another upcoming Netflix series, spy drama Covers

LENA DUNHAM

Pictures

AUTHOR AND SCREENWRITER MADSEN (RITA, FOLLOW THE MONEY) CREATED SIX-PART CRIME SERIES GRAVERNE (OFF THE RECORD), which follows a team of journalists from a highly respected documentary programme as they unravel a story of injustice and abuse of power, all while their broadcaster threatens to close them down. The series stars fellow Rita alum Mille Dinesen, with Madsen writing alongside Anton Breum. Produced by Nordisk Film for TV2 Denmark and distributed by TrustNordisk, it debuted in July.

JENNY LUND MADSEN GRACE OFORI-ATTAH

FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF 2023 HOSPITAL THRILLER MALPRACTICE, which is returning for a second season, Ofori-Attah is again working with Malpractice lead Niamh Algar on Playing Nice. Based on the novel by JP Delaney, the story follows two couples who discover their toddlers were switched at birth in a hospital mix-up and now face a horrifying dilemma: do they keep the son they have raised or reclaim their biological child? Algar stars alongside James Norton, James McArdle and Jessica Brown Findlay in the drama, which is produced by Rabbit Track Pictures and StudioCanal for ITV and Canal+. StudioCanal is also distributing. Ofori-Attah was selected for the Bafta Elevate Talent writers scheme in 2018, having previously been a consultant psychiatrist.

KELLY JONES

JONES (THE LONG CALL, THE SPANISH PRINCESS) IS DRAMATISING THE STORY OF RUTH ELLIS, the last woman to be hanged in Britain, for broadcaster ITV. The fourpart miniseries, called A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, is set in 1955 and is told over two timelines: the first revealing truths about what really happened in the months before Ruth killed her lover David Blakely; and the second following her entry into the dizzying world of upper-class London as a young nightclub manageress, her abusive relationship with the man she later killed, her arrest, trial and the legal fight to reprieve her before she was hanged at just 28 years old. Lucy Boynton stars in the series, which is produced by Silverprint Pictures and distributed by ITV Studios.

REBECCA HALL LEADS THE CAST OF THIS DRAMA FROM ELEMENT PICTURES (POOR THINGS, NORMAL PEOPLE), writer Jordan Tannahill and director Janicza Bravo – but perhaps the star of the show is the startling score from Devonté Hynes. Centring on themes of conspiracy, transcendence and belonging, the series centres on Claire (Hall), a popular English teacher who begins to hear a low humming sound that no one else around can hear. The noise starts to gradually upset the balance of her life, increasing tension between herself and her husband and daughter. Then when Claire bonds with a student, Kyle (Ollie West), who also hears the hum, they join a group of neighbours who claim the sound is a gift for a "chosen few."

THE LISTENERS Series 100

AIRING ON PRIME VIDEO WORLDWIDE IN 2025, this royal comedy introduces Pilar, a young princess and future Queen of Spain who, suddenly and abruptly, must lead the royal family after a scandal taints her father, King Alfonso XIV, and sidelines him from the front line of public life for several months. Pilar must prove to the country that she is not as irresponsible, insolent, lazy and useless as everyone believes her to be –but they may be right. Filmed across Madrid, the show is produced by 100 Balas and Sayaka Producciones. The cast includes Anna Castillo, Ernesto Alterio, Pablo Derqui, Ramon Barea, Ana María Vidal and Lucía Díez.

SU MAJESTAD

GENERATIONS

THE LATEST DRAMA FROM DANISH PUBCASTER DR, due to air in spring 2025, Generationer (Generations) opens with the discovery of a mummified infant during the renovation of an apartment in Frederiksberg. Eighty-seven-yearold Martha lives in the same building and quickly takes responsibility for

the murder, much to the surprise of her family, in a story all about family secrets. From writer Anna Emma Haudal (Doggystyle), the show’s cast includes Ulla Henningsen, Anette Støvelbæk, Rikke Eberhardt Isen, Alice Bier Zandén, Jan Linnebjerg, Simon Sears, Olga Schultz, Isi GrenSørensen and Albert Arthur Amiryan.

LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE

SALMA HAYEK PINAULT IS AMONG THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ON THIS MAX ADAPTATION OF LAURA ESQUIVEL’S NOVEL COMO AGUA PARA CHOCOLATE (LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE), starring Irene Azuela, Azul Guaita, Ana Valeria Becerril and Andrea Chaparro. Set in a world of magical realism during the Mexican Revolution, the story follows Tita and Pedro, two souls deeply in love yet unable to be together because of entrenched family customs. As Tita struggles between the destiny imposed on her by her family and her fight for love, her magical connection to cooking becomes an active resistance against oppression, allowing her to channel her deepest desires and passions into her recipes, transforming those who taste them. The show comes from Ventanarosa Productions, Endemol Shine America and Endemol Shine Boomdog.

THIS EIGHT-PART ENSEMBLE DRAMA IMAGINES A WORLD WITHOUT PRISONS. Set in a fictional city, it sees a liberal mayor and a scientist introduce a revolutionary rehabilitation programme that aims to close down the local prison and reintegrate its inmates into society. But while some are strong supporters of the scheme, others are wary or scared, and the freed criminals face prejudice and must overcome failures to obtain the redemption they were promised. Focusing on the stories of scientists, social workers, politicians, victims and their families, A Better Place is produced by Komlizen Serien, StudioCanal Series, WDR and ARD Degeto for Germany’s ARD and Canal+ in France and Austria. StudioCanal is the distributor.

A BETTER PLACE

PONIES

THIS PEACOCK ESPIONAGE THRILLER OPENS IN 1977 MOSCOW, where two PONIES (‘persons of no interest’) work anonymously as secretaries in the US embassy. When their husbands are killed under mysterious circumstances in the USSR, the pair become CIA operatives. Bea (Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke, pictured) is an over-educated, Russianspeaking child of Soviet immigrants, while Twila is a small-town girl as abrasive as she is fearless. Together, they work to uncover a vast Cold War conspiracy and solve the mystery that made them widows in the first place. Produced by Universal Television, the show is created and written by director Susanna Fogel (The Flight Attendant) and David Iserson (Mr Robot).

THE AGENCY

THIS ADAPTATION OF FRENCH SERIES LE BUREAU DES LÉGENDES (THE BUREAU) HAS STACKED ITS CAST WITH A-LIST TALENT. Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright and Richard Gere all star in the espionage series, which also counts George Clooney among its executive producers. Fassbender plays Martian, a covert CIA agent ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind reappears, romance

reignites, but his career, his real identity and his mission are pitted against his heart, sparking a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage. Wright plays Henry, the director of operations and a mentor to Martian, while Gere is Bosko, the London Station chief with a storied past after spending eight years as an undercover agent. Coming to Paramount+ with Showtime in the US and Paramount+ worldwide, The Agency is produced by Showtime in association with 101 Studios, and co-distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution and Federation Studios.

LA CASA DE PAPEL (MONEY HEIST) STAR ITZIAR ITUÑO LEADS THIS SPANISH SERIES FROM CREATOR AND DIRECTOR MARCOS MORENO, produced by Motor Films and Tharsis Films and distributed by MGE. Ituño plays Naja, who follows in her father’s footsteps by seeking quick fortunes by searching for treasures and other get-rich-quick schemes.

UZAL

When she follows him to a remote coastal town in the South Pacific, she finds he has become entangled with a group of local fisherman who, facing economic desperation and unemployment, embark on a daring search for the legendary gold of the Spanish galleon Uzal, which is believed to have sunk centuries ago.

HOW TO KILL YOUR FAMILY

BELLA MACKIE’S NOVEL OF THE SAME NAME GETS THE NETFLIX TREATMENT IN AN ADAPTATION STARRING ANYA TAYLOR-JOY (PICTURED). She plays Grace Bernard, who has a complicated family. The product of an affair that her father Simon claims not to remember, Grace and her mother were left to fend for themselves. When her mother dies and she is rejected by the people who should love her, Grace transforms her anger into something useful: killing off this estranged extended family via morbidly creative means. Grace is clawing her way towards revenge and a hefty inheritance, but her mission only pulls her further away from what it is she really needs. Sid Gentle Films (Killing Eve) produces, with Extraordinary creator Emma Moran as the lead writer.

MAKE THAT MOVIE

THIS SIX-PART CHANNEL 4 SCRIPTED COMEDY IS CREATED BY AUSTRALIAN COMEDIAN SAM CAMPBELL (TASKMASTER) AND DIRECTED BY JOE PELLING (DON’T HUG ME I’M SCARED). Campbell also stars as a hotshot director who scours the country for everyday people who have

an idea for a feature film. He and his team then race against the clock to transform the idea into a film in just three days. Lara Ricote, Aaron Chen, Helen Bauer and David Hargreaves co-star in the Blink Industries project.

LUDWIG

PEEP SHOW’S DAVID MITCHELL TURNS DETECTIVE AS THE TITLE CHARACTER IN THIS “GENRE BENDING” CASE-OF-THEWEEK BBC ONE SERIES When John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor’s identical twin James goes missing, John takes over his brother’s identity in a quest to discover his whereabouts. John has never married, never had a family and doesn’t own a computer, a mobile phone or a television, preferring to work as a puzzle designer in quiet solitude. But becoming James, he is forced to step into his brother’s shoes as a successful DCI leading Cambridge’s busy inner-city major crimes team. Big Talk Studios produces the six-part series in association with That Mitchell & Webb Company, with ITV Studios distributing. A second season has been ordered after it became the BBC’s biggest scripted show of this year. doesn’t as a successful DCI leading Cambridge’s busy inner-city major crimes team. Big in association with That Mitchell & Webb

DOWN CEMETERY ROAD

FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF ESPIONAGE SERIES SLOW HORSES, Apple TV+ is backing another adaptation of a novel by Mick Herron, with Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson (pictured) set to star. When a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappears in the aftermath, neighbour Sarah Tucker (Wilson) becomes obsessed with finding her and enlists the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm. They soon find themselves in a complex conspiracy that reveals people long believed dead are still among the living, while the living are fast joining the dead. 60Forty Films is producing, with Morwenna Banks (Funny Woman) as lead writer and Natalie Bailey (Bay of Fires) directing.

FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS INCLUDING MORGAN FREEMAN AND KEVIN COSTNER, this American Civil War drama focuses on the true story of the unsung women who turned the tide of the conflict in favour of the North, which remained loyal to the federal government and wanted to limit or abolish slavery. It follows a Virginia socialite, her mother, a formerly enslaved sister-in-arms and the city’s most notorious courtesan as they operate deep inside the corridors of Confederate power, transforming their underground railroad into an effective and even more dangerous underground spy network, risking life and liberty to help win the war and preserve American democracy. With a cast including MaryLouise Parker (Weeds), Daisy Head (Harlots), Amethyst Davis (Kindred) and Ben Vereen (Roots), the show is produced by Costner’s Territory Pictures and Freeman’s Revolutionary Entertainment, alongside Big Dreams Entertainment and Republic Pictures. Distribution is handled by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

THE GRAY HOUSE

BLIND SPOT

IDA ENGVOLL AND PÅL SVERRE HAGEN TAKE THE LEAD IN THIS SWEDISH MYSTERY CRIME SERIES, which has been commissioned by Prime Video Nordics. Based on Anne Holt’s novel 1222 about Hanna Wilhelmsen, the story begins with a snowstorm that leads a train from Stockholm to Narvik to collide with an avalanche. Among the passengers taking shelter in an isolated mountain hotel is police officer Hanna (Engvoll), who is called into action when a number of mysterious murders take place. Despite the fact she has been temporarily suspended from her duties, she begins an investigation with support from doctor Magnus (Hagen), whose main goal is to protect his daughter and her friends. Due to arrive in 2025, Blind Spot is coproduced by Amazon MGM Studios and Nordic Drama Queens, with Fifth Season distributing.

FOUR YEARS LATER

ALMOST A DECADE AFTER WOLF HALL FIRST AIRED, its long-awaited sequel has returned to the BBC and Masterpiece PBS. Once again based on Hilary Mantel’s novels about Thomas Cromwell and the court of Henry VIII, Wolf Hall: The Mirror & The Light reunites director Peter Kosminsky and writer Peter Straughan with producer Playground and Company Pictures. Mark Rylance also returns as Cromwell, with Damian Lewis as Henry and Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Wolsey. In May 1536, Henry’s second wife Anne Boleyn is dead. As the axe drops, Cromwell emerges from the bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry, settles into short-lived happiness with his third queen, Jane Seymour.

WOLF HALL: THE MIRROR & THE LIGHT

THIS SBS AUSTRALIA DRAMA FOLLOWS THE TURBULENT MARRIAGE OF TWO YOUNG INDIAN LOVERS, Sridevi and Yash (played by Shahana Goswami and Akshay Ajit Singh), as they try to find each other again after being separated for four years. Discussing topics including intimacy, desire and power dynamics in a relationship, the story is told through two timelines, unfolding in two worlds, from two perspectives and in both English and Hindi. Created by Mithila Gupta (Five Bedrooms) and directed by Mohini Herse and Fadia Abboud, it is produced by Easy Tiger Productions (Colin from Accounts).

THE ISLAND

ANNOUNCED AS THE BIGGEST GAELIC DRAMA SERIES IN THE HISTORY OF BBC ALBA, with an estimated budget of more than £1m ($US1.29m) per episode, An t-Eilean (The Island) is set to arrive in 2025. Set against the backdrop of the Outer Hebrides, it sees four troubled siblings gather at their family home as their father is questioned over the mysterious death of their mother. Gaelic speaker Sorcha Groundsell (His Dark Materials, The Innocents) plays PC Kat Crichton, a police family liaison officer who returns to her home island as part of the investigation into the brutal and inexplicable murder. Black Camel Pictures is producing, with All3Media International handling distribution.

THE DEATH OF BUNNY MUNRO

FORMER DOCTOR WHO STAR MATT SMITH STARS IN THIS SKY SERIES BASED ON THE DARKLY COMIC NOVEL BY MUSICIAN NICK CAVE (PICTURED). Smith plays the title role of Bunny, a sex addict, door-to-door beauty product salesman and self-professed Lothario who finds himself saddled with a young son after his wife Libby’s suicide. With nine-year-old Bunny Junior, he embarks on an epic and increasingly out-of-control road trip across Southern England as the two struggle to contain their grief in very different ways. Written by Pete Jackson (Somewhere Boy) and directed by Isabella Eklöf (Industry), the series is produced by Clerkenwell Films in association with Sky Studios. NBCUniversal Global Distribution is handling sales.

BASED ON THE NOVEL BY JUAN GÓMEZ-JURADO Cicatriz (Scar) follows Simon, the creator of a groundbreaking algorithm whose business success is at odds with his lack of social skills. When he joins a dating app and connects with Irina, she decides to leave her home in Ukraine and travel to Spain to see him. But the enigmatic scar on her cheek carries a dark secret and fuels her only goal – revenge. Canal+ Poland has joined the eight-part series, which is produced by Spain’s Plano a Plano in coproduction with Mexico’s Dopamine, with support from Asacha Media Group and Adrenalin, for RTVE, Prime Video in Spain and Telekom Srbija. The cast includes Serbia’s Milena Radulovic (Besa), Juanlu González (Valeria) from Spain and Maciej Stuhr from Poland.

SCAR

CURFEW

PARAMOUNT+ ORDERED THIS BRITISH SERIES SET IN A WORLD WHERE ALL MEN LIVE UNDER THE WOMEN’S SAFETY ACT, meaning they are bound by a strict curfew from 7pm to 7am every night, with their movements tracked by an ankle tag 24 hours a day. When a woman’s body is discovered, brutally murdered during curfew hours and left on the steps of the Women’s Safety Centre, veteran police officer Pamela Green (played by Sarah Parish) believes a man is responsible. But in a world where men are bound by the curfew, her theory is rejected – and people in high places are determined to stop her discovering the truth. Produced by Vertigo Films in association with Evolutionary Films, the show comes from director Joasia Goldyn and lead writer Lydia Yeoman. Federation Studios distributes.

A NEW JANE AUSTEN ADAPTATION IS NEVER FAR FROM THE SCREEN, AND A TRIO OF UPCOMING PROJECTS ARE SET TO SHOWCASE HER WORK – and the author herself. In the BBC’s The Other Bennet Sister, written by Sarah Quintrell (The Power) and produced by Bad Wolf, the story will shine the spotlight on Mary Bennet, the seemingly unremarkable and overlooked middle sister in Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, taking her from her family home in Meryton to the soirées of Regency London and the peaks and vales of the Lake District – all in search of independence, romance and, most elusive of all, self-love and acceptance.

The BBC has also picked up Miss Austen, produced by Bonnie Productions for Masterpiece

in the US and distributed by Federation Studios. It stars Keeley Hawes and Rose Leslie in a fourparter that takes a mystery – Cassandra Austen (Hawes, pictured) notoriously burning her famous sister Jane’s letters – and reimagines it as a witty and heartbreaking story of sisterly love. Meanwhile, Dolly Alderton (Everything I Know About Love) is behind a new take on Austen’s famous Pride & Prejudice, a project that is in early development with Netflix.

Trends & Trailblazers 100 AUSTEN FOUND

SHERLOCK STORIES

WITH SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE’S FAMOUS LITERARY SLEUTH NOW IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, the character is returning to television in a number of different productions. After bringing Holmes to the big screen, director Guy Ritchie is behind a Prime Video series called Young Sherlock, with Hero Fiennes Tiffin in the title role.

The CW in the US and Discovery+ in the UK and Ireland are among the broadcasters attached to another series, Sherlock & Daughter (pictured), in which the renowned detective (played by David Thewlis) finds himself mysteriously unable to investigate a sinister case without risking the lives of his closest friends, while a young American (Blu Hunt) learns her missing father may be the esteemed detective, after her mother’s shocking and unexplainable murder. Created by Brendan Foley, the show comes from Starlings Television Distribution, Albion

Television and StoryFirst.

A third series brings a fun twist to the Sherlock legend. Mademoiselle Holmes centres on Charlie Holmes (Lola Dewaere) – a shy, reserved and socially awkward cop who struggles to fit in at the police station where she works. However, a car accident suddenly turns Charlie’s world upside down, transforming her from an introvert to an extrovert with drive, energy and insight that make her a brilliant detective, just like her more famous relation. Distributed by Newen Connect, the six-part series is produced by Newen France for TF1. Then there’s Watson, a new CBS procedural that stars Morris Chestnut as Holmes’s faithful partner Dr John Watson in a project described as a part-medical, part-detective drama set a year after Holmes’s death. It is produced by CBS Studios and shopped by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

WHILE TELEVISION STRUGGLES TO STEM THE TIDE OF VIEWERS FLOWING TO TIKTOK, this Australian series (styled as n00b) stands as an example of how the social media platform could serve as an incubator for new talent, having started life as 12 short episodes before landing a full six-part series on New Zealand’s Three. Created by Victoria Boult and Rachel Fawcett, the story is set in 2005 and follows what happens when King of High School and all-around party animal Nikau (Max Crean) is outed, going from cool guy to social outcast. Forced to find a new group of friends, each of whom has been ‘othered’ by smalltown New Zealand and finds escape online, Nikau must traverse the complicated world of high school (and the internet) in the pursuit of love, friendship, independence and the confidence to be one’s true self.

FULL ENGLISH NOOB PUZZLING MURDERS

DESPITE AN INCREASED APPETITE FOR LOCALLANGUAGE PROGRAMMING language series remain the most attractive to non-English buyers – and now an increasing number of international productions not made in the UK or the US are being produced in English. For three seasons, Spanish drama The Head has blended murder mystery and survival thriller with a global cast and a multinational writers room, backed by The Mediapro Studio for broadcasters such as Hulu Japan and Canal+ in France.

WHEN IT COMES TO CRIME DRAMA, AUDIENCES LOVE TO SOLVE A PUZZLE – AND SO TOO DO THE HEROES OF A PAIR OF NEW SERIES

In BBC comedy-drama Ludwig (pictured), David Mitchell is John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, whose identical twin brother James mysteriously vanishes. John takes on his brother’s identity to uncover the truth behind his disappearance, but there’s a twist: John has lived a quiet, uneventful life, designing puzzles and avoiding the outside world, while his brother is a high-flying DCI leading a major crimes team in Cambridge. The show, produced by Big Talk Studios, was recently recommissioned for a second season after becoming the BBC’s biggest scripted series of the year. Meanwhile, Channel 5 has commissioned The Puzzle Lady, a six-part series from Factual Fiction and December Films that stars Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey) as Cora Felton, the titular Puzzle Lady. In the story, based on the novels by Parnell Hall, Cora becomes involved in a police investigation when a crossword puzzle is inexplicably left on a dead body.

soldier who winds up in an Italian village and comes to fight for its people. Another example is

Turkish producer Ay Yapim and distributor Madd Entertainment are behind El Turco, said to be the first ever Englishlanguage Turkish drama, starring Can Yaman as a

that stars Jesse Williams as a former US marine who works as international sales. , Englishhas blended murder

language Turkish drama, starring Can Yaman as a to fight for its people.

Costiera (pictured), a Prime Video Italy series from producer Lux Vide and distributor Fremantle

a fixer for rich tourists in trouble in Positano. Then there are Welsh series, such as Hinterland, Cleddau (The One That Got Away) and Y Golau (The Light in the Hall), that have been produced in both Welsh and English, the latter to better attract

THIS ACTION-PACKED BRITISH NETFLIX DRAMA, ABOUT FIVE ORDINARY SOUTH LONDONERS WHO UNEXPECTEDLY DEVELOP SUPERPOWERS, proved to be a groundbreaking success when it launched in June as a champion for diversity and inclusion on and off screen. Created and written by Rapman, it boasts a stellar cast led by Tosin Cole and Adelayo Adedayo portraying Black British characters telling Black-led stories for a Blackled production. It also raises important issues surrounding sickle cell anaemia. After the show received critical and audience acclaim, Netflix suitably ordered a second season.

SUPACELL

WELSH-LANGUAGE SOAP POBOL Y CWM (PEOPLE OF THE VALLEY) MARKS ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR, making it the longest-running daily drama produced by the BBC – it’s 11 years older than its television cousin EastEnders. Originally only set to run for 10 episodes, its popularity proved to be key to the establishment of a Welsh-language channel, and when S4C started transmission in 1982, Pobol y Cwm took centre stage in the schedules. The series

premiered on October 16, 1974, in a twiceweekly evening slot on BBC Wales, and over the years it has seen its fair share of family rows, adultery and death in the small fictional Welsh town of Cwmderi, in the heart of the South Wales valleys. Several actors have gone onto stardom after appearing in the series, including Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four), Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones) and Alexandra Roach (Nightsleeper).

PEOPLE OF THE VALLEY

JULIE FERNANDEZ

AS ONE OF A GROWING NUMBER OF ACCESS COORDINATORS, The Office actor Fernandez is leading the charge to open up the television industry to deaf, disabled and neurodivergent (DDN) creatives. On shows such as Hijack, Sex Education, Slow Horses and Shardlake, she has worked with executives to ensure those with DDN requirements have their access needs met on and off set, as well as providing training to others to better ensure anybody who wants to be a part of the industry can be.

BACK ON THE CASE

A COUPLE OF FAMOUS INVESTIGATORS HAVE BEEN REVIVED, AS CLASSIC CRIME PROCEDURALS CONTINUE TO FIND NEW FAVOUR AFTER A PERIOD OUT OF FASHION

Bergerac (pictured) stars Damien Molony as the Jersey-based detective made famous by John Nettles, in a contemporary series coming to UKTV’s U&Drama from BlackLight TV in 2025.

Meanwhile, 1980s legal drama Matlock has been given a fresh take with Kathy Bates playing a new version of the witty, strongwilled lawyer who just happens to share her surname with the famous TV detective – a joke that puts some distance between the two series. The updated version is made by CBS Studios for the CBS network and Paramount+.

SPLIT PERSONALITIES

TV SHOWS CAN OFTEN UTILISE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES TO TELL THE SAME STORY FROM MULTIPLE POINTS OF VIEW The Affair is just one recent example, as the Showtime series charted an affair through the eyes of both waitress Alison (Ruth Wilson) and teacher Noah (Dominic West). This year the storytelling device was used in The Gathering, a Channel 4 series that explores the build-up to an attack on a

WITH THE RELEASE EARLIER THIS YEAR OF ONE DAY (PICTURED), Netflix’s adaptation of David Nicholls’ romantic comedy novel, a new entry joined the ranks of TV series based on books that had also previously been adapted for the big screen. In the case of One Day, it was also a 2011 movie. Other examples include The Time Traveler’s Wife Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments Dark Places, Percy Jackson and Rider. Meanwhile, work is progressing on a Harry Potter series at US streamer Max, which of course follows the hit eight-film adaptation of JK Rowling’s wizard novels.

teenage girl, with each episode following a different character and exposing their own potential motives for committing the assault. Upcoming German series Hundertdreizehn (pictured) will tread a similar path, with each episode of the ARD/ORF show looking at the impact of a devastating traffic accident on a different main character to provide a multi-perspective view of the crash and its far-reaching consequences.

BOOK TO FILM ...TO TV

, , Alex series at US streamer

ONE OF THE STANDOUT SERIES OF THE YEAR HAS BEEN FX AND DISNEY+’S HISTORICAL JAPANESE DRAMA SHŌGUN (PICTURED), which combines thrilling storytelling with astonishing costume and production design to tell a story set in 1600s Japan.

Based on James Clavell’s novel, it follows what happens when a mysterious European ship washes up on the shores of a fishing village, with pilot John Blackthorne holding secrets that could lead Lord Yoshii Toranaga to victory in a brewing civil war.

Now following in Shōgun’s wake is a Battle Royale-style Netflix series set in post-samurai era Japan. Last Samurai Standing opens in 1878, when 292 fallen samurais are lured into a survival game where the last competitor is set to claim 100 billion yen.

Based on Shogo Imamura’s novel Ikusagami, it will star Junichi Okado as Shujiro Saga, who enters this dangerous game with one goal: to save his ailing wife and child. Okada is also the producer and action choreographer, with Michito Fujii (The Journalist) directing.

MAMA YOUTH PROJECT

ESTABLISHED BY BOB CLARKE IN 2005, this organisation aims to widen the TV talent pool by helping young people from underrepresented backgrounds access a career on the small screen and in other media industries. So far, the group has supported more than 800 people from across the UK access screen arts careers, with a 90% employment success rate.

Clarke dropped out of school at 17 and landed in TV without any formal training or education, and he is now instilling the same resilience and determination he showed in his own career in those he works with at Mama Youth Project. This year, the group was presented with the Bafta Television Craft Special Award, with CEO Clarke and chief operating officer Cristina Ciobanu accepting the prize on its behalf.

HISTORICAL JAPAN

FROM THE CROWN TO THE UPCOMING KING & CONQUEROR, which will dramatise the Battle of Hastings, British royal history is never far from our screens. Yet it’s the Tudor period –encompassing monarchs from Henry VII and Henry VIII (and his six wives) to Elizabeth I – that has proven to be particularly fertile ground for storytellers. The trend for series set during this turbulent time in the corridors of royal power includes Shardlake (pictured), a murder mystery that takes place during the reign of Henry VIII in the 16th century as Thomas Cromwell sends lawyer Matthew Shardlake to investigate a mysterious death at a monastery.

Cromwell is also at the centre of Wolf Hall: The Mirror & The Light, the sequel to the BBC’s acclaimed 2015 series Wolf Hall, based on Hilary Mantel’s historical novels, in which Cromwell navigates the Tudor court in the aftermath of the beheading of Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn.

Turning history on its head, however, is My Lady Jane, Prime Video’s alternative-history fantasy series. The show imagines a timeline when Henry VIII’s son Edward does not die of tuberculosis and Lady Jane Grey is not beheaded, and neither is her scoundrel of a husband Guildford, leaving the headstrong Jane to become queen – and the target of villains who want the crown for themselves.

THE NEW DETECTIVES

A WAVE OF SERIES ARE PUTTING THE TRUE CRIME PODCAST PHENOMENON FRONT AND CENTRE, as podcasters turn investigators to uncover the truth behind a number of intriguing mysteries. Netflix’s Ireland-set drama Bodkin finds a trio of intrepid reporters delving into a cold case that the titular town’s residents would rather stayed in the past, while BBC series The Jetty (pictured) sees a podcaster investigating a missing persons case, as Detective Ember Manning (Jenna Coleman) tries to work out how it is connected to a devastating fire and an illicit love triangle.

Scottish detective series Karen Pirie also saw the titular police officer going up against a podcaster’s efforts to investigate a historic murder. Meanwhile, Only Murders in the Building, which returned for a fourth season in August, brings together a trio of true crime podcast fans – played by Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez – as they attempt to solve a murder in their New York apartment building and start their own podcast along the way.

ISSA LÓPEZ

AFTER ITS GROUNDBREAKING FIRST SEASON, HBO CRIME DRAMA TRUE DETECTIVE’S SECOND AND THIRD OUTINGS COULDN’T MATCH THE INITIAL ENTRY, which starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as a pair of detectives in pursuit of a serial killer. Yet with this year’s fourth instalment, the Jodie Foster- and Kali Reis-led True Detective: Night Country, showrunner López oversaw the show’s most watched season, attracting 12.7 million crossplatform viewers in the US alone. The series has since been renewed for a fifth run, while López has scored a multi-year overall deal with HBO.

MORE OR LESS

WHEN BRITISH COMEDIAN GREG DAVIES WAS ASKED WHAT HE WOULD CHANGE ABOUT THE TELEVISION BUSINESS DURING A BERLINALE SERIES PANEL ON COMEDY SERIES, he suggested all new comedies be given a two-season order. His point was that many classic sitcoms took that amount of time – or even longer – to find their voice, and their audience. But the same could be said for other scripted series. The days of long-running dramas such as Law & Order

(pictured) and NCIS appear to be numbered, as traditional procedurals you could rely on returning year after year fall out of fashion. In their place have come so-called ‘event’ and shorter-run limited series – but even dramas designed to run for several seasons are often canned prematurely when instant reviews and ratings fail to impress. Though the Peak TV era may be winding down, series still need to hit the ground running if they’re going to last the distance, however long that might be.

HARLAN COBEN

COBEN IS NO STRANGER TO SUCCESS, HAVING WRITTEN MORE THAN 30 BESTSELLING THRILLER NOVELS. He’s also seen his stories, and some original projects, land on the big and small screens, but it is his latest effort that has become a particular sensation since its release at the start of the year. Fool Me Once, based on his book of the same name, follows Maya Stern (Michelle Keegan), who discovers her dead husband (Richard Armitage) might still be alive and embarks on a hunt for the truth that reveals shocking secrets about her life. The series drew 61 million views in the first two weeks of its release and was in the Netflix Top 10 in 91 countries around the world – statistics that led the streamer to commission two more Coben adaptations, Missing You and Run Away, that will mark the ninth and 10th projects in its long-running creative collaboration with the author.

FASHION FORWARD

IN BIOPICS HAILING FROM MULTIPLE COUNTRIES, NO FEWER THAN THREE NEW SERIES SPOTLIGHT THE WORK OF ICONIC FASHION DESIGNERS Cristóbal Balenciaga, on Disney+, comes from Spain and follows the designer to Paris where he hopes his designs will build on trends led by Chanel, Dior and Givenchy. Meanwhile, Apple TV+’s The New Look (pictured) highlights a similar story, with the Paris-set drama focusing on how the French capital led the world in fashion thanks to Christian Dior, whose work puts him in conflict with Chanel, Pierre Balmain, Balenciaga and more. Another Disney+ series that launched this year, German drama Kaiser Karl, chronicles the rise of Karl Lagerfeld through the world of 1970s Parisian high fashion.

IF EVER PROOF WERE NEEDED OF THE POWER OF TELEVISION DRAMA, LOOK NO FURTHER THAN THIS FOUR-PART DRAMA THAT DEBUTED ON ITV AT THE START OF THE YEAR. Starring Toby Jones (pictured), it tells the story of what is described as the greatest miscarriage of justice in British history, when hundreds of sub-postmasters and postmistresses were wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting due to the defective Horizon computer system. Many were imprisoned and all had their lives turned upside down by the scandal. Although the truth of the matter had already been reported across the past 20 years, the series pushed the scandal to the front pages, sparked public outrage and led the UK government to announce a new law to clear the names of those wrongly convicted. A public inquiry is ongoing, as is the row over compensation.

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CONTENT STRATEGIES

Portocabo creative executive producer Alfonso Blanco reveals how broadcasters from Spain and Germany came together to back the crime drama and discusses how the show utilises its Canary Islands setting.

A SCENE STEALERS Weiss & Morales

lfonso Blanco, the creative executive producer of A Coruña-based Portocabo, has spearheaded successful coproductions such as Hierro, a collaboration between Movistar Plus+ and Arte France that tells the story of a judge on her first case upon arrival at El Hierro. Another notable project is Dry Water, a joint e ort between Galicia’s regional broadcaster TVG and Portugal’s RTP, which explores a woman’s journey into the secrets behind her brother’s sudden death. The latest project, Weiss & Morales, unites two European broadcasting powerhouses, Germany’s ZDF and Spain’s RTVE, in an organic coproduction that brings Portocabo back to the Canary Islands. ZDF Studios is the distributor.

Blanco: For me, at the heart of Weiss & Morales lies a growing trend in European television: lighter, procedural series set against the warm, sunlit landscapes of the south. It follows the classic buddy-cop format, starring Miguel Ángel Silvestre (Sense8, Narcos) as a Spanish Civil Guard sergeant and Katia Fellin (Pagan Peak, Wild Republic) as an agent from Germany’s BKA.

Together, they must investigate the death of a German citizen in the Canary Islands, forcing them to bridge cultural di erences while cracking a case in every episode. The idea was to bring quality content to broad audiences as well as setting out alliances with strategic partners to pave the way for future collaborations.

I believe this four-episode, 90-minute series goes beyond standard procedural drama. With an aspirational quality, it o ers a glimpse into the everyday struggles of police

investigators as they juggle the demands of their job with their personal lives.

Producing for two distinct audiences is always challenging, but in this case we set up a mixed team of Spanish and German writers. The room was led by Nina Hernández of Spain (Honor) with main writers Carlota Dans (Dry Water) and Ron Markus (Dogs of Berlin) from Germany, and this allowed us to bring both cultures into the picture. The Canary Islands seemed an obvious choice for the setting, as they are Spanish islands that are also home to many German residents.

The cultural clashes weaved into the main characters' relationship built on the project’s multi-national foundations. As the series develops and the relationship between Weiss and Morales deepens, their initial assumptions about each other fall away, revealing the characters’ vulnerabilities. They then settle into a buddy-type relationship.

Although each episode investigates a di erent crime, each character has a series-long arc. Weiss and Morales have something in common: they each face a unique struggle. Nina Weiss confronts an identity crisis as she uncovers unsettling truths about her past, while Raúl Morales is about to be hit by the uncertainties of a marriage on which he is losing grip as he grapples with balancing fatherhood and household responsibilities with a demanding job. Weiss & Morales reflects on many themes: modern masculinity, identity, intergenerational trauma, and how to balance work and personal lives – all topics that make the characters’ struggles recognisable for the audience.

The German supporting cast includes Margarita Brioche

Miguel Ángel Silvestre and Katia Fellin lead the Weiss & Morales cast

“Weiss & Morales is deeply rooted in the international culture of the Canary Islands, capturing a SpanishGerman community that may not be a novelty for us but which we are sure will surprise a foreign audience.

Alfonso Blanco

(Nacht vor Augen) as Nina’s mother and Thomas Heinze (Marie Brand) as the German consul. Among the Spanish actors are Mariam Hernández (A qué estás esperando) as Raúl’s wife and Juanjo Puigcorbé (Alpha Male) as his fatherin-law. Celebrated Canary Islands actors including Yaiza Guimaré (HIT, Hierro), Mónica López (Rapa, Hierro) and Luífer Rodríguez (Las Noches de Tefía), bring beautiful local accents and culture to the screen.

While researching on the Canary Islands, we discovered fascinating unexplored facets of island life, including industry, technology, renewable energy and science, alongside new-age wellness retreats and digital nomad communities. At Portocabo, we like to tell stories that have a certain signature naturalistic style; we like to think about character and plot but always while grounding it to the place where the story is taking place.

Weiss & Morales is also deeply rooted in the international culture of the Canary Islands, capturing a Spanish-German community that may not be a novelty for us but which we are sure will surprise a foreign audience, as well as anyone who has never travelled outside of the islands’ tourist resorts.

Filmed on two of the islands — Gran Canaria and La Gomera — the series showcases a wealth of natural settings, both interior and exterior, beautifully captured by Oriol Ferrer (The Other Side of the Track), one of Spain’s most skilled and experienced directors. He has again partnered with DOP Jaime Pérez (Rapa), and the series stands out for its inspiring visuals, crafted by a talented Spanish team. The original music is by two of our favourite composers, Santi Jul

and Ivan Laxe (Cuñados). The show highlights the Canary Islands’ contrasting landscapes, from lush, exotic nature to brutalist urban architecture and industry, all framed by endless blue skies.

Unlike typical procedurals, Weiss & Morales delves into the human and everyday aspects of its characters, exploring the deeper reasons behind why and how ordinary people commit crimes. This sets the tone for a light, soft crime story that is easy to watch. Nevertheless, we couldn’t resist including topics about modern life that anchor the story and hopefully leave a positive impression on viewers.

As a Spanish-German partnership in front of and behind the camera, Weiss & Morales sits perfectly with the two European public broadcasters that are backing the series, Germany’s ZDF and Spain’s RTVE. In a contracting television business with increasing production costs, coproductions can secure the bigger budgets needed to heighten production values, as well as bringing together a cast filled with international talent.

ZDF is seasoned in this kind of coproduction model (The Killing, The Bridge), and creating alliances with RTVE shows a strategic move to set up new opportunities. Behind this vision is a long-standing friendship with my partner Peter Nadermann of Nadcon. We wanted to develop a series together on the Canary Islands with a story that could work for both markets and that could create high-end drama for public broadcasters. In a time of receding markets, it is much needed.

The show was filmed on Gran Canaria and La Gomera

Inspired by true events leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Das zweite Attentat (Dangerous Truth) centres on Alexander Jaromin, who for 20 years has been living with his mother in Athens under assumed identities in the witness protection programme of the Federal Criminal Police Office.

Alexander’s father and sister were killed in an attack in 2003, and his memories of them are overshadowed by unanswered questions. When his mother passes, she leaves behind pictures and a video that indicate there is more to uncover about their deaths.

Tormented by the unknown, Alexander’s desperate search for the truth takes him to Berlin. There, he finds himself under the close watch of the intelligence service, with his life in danger as he ends up in a race against time to uncover what happened to his father and sister.

Starring Noah Saavedra (Spectre) as Alexander, the show’s cast also includes Desirée Nosbusch (Bad Banks) and Jakob Diehl (All Quiet on the Western Front). The spy thriller, which was filmed across Greece, Germany and Luxembourg, is directed by Barbara Eder (The Swarm).

Here, Tania Reichert-Facilides, CEO of series distributor OneGate Media, and Eric Welbers, CEO of Bravado, outline six key elements of the show, which was produced for Germany’s ARD.

Dramatising true events

Dangerous Truth audiences back to the tumultuous international landscape of the early 2000s to expose the complex undercover investigations at play in the run-up to the Iraq invasion. Exploring this backdrop of state-sponsored conspiracies that affected millions of people on a global

FACT FILE Dangerous Truth

OneGate Media CEO Tania Reichert-Facilides and Bravado chief Eric Welbers share the key details of this German political thriller inspired by true events surrounding the 2003 invasion of Iraq. takes

scale and remain some of the most significant world events to date, it reflects the real personal toll of these conflicts through the character of Alexander. His journey explores the human experience in the midst of these international conflicts and the ethical dilemmas that defined this era, and remain relevant in today’s world.

Finding a story with international appeal

The Iraq War, which is the context behind this series’ crucial narrative, acts as a backdrop to explore themes of power struggles, global conflicts and political friction. These are topics that resound with audiences around the world, exploring the influence of major international events on personal lives. Alongside these political themes, Dangerous Truth uncovers the emotional journey of family tragedy. The series

journey to uncover the truth

Exploring the importance of family ties

The series details how Alexander has lived most of his adult life with unanswered questions about who his family were and why his father was killed. His deep-rooted feelings about his father and sister are what drives his quest for justice, and his connection to them dictates Alexander’s life and his resilience against the power of the Federal Intelligence Service.

the truth about the killings, which are tied to national and international corruption. Dramatic confrontations with political adversaries and life-threatening situations are balanced with reflective character development, where Alexander reflects on his own grief and the emotional weight of the loss of his family members and living in secrecy for the majority of his life. The tension between the personal and political worlds intensifies the drama.

Furthermore, Alexander discovers how deeply his own identity is tied to his family’s history, even decades after his father and sister’s deaths. He isn’t able to move on without knowing what happened to his family, reinforcing the intense bond one can have with family and the lasting effect the past can have.

Blending high-stakes action with emotional depth

Backdrop of Greece, Germany and Luxembourg Filming for the series took place across Greece, Germany and Luxembourg. Each territory’s atmosphere, landscapes and diversity helped shape the narrative. For example, the episode Bagdad was filmed in Greece for particular scenes portraying a flashback in Iraq. Further to this, the varying locations tap into cross-border themes and international relations that are core to the context of the series. The varying locations emphasise the global nature of the show and underscore topics of globalisation, also restating the series’ appeal to global audiences.

Collaboration

international events on uncovers follows Alexander’s personal about his family, adding another human element to the story that global audiences can connect with. He isn’t able to move on without the climate a dangerous investigation to uncover

Dangerous Truth combines the high stakes of the political climate in the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq with the pain of loss and importance of family ties. Alexander is thrust into a dangerous investigation to uncover

Dangerous Truth is the product of a collaboration between OneGate Media, Bravado and Eikon Media. This cross-industry collaboration combines incredible storytellers with an innovative global financing approach enabling high production value. It has led to the creation of a series that not only excels in its narrative but also taps into broader cultural and commercial dynamics. All three parties have brought diverse skills and strengths to the project, broadening its global appeal.

Eric Welbers

Tania Reichert-Facilides

Noah Saavedra leads the cast as Alexander Jaromin

SIX OF THE BEST

Sara Richardson

The head of scripted at NCIS: Sydney producer EndemolShine Australia selects a classic British period drama and a comedy sensation from down under among her half-dozen top picks.

Pride & Prejudice

The BBC series version with Colin Firth is, in my personal opinion, still the most successful adaptation of this work. It stands the test of time and is still referred to. Obviously, Jane Austen’s dialogue still sings but this series is, in its essence, a fun romcom that celebrates and rewards a female protagonist who dares to stand apart from the social norms of the time.

The Diplomat

I keep talking about this show! Intelligent, with commercial appeal, it’s very clever in its approach to covering two very different markets and territories and embracing the audience in both. It is also a really great example of a strong female-led character piece, something that is very important to me. I love how it explores complex human relationships both at home and in the workplace.

Pachinko

This is a beautiful example of a local story made for an international audience. I loved the original novel, but this incredible series demonstrates that an adaptation can add to the existing material, expanding the world and giving us even more time with beloved characters. Absolutely stunning television.

Colin From Accounts

It’s so satisfying to see a great and funny show get the recognition it deserves. Colin From Accounts does not try to be anything but what it is, a local Australian half-hour comedy, but its themes are universal and its characters are complex and endearing. You cannot help but fall in love with them and root for them. It speaks to the array of talent you can find in Australia, both above and below the line.

Grey’s Anatomy

Universally beloved, and the perfect example of a procedural done right. Despite being a long-running series, it is still

Universally beloved, and the long-running series, it is still

Pachinko is a beautiful example of a local story made for an international audience. Absolutely stunning television.

Sara Richardson

frequently referenced and feels contemporary and fresh. Grey’s never talks down to its audience, while still tackling difficult topics and procedures. Its strength lies in its ability to bring the audience on the journey of the characters’ self-discovery.

Bad Sisters

In recent years I’ve found I’m continually drawn to Irish television. Like Australia, it’s still an emerging television market. Ireland has a rich culture of storytelling and, also like Australia, it punches well above its weight. This is, at its core, a classic whodunnit, but the uniquely Irish dark humour and strong, relatable characters make it feel fresh and a standout in a crowded marketplace. The women at the heart of the drama are deeply nuanced, beautifully flawed and powerful characters, and inspired my continuing desire to champion complex female-led stories.

DQ

Apple TV+ drama Pachinko

Irish series Bad Sisters

Aussie comedy Colin From Accounts

Actors

Sîlvia Abril • Joel Basman • Diego Boneta • Alessandro Borghi • Sharon D Clarke

Shaun Evans • Lena Góra • Louisa Harland • Hazal Kaya • Malachi Kirby Camille Lou, Constance Labbé & Claire Romain • Mia McKenna-Bruce

Anna Samson • Alicia Silverstone • Sarah Snook • Tessa • Doria Tillier

Benjamin Wainwright • Supinder Wraich • Can Yaman

Directors

Ahmed Abdullahi • Amma Asante • Bille August • Bertie Carvel • Julian Farino

Javier Fesser • Julia Ford • Peter Grönlund • Sion Ifan • Baltasar Kormákur

Trent O’Donnell • Charlotte Regan • Alauda Ruiz de Azúa • Christian Schwochow

Anne Sewitsky • Sydney Sibilia • Eva Sigurdardottir • Stefano Sollima

Aisling Walsh • Laura Way

Writers

Lluís Arcarazo • Victoria Asare-Archer • Lucy Coleman • Hannah Daniel & Georgia Lee

Lena Dunham • Francesca Gardiner • Bruno Gascon • Allan Hawco

Samuel Jefferson • Kelly Jones • Ailbhe Keogan • Jenny Lund Madsen

Claire Oakley • Inci Gülen Oarr • Grace Ofori-Attah • Janice Okoh

Ólafur Darri Ólafsson • Milly Thomas • Mia Ylönen • Charles Yu

Series

A Better Place • The Agency • Blind Spot • Curfew • The Death of Bunny Munro Down Cemetery Road • Four Years Later • Generations • The Gray House How to Kill Your Family • The Island • Like Water for Chocolate • The Listeners Ludwig • Make that Movie • Ponies • Scar • Su Majestad • Uzal Wolf Hall: The Mirror & The Light

Trends & Trailblazers

Austen adaptations • Book to film… to TV • Harlan Coben • Detective revivals

Fashion designers • Julie Fernandez • Historical Japan • International Englishlanguage series • Issa López • Mama Youth Project • Mr Bates vs the Post Office Multiple perspectives • Noob • People of the Valley • Podcasters investigate Puzzling murders • Sherlock stories • Supacell • Tudor times • Two-season orders

WHO’S WHO

Email format: firstname@c21media.net

EDITORIAL: Editorial director Ed Waller Editor of C21Media.net Jonathan Webdale Chief sub-editor Gary Smitherman DQ chief sub-editor & head of design

John Winfield Senior sub-editor Steve Warrington News editor Clive Whittingham, Channel21 International editor Nico Franks DQ editor Michael Pickard

Research editor Gün Akyuz North American editor Jordan Pinto C21Kids editor Karolina Kaminska Senior reporter Neil Batey

C21TV: Head of C21TV Jason Olive Video editor/motion designer Adrian Ruiz Martin

SALES: Founding partner & commercial director Odiri Iwuji Sales director Peter Treacher Business development director Patricia Arescy

Sales manager Hayley Salt Senior sales executive Richard Segal Telesales executive Yasmin Connolly

EVENTS: Event programming director Ruth Palmer Head of events Gemma Burt Events coordinator Mia Hodgson

OPERATIONS: Operations director Lucy Scott Head of digital Laura Stevens Office manager Katie Reilly

PRODUCTION: Production manager Courtney Brewster Team assistants Caitlin Wren Rory Mullan Wilkinson Lily Miller

FINANCE: Group CFO Ravi Ruparel Finance director Susan Dean Finance manager Marina Sedra

Editor-in-chief & managing director David Jenkinson

During

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