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BBC drama announces range of new shows from up-and-coming talent

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

From Good Housekeeping

The BBC has announced a selection of new shows in the works, with a focus on ‘firsts’ including series written by newcomers.

“We are continuing our commitment to producing the best British drama there is, with four new drama commissions - each a first in its own right. Sometimes being first isn’t about being first with an idea, it’s about being first to an idea. These four brilliant and varied pieces are written by someone who is new to television writing, and it might sound risky, but backing new talent is normal and natural to us,” Piers Wenger, Controller of Drama at the BBC said.

The Responder is a new BBC Two drama by first time television writer Tony Schumacher, and draws from his own experiences as an urgent response officer.

“It’s a raw, anarchic and funny portrait of a corner of Britain rarely seen on screen, through the eyes of a law enforcement officer who is struggling with his mental health. Martin Freeman has committed to star which shows just how good the scripts really are,” the BBC said.

“The series is drawn from Tony’s real life experiences and holds a mirror up to the emotional, often heart breaking extremes of modern day policing as it follows Chris, played by Martin Freeman, tackling a series of six night shifts on the beat in Liverpool as an urgent response officer.”

Photo credit: Michael Loccisano - Getty Images
Photo credit: Michael Loccisano - Getty Images

Nicôle Lecky has written a six-part series called Superhoe which is based on her Royal Court play and for which she not only writes but also plays the central role and sings. It has been commissioned for BBC Three.

Award winning film writer Shola Amoo has adapted Kit De Waal’s novel My Name Is Leon about two half-brothers who are separated after they are taken into foster care. Shola has adapted the novel as a single film for BBC One and it will be directed by Kibwe Tavares.

Photo credit: Simone Padovani/Awakening - Getty Images
Photo credit: Simone Padovani/Awakening - Getty Images

Alice Seabright will write and direct Chloe, a six-part series for BBC One about a young woman who starts leading a double life to uncover the truth behind the death of her estranged best friend.

“Chloe is an assertive, audacious thriller exploring obsession, identity, grief, and truth,” according to the BBC.

“Becky thinks Chloe has the perfect life. Years after Chloe abandoned her when they were teenagers, Becky still obsessively watches Chloe's life through her picture-perfect social media. But when Chloe dies suddenly, Becky's need to find out how and why leads her to assume a new identity and infiltrate the enviable lives of Chloe's closest friends.

“Through her alter-ego Sasha, Becky becomes a powerful, transgressive heroine, trapped in a dangerous web of lies, only some of which are her own.”

As well as working with new talent, the BBC is building on its partnership with critically-acclaimed novelist and now screenwriter, Sally Rooney.

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

Rooney has adapted her novel Normal People for BBC Three and BBC One, and before that has even aired the broadcaster has announced the TV commission of her debut book Conversations With Friends.

The story is set in Dublin and focuses on two college students Frances and Bobbi, and the strange, unexpected connection they forge with a married couple, Melissa and Nick.

Piers Wenger said: “We are all addicted to Sally Rooney’s writing and will plunder her literary canon as long as she is writing. And so, on the back of the taut and tangled Normal People we are delighted that Sally has entrusted us, and the wonderfully talented people at Element Pictures, with her debut novel Conversations with Friends. To top it all Lenny Abrahamson has agreed to continue his association with Sally to direct.”

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

While we wait for these new commissions to hit screens, there's plenty to look forward to. This year the BBC will air new series like Normal People, Noughts & Crosses, The Nest and Vigil.


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Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

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