大象传媒

In a world where there is just so much content, it’s never been more important for 大象传媒 Drama to deliver the unexpected and for us to be clear and strong on what sets us apart.

Director-General Tony Hall says: “Delivering high quality drama that engages and excites the public is a priority for the 大象传媒. The commissions we have announced will continue to deliver just that. It's an exciting time ahead for fans of great drama."

Wenger says: “Returning to the 大象传媒 after five years away, I’ve been struck by how much things have changed. Charlotte and the team have made 大象传媒 Drama the home of creative risk and challenged conventional wisdom on what popular drama is. In a world where there is just so much content, it’s never been more important for 大象传媒 Drama to deliver the unexpected and for us to be clear and strong on what sets us apart. Only by thinking outside the usual parameters will we discover the next generation of standout shows. It’s all about the idea - not the box we put it in.

"I want us to be less bound by conventions of genre, slot and channel even when considering new work. We know that the biggest risks deliver the biggest hits and in a landscape which is so fast changing, ideas need to be well ahead of the curve. And that means giving ourselves maximum creative headroom to allow ideas to develop and grow.

"I also want a strong streak of Britishness to run through the centre of everything we do. It gives us distinctiveness in a crowded landscape and a strong identity internationally. I think that it’s the individuality, chutzpah, determined vision and tireless curiosity at the heart of Britain’s creative community which has played a huge part in turning drama from the UK into such a valuable cultural export and so I’d like the next five years of drama from the 大象传媒 to be a celebration of British authorship, identity and life in all its most diverse forms.”

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大象传媒 One

GIRI/HAJI (8x60’)
義理/恥
DUTY/SHAME

From Joe Barton, the writer of BAFTA winning Our World War and Humans, comes an original eight-part series about a middle-aged Tokyo detective (Kenzo) who travels to London in search of his wayward younger brother (Yuto). Once thought dead, Yuto is now believed to be posing as a Yakuza gangster in London and wanted for the murder of a Japanese businessman there.

Kenzo is a lonely and driven man. His honour, his family’s well-being, and the fragile peace between the warring gangs back home, rest on him finding Yuto and returning him to Tokyo. Yet, despite the pressures of home, a mis-fit family of lonely Londoners forms around Kenzo. There’s Rodney, a half Japanese rent boy with a wicked sense of humour, and Sarah, a forensic specialist with secrets of her own. Torn between two cities, and an increasingly conflicted sense of self, Kezo wrestles with questions of guilt, duty, love and shame.

Giri/Haji is a dark, character-driven crime story which cuts between London and Tokyo, exploring the butterfly effect between the two cities, and asks - how do we live with our actions when the prisms they’re viewed through can seem to change so drastically depending on where we are or who we talk to?

Joe Barton, says: “I'm incredibly excited to be teaming up with Sister Pictures to tell this story and bring these characters to life. We want to make something that's really ambitious and unique and the 大象传媒 and Netflix feels like the perfect place to do that at the moment.”

Jane Featherstone, Executive Producer and Founder of Sister Pictures, said: “From the first moment Joe Barton spoke about his idea for Giri/Haji I was hooked because this series gives us an opportunity to examine our own culture and morality through the eyes of a foreigner, and combines fascinating characters, glorious wit and visual flair to tell a compelling and constantly twisting crime story. Sister is beyond thrilled to be making Giri/Haji for the 大象传媒 and Netflix, both of whom are wonderful partners.”

Giri/Haji has been commissioned by Piers Wenger and Charlotte Moore for 大象传媒 One, and Elizabeth Bradley and Alex Sapot for Netflix, and is a Sister Pictures production. Executive Producers are Jane Featherstone, Chris Fry and Joe Barton for Sister Pictures, and Piers Wenger for the 大象传媒. Giri/Haji will make its world premiere on 大象传媒 One and Netflix will stream the series globally outside of the UK.

Informer (6x60’)

From Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, two new writers for television, comes Informer - a sophisticated, contemporary thriller about a young, second generation Pakistani man from East London who is coerced by a Counter-Terrorism officer to go undercover and inform for him. The officer himself has a past he is unwilling to expose and as he pushes his informant deeper, the stakes for both men get higher and higher. It is a story about identity in a world where lines are increasingly being drawn and sides are being taken. What happens when you, or your friends, family or neighbours fall on the wrong side of that line and the personal becomes political.

Nicolas Brown, Neal Street Productions Executive Producer, says: “We are excited that the 大象传媒 are backing our faith in two new, hugely talented writers - Sohrab Noshirvani and Rory Haines - and their incredibly engaging, resonant story about identity and belonging.”

Informer has been commissioned by Piers Wenger and Charlotte Moore and will be produced by Neal Street Productions (Call The Midwife, The Hollow Crown) for 大象传媒 One. Executive producers are Nicolas Brown and Julie Pastor for Neal Street Productions, and Elizabeth Kilgarriff for the 大象传媒.

The War Of The Worlds (3x60’)

From Peter Harness comes the first British television adaptation of H. G. Wells’ novel The War Of The Worlds, produced by Mammoth Screen for 大象传媒 One.

Horsell Common in Surrey is struck by a huge meteor, and the inhabitants of Earth slowly fall victim to a vicious invasion. The three-part drama follows one man’s attempt to escape the ruthless Martians - but they are determined to destroy all human life as they attempt to conquer the earth…

Writer, Peter Harness says: “I'm feeling phenomenally lucky to be writing The War Of The Worlds, and blowing up gigantic swathes of the Home Counties at the dawn of the twentieth century. Wells’s book is ground zero for all modern science fiction, and like all the best sci-fi, manages to sneak in some pretty astonishing comments on what it is to be a human being too. I’m hoping to follow in the great man’s footsteps by making a terrifying, Martian-packed series which manages to be emotional, characterful, and - deep breath, dare I say it - even political at the same time.”

Damien Timmer, Mammoth Screen Managing Director, says: “It’s a great honour to bring H.G. Wells’s masterpiece to 大象传媒 One. This huge title - the original alien invasion story - has been loosely adapted and riffed on countless times, but no one has ever attempted to follow Wells and locate the story in Woking at the turn of the last century. We hope Peter’s adaptation will be the definitive adaptation of one of the great classic novels - and a visceral, thought provoking thrill ride!”

The War Of The Worlds has been commissioned by Piers Wenger and Charlotte Moore, written by Peter Harness (Doctor Who, Jonathan Strange And Mr Norrell, Wallander) and will be produced by Mammoth Screen (Poldark, The City And The City, The Witness For The Prosecution, NW) for 大象传媒 One. Filming will begin early 2018.

Black Narcissus (3x60’)

From BAFTA award-winning writer Amanda Coe (Apple Tree Yard, Life in Squares) comes a new three-part 大象传媒 One adaptation of Black Narcissus, Rumer Godden’s iconic tale of sexual repression and forbidden love.

Returning this haunting love story to its original setting in the 1930s, as the western colonial order is about to explode into the crisis of World War Two, Black Narcissus follows Sister Clodagh and the nuns of St Faiths, who travel to Nepal to set up a branch of their order in the remote palace of Mopu.

In the unfettered sensuality of the so-called House of Women, Sister Clodagh finds herself increasingly attracted to the handsome and damaged land agent, Mr Dean. But as the repressed memories of Clodagh’s past become entangled with the tragic history of Princess Srimati, the Nepalese princess driven to madness and suicide in the palace after her own tragic love story, history seems doomed to repeat itself.

Are there really ghosts here in the Himalayas, or are the nuns just succumbing to long-repressed primal desires? And which of them is prepared to die - or kill - for love?

Writer Amanda Coe says: “I’m thrilled to be adapting Black Narcissus for 大象传媒 One. It’s a truly extraordinary love story, as well as a brilliantly unsettling piece of 20th century gothic about the power of a place to get under your skin and the dangers of refusing to learn from history.”

Black Narcissus has been commissioned by Piers Wenger and Charlotte Moore. The series will be produced by DNA Films (Ex-Machina, Far From the Madding Crowd) for 大象传媒 One, with Producer Tom Winchester, and Executive Producers Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich for DNA; and Lucy Richer for the 大象传媒.

A Suitable Boy (8x60’)

The multi award-winning screenwriter Andrew Davies will adapt Vikram Seth’s international bestseller A Suitable Boy for 大象传媒 One. A modern classic about a young woman’s search for love and identity in a newly independent, post-Partition India defining its own future, this beloved novel has never been adapted for the screen before. Now, Andrew Davies’ scripts will bring the story to a whole new audience with his signature blend of warmth, wit and humanity.

A Suitable Boy is the story of Lata, a young woman coming of age in northern India in 1951. Lata’s mother Mrs Rupa Mehra is determined to find her a husband, but after her sister’s conventional arranged marriage Lata is not convinced she wants the same path through life. Torn between duty to her family and the excitement of romance, Lata embarks on an epic journey of love, desire and heartache as three very different suitors vie for her hand. Her choice will play out against the tumultuous political backdrop of India at a crossroads, looking towards its first independent general election and carving out its own destiny.

Vikram Seth says: “It is a great pleasure to collaborate with the 大象传媒 and Andrew Davies on an adaptation of A Suitable Boy. I have carried with me for a long time the stories of Lata, her family and the many people they encounter. With Andrew and his team I feel they are in good hands, and I greatly look forward to seeing them brought to life for television.”

Screenwriter Andrew Davies says: “Lata’s trials of the heart speak as loudly to me now as when I first read Vikram’s epic novel two decades ago. She is a great literary heroine in the tradition of Jane Austen and George Eliot. But behind her stands a massive supporting cast of striking, funny, irrepressible characters and a vision of India in the 1950s that no reader can ever forget. It will make a wonderful series and I can’t wait to bring the magic of the book to life on screen.”

Faith Penhale, Lookout Point Executive Producer, says: “A Suitable Boy is the perfect story for television - a generous, expansive epic of the human heart, and of India at a turning point in its history. It is a privilege to bring it to life for the 大象传媒 and to partner again with Andrew Davies, a writer brilliantly attuned to the sweep and subtleties of Vikram Seth’s wonderful novel.”

A Suitable Boy has been commissioned by Charlotte Moore and Piers Wenger. It is a Lookout Point (War And Peace, Les Misérables) production for 大象传媒 One. Executive Producers are Andrew Davies and Vikram Seth, Faith Penhale and Laura Lankester for Lookout Point, and Lucy Richer for the 大象传媒. The series will be filmed on location in India.

Little Women (3x60’)

From the award-winning creator of Call The Midwife Heidi Thomas (Cranford, Ballet Shoes) comes Little Women. Based on the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott, this enthralling three-part adaptation will bring to life the iconic March sisters for 大象传媒 One. Vanessa Caswill (Thirteen, My Mad Fat Diary) will direct all three hours. Principal photography is set to begin in July and casting will be announced in due course.

Loved by generations of women worldwide, Little Women is a truly universal coming of age story, as relevant and engaging today as it was on its original publication in 1868. Set against the backdrop of a country divided, the story follows the four sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March on their journey from childhood to adulthood. With the help of their mother Marmee, while their father is away at war, the girls navigate what it means to be a young woman: from gender roles to sibling rivalry, first love, loss and marriage.

Writer and Executive Producer, Heidi Thomas says: "Little Women is one of the most loved novels in the English language, and with good reason. Its humanity, humour and tenderness never date, and as a study of love, grief and growing up it has no equal. There could be no better time to revisit the story of a family striving for happiness in an uncertain world, and I am thrilled to be bringing the March girls to a new generation of viewers."

Executive Producer Colin Callender and Sophie Gardiner says: “The mini-series is a storytelling form unique to television and the opportunity to adapt Louisa May Alcott’s novel over three hours is a gift from the 大象传媒 and Masterpiece on PBS. This is a character study of young women rich in texture and detail and it’s an honour to be able to bring it to life in this extended form with the great Heidi Thomas, one of the finest writers working in television today. In the hands of the exciting directorial style of filmmaker Vanessa Caswill we hope to deliver a new screen version that will speak to contemporary audiences, meet the expectations of the book’s ardent fans and bring a whole new generation to this great classic.”

Little Women has been commissioned by Piers Wenger and Charlotte Moore, and will be produced by Playground (Wolf Hall, Howards End) for 大象传媒 One. The series is a co-production with Masterpiece on PBS. The producer is Susie Liggat. Executive producers are Colin Callender and Sophie Gardiner for Playground, Heidi Thomas, Lucy Richer for the 大象传媒 and Rebecca Eaton for Masterpiece.

A Very English Scandal (3x60’)

A multi-award-winning stellar team brings this new three-part drama to 大象传媒 One. Based on the book A Very English Scandal: Sex, Lies And A Murder Plot At The Heart Of The Establishment, by acclaimed journalist John Preston, the drama is written by Russell T Davies (Doctor Who, Queer As Folk, Cucumber) and directed by Stephen Frears (Florence Foster Jenkins, Philomena, Dangerous Liaisons).

A Very English Scandal is the shocking true story of the first British politician to stand trial for conspiracy and incitement to murder. It is the late 1960s, homosexuality has only just been decriminalised, and Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the Liberal party and the youngest leader of any British political party in a hundred years, has a secret he's desperate to hide. As long as his ex-lover Norman Scott is around, Thorpe's brilliant career is at risk. With the help of friends, Thorpe schemes and deceives - until he can see only one way to silence Scott for good. The trial of Jeremy Thorpe changed society forever, illuminating the darkest secrets of the Establishment. The Thorpe affair revealed such breath-taking deceit and corruption that, at the time, hardly anyone dared believe it could be true.

Writer Russell T Davies says: “I’ve wanted to write this story for years, ever since I was 16 and saw it unfold on the news. It’s probably the first gay story I ever heard. John Preston’s brilliant book illuminates a vital and fascinating piece of British history.”

Stephen Frears says: “Telly’s where the good stuff is - hooray!”

A Very English Scandal has been commissioned by Piers Wenger and Charlotte Moore, and will be produced by Blueprint Pictures (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, In Bruges) for 大象传媒 One. Executive producers are Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin for Blueprint Pictures and Lucy Richer for the 大象传媒.

Come Home (3x60’)

What does it take for a mother to walk out on her family, leaving her children behind? What impact does it have, and how do others judge her? From BAFTA and International Emmy winning screenwriter Danny Brocklehust, Come Home is a powerful, absorbing and deeply emotional family drama, told with warmth and humour. Tense, compelling and truthful, the drama explores the messy realities of parenthood, marriage, and what happens when a mother switches the reset button on their life.

Filmed and set in Northern Ireland, the series will focus up close on a family reeling, from mother Marie who has made the hardest decision of her life, to her bereft husband Greg, and their three kids: 16 year old Liam, 14 year old Laura and 4 year old Molly.

At the heart of the series is an emotional mystery: why did Marie flee?

Writer, Danny Brocklehurst, says: “Come Home is a bold family drama tackling big themes of responsibility, regret and identity, unafraid of going to dark and painful places. But there is also levity, laughter and an emotional truthfulness about the difficulties of parenting. This is a drama about ‘home’, ‘who we are’ and how lives cannot just be walked away from. I’m delighted to be making this passion project drama with Red Productions for 大象传媒 One”

MD of RED Production Company and Executive Producer, Nicola Shindler, says: “It’s a real treat to be working with Danny again; he always delivers something special for the viewer. In Come Home we delve into the complex mind of a mother who is driven to the extreme act of walking out on her family in the beautifully nuanced way that only Danny can. At RED we pride ourselves on working with exceptional writers who have enabled us to produce some remarkable authored dramas with stories of real life at their heart. With Come Home, Danny has found themes around parenthood that will shock but yet resonate with audiences in equal measure.”

Come Home has been commissioned by Piers Wenger and Charlotte Moore, and will be produced by Red Production Company (Happy Valley, Last Tango In Halifax) for 大象传媒 One, and the Executive producer for Red Production Company is Nicola Shindler. Filming will start in Northern Ireland later this year.

The Wilsons (w/t, 3x60’)

Inspired by a true story and written by Anna Symon, this three-part drama is set in 1960s London, 1940s London and India in the 1930s.

In 1963, Alison Wilson thinks she is a normal, happily married woman. But when her husband Alec suddenly dies, a woman turns up on her doorstep, claiming that she is the real Mrs Wilson. Alison is determined to prove the validity of her own marriage - and Alec’s love for her - but is instead led into a world of dark and troubling secrets. Alec was a British spy and a best-selling novelist.. .but what else besides? Where did his truth end and his fiction begin? Alison will be pushed to the very brink to find out.

Ruth Wilson, who will star and Executive Produce says: "I am so excited to bring to the small screen the extraordinary lives of my grandparents. Theirs is a profoundly moving story and the 大象传媒 is the perfect home for it."

Ruth Kenley-Letts, Snowed-In Productions Executive Producer, says: “Any commission is thrilling for a young company but even more so when the project is as exciting as this. It’s an honour to have been entrusted with this family’s remarkable story, and a privilege to have been able to work with the talented Anna Symon at the helm. To take on such a complex, moving and challenging family history is a huge responsibility and she’s done an outstanding job. It’s a truly riveting script. We can’t wait to bring it to life.”

The Wilsons has been commissioned by Piers Wenger and Charlotte Moore and will be produced by Snowed-In Productions for 大象传媒 One. Written by Anna Symon (Indian Summers). Executive Producers are Ruth Wilson (The Affair, Luther), Ruth Kenley-Letts (Strike, The Casual Vacancy), and Neil Blair (Strike, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them) for Snowed-In Productions and Lucy Richer for the 大象传媒.

大象传媒 Two

Summer Of Rockets (6x60’)

Stephen Poliakoff’s semi-autobiographical Summer Of Rockets is a six-part series for 大象传媒 Two produced by Little Island Productions. Set in the UK during the tumultuous year of 1957. Fear and excitement of the future permeates the lives of all, as Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb, the Prime Minister declares that "most of our people have never had it so good", the Soviets launch their first ballistic missile and beat the Americans by successfully sending a Satellite into space. All this washed down with the emergence of Elvis and rock ‘n’ roll.

Executive Producer Helen Flint, a long-time collaborator with Poliakoff on productions such as Close To The Enemy, Shooting The Past and Perfect Strangers, says: "Summer Of Rockets is set in the Cold War period and the Series follows Samuel, a Russian born Jewish inventor and designer of bespoke hearing aids and his small family. Samuel is approached by the MI5 to demonstrate his work. Yet it is not his inventions the operatives require - instead Samuel is tasked with the secret mission of obtaining information about his newly and proudly acquired friends Kathleen and Richard Shaw MP.”

The Summer Of Rockets has been commissioned by Patrick Holland and Piers Wenger, is written and directed by the multi-award-winning Stephen Poliakoff (Close To The Enemy, Lost Prince, Shooting The Past). Helen Flint (Snatch, Close To The Enemy, Longford, The Take, Galavant) will executive produce for Little Island Productions and Lucy Richer for the 大象传媒.

大象传媒 Three

Overshadowed (8x10’)

Based on Eva O’Connor’s award winning play, Overshadowed tells the story of a young girl called Imogene (Imo) whose life spirals out of control when she meets the monster of anorexia personified. The eight-part short-form series has been written by television newcomers Eva O’Connor and Hildegard Ryan, and will be produced by Kay Mellor's Rollem Productions for 大象传媒 Three.

Imo used to be sparkly, vivacious and outgoing. Recently however she’s becoming withdrawn, gaunt and obsessed with exercise. The reason? Her new best friend. She's casting a dark shadow over Imo’s life and won’t rest until Imo is a shadow of her former self.

Kay Mellor, Rollem Productions Executive Producer says: “I am so excited and thrilled that Overshadowed has been commissioned by Damian Kavanagh and Piers Wenger for 大象传媒 Three with Elizabeth Kilgarriff executive producing. It is such an important, modern story of our times told in an innovative and exiting way by two young people. It has long been a dream of mine to be able to help give a voice to new writers and I am delighted to be championing Eva O'Conner and Hildegard Ryan who have something really important to say.”

Overshadowed has been commissioned by Damien Kavanagh and Piers Wenger for 大象传媒 Three, and will be produced by Rollem Productions (Love, Lies And Records, In The Club, The Syndicate). Executive Producers are Kay Mellor for Rollem Productions and Elizabeth Kilgarriff for the 大象传媒.

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