Fleabag creator Waller-bridge’s high-stakes thriller bought for television

A high-stakes thriller from Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-bridge has been acquired by the BBC.

Killing Eve, based on novellas by Luke Jennings, stars Grey’s Anatomy actress San- dra Oh as a bored MI5 security officer whose desk job does not fulfil her fantasies of being a spy.

Doctor Foster star Jodie Comer will play Villanelle, an assassin clinging to the luxuries her violent job affords her. When Eve is tasked with tracking down Villanelle before she can strike again, the two women are thrown into a cat-andmouse game. The eight-part series, which will be co-written and executive produced by Waller-bridge, will also star Fiona Shaw, David Haig and Kim Bodnia, as well as Darren Boyd, Sean Delaney, and Owen Mcdonnell. It will premiere on BBC One and be made available by BBC Three as a box set on iplayer.

Damian Kavanagh, controller of BBC Three, said: “I’m delighted BBC Three will partner with BBC One to bring audiences Killing Eve. It is one of the most exciting series of recent times and not only do we get to work with Phoebe again, who is a fantastic writer with a unique voice, the brilliant Jodie Comer will be back on BBC Three after her star turn in Thirteen.”

Sue Deeks, head of programme acquisition at the BBC, said: “Killing Eve is a startlingly original thriller. In turn both laugh-out-loud funny and edge-of-your-seat gripping, Phoebe Waller-bridge has filled her new series with an array of wonderful characters.”

Fleabag follows a woman trying to cope with life in a big city while coming to terms with a tragedy.