BBC’s ‘genre-busting’ winter TV dramas
EIGHT “distinctive” new BBC dramas are to air this winter, starring the likes of Claire Foy, Jamie Dornan, Martin Freeman and Ben Whishaw.
BBC drama boss Piers Wenger called the shows “genre-busting” – and hinted that police series Line of Duty may return.
He said: “These new dramas don’t sit comfortably within those genres we feel very familiar with.
“What we feel excited about is pushing against the conventions of genre.
“They may be the way streaming platforms organise their menus – but that doesn’t mean we have to stick to them.”
The programmes include A Very British Scandal, starring The Crown’s Claire Foy as real-life society beauty the Duchess of Argyll.
Another star of The Crown, Erin Doherty, takes the lead as oddball Becky in six-part mystery, Chloe – while thriller-meets-black comedy The Tourist stars The Fall’s Jamie Dornan.
Bond star Ben Whishaw is to play real-life doctor Adam Kay in This is Going to Hurt, an adaptation of a best-selling expose on the daily life of NHS junior doctor.
Meanwhile, former EastEnders star Jessica Plummer and The Morning Show’s Gugu Mbatha-Raw will play interlinked characters in spooky thriller The Girl Before.
Written by an ex-cop, The Responder will star Sherlock’s Martin Freeman as a police officer on the verge of a breakdown – while musical BBC3 series Superhoe is adapted by Nicky Lecky from her own stage play.
Fans of Normal People will be glad to hear an adaptation of Sally Rooney’s follow-up novel Conversations With Friends will also hit the box soon, featuring Jemima Kirke, Sasha Lane and Joe Alwyn.
And although there is no confirmed return yet, a new series of Line of Duty could be on the horizon, along with writer Jed Mercurio’s other ratings hit The Bodyguard.
Wenger also defended the BBC’s decision to turn Jimmy Savile’s decades of sex abuse into a drama, due to air this year, starring Steve Coogan. He said: “It’s a story that needs to be told.”
Wenger confirmed EastEnders will return to its usual 30-minute format.