Scripted

ITV Studios has sold a range of its high quality scripted content to the US at NATPE Miami.

Brassic [in pic], Sky’s highest-rating comedy in seven years, has been acquired by SVOD service Hulu. Produced by Calamity Films for Sky One and written by BAFTA® winner Danny Brocklehurst, Brassic garnered huge critical acclaim when it aired in the UK in August 2019, resulting in a second season commission prior to its premiere.

Gold Digger, the character-driven relationship thriller from Mainstreet Pictures for BBC One has sold to AMC Networks’ subscription streaming service Acorn TV. Featuring Primetime Emmy® winner Julia Ormond (Sabrina, Legends of the Fall) and Ben Barnes (Westworld, Chronicles of Narnia), Gold Digger is filled with unexpected twists and turns. Acorn TV will feature its US and Canadian Premiere in Summer 2020.

New comedy drama from Genial Productions The Trouble with Maggie Cole (former w-t Glass Houses), which delves into what happens when idle gossip escalates out of control, has been picked up by PBS Distribution. Starring Dawn French (The Vicar of Dibley, French & Saunders), it is yet to air on ITV, but highly anticipated.

Also from Mammoth Screen, ITV has teamed up with BritBox North America to co-produce the up-coming six-part mystery series McDonald & Dodds about a pair of mismatched police detectives starring Jason Watkins (Hold The Sunset, The Crown). The deal also Includes two BritBox Originals: three-part psychological thriller Sticks and Stones from Tall Story Pictures, and 42, starring Ken Nowsu (Killing Eve), and Anonymous Content and MultiStory Media’s sharp-witted take on the police procedural Wild Bill, starring the internationally renowned Rob Lowe.

BRASSIC
Written by BAFTA® winner Danny Brocklehurst, this edgy and authentic original comedy follows a group of working-class friends who find unconventional ways to win at life. Vinnie (Joseph Gilgun), a Lancashire lad with bipolar disorder, and Dylan (Damien Molony), his razor smart best mate, are inseparable and utterly co-dependent. Alongside Cardi, Ash, Tommo and JJ, the lads have dealt, scammed, bribed and conned their way through adolescence. But now, on the brink of adulthood, their dealing and stealing is catching up with them. Like a carefully stacked tower of cards, what happens if one of them is knocked down or, worse, removed from the pack entirely? Veering between hilarious comedy and raw, heartfelt emotion, this outrageous, funny and bold show is about irreplaceable lifelong friends, loyalty and the things that come between them. Co-created by Danny Brocklehurst and This is England star Joseph Gilgun, Brassic also stars Michelle Keegan, Ruth Sheen and Tim Key.

GOLD DIGGER
Starring Primetime Emmy® winner Julia Ormond - making her British television debut in a lead role - and Ben Barnes, Gold Digger is a contemporary, character-driven relationship thriller filled with unexpected twists and turns.
The story focuses on a wealthy woman who falls in love with a much younger man and the impact this has on her already damaged family. Mother first, wife second, woman last - 60-year-old Julia (Ormond) has spent her whole life putting the needs of others before her own. Then she meets Benjamin (Barnes), a 30-something copywriter with a shrouded history. As the drama unfolds, the consequences of their relationship are explored, as devastating secrets from the past tear the family’s fragile bonds further apart. Has Julia finally found the happiness she’s always deserved? Or is the complex and enigmatic Benjamin really the gold digger her family think he is?

THE TROUBLE WITH MAGGIE COLE
Created and written by Mark Brotherhood and starring Dawn French, new comedy drama The Trouble With Maggie Cole (previously known as Glass Houses) delves into what happens when idle gossip escalates out of control and starts to affect people’s lives. Set in a picturesque fishing village, the series centres on Maggie Cole (French), the self- appointed oracle of this close-knit community. Maggie makes it her business to know a little bit about everyone’s lives. She certainly doesn’t pay attention to the cautionary adage that ‘those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones’.

MCDONALD AND DODDS 
McDonald and Dodds follows the investigations of a wildly mismatched detective duo in Bath, England. McDonald (Pala Gouveia) brings her tough, no-nonsense big city approach to this idyllic town only to find herself paired with Dodds, (Jason Watkins), her quiet and unassuming new partner who has a knack for solving puzzles. Can this mismatched combo realize that their differences are really their strengths?

STICKS AND STONES 
Mike Bartlett, creator of Doctor Foster and Trauma, explores the corrosive effects of workplace bullying in this taut three-part psychological thriller starring Ken Nwosu. Set amid the competitive world of sales, the drama centres on the personal and professional life of Thomas Benson (Nwosu), a hard-working father and husband. Reliant on bonuses and winning pitches, Thomas often finds himself leading the team when trying to secure new business. However, when he freezes during a pitch, the fall out is monumental. Determined to prove himself, Thomas goes to increasingly desperate lengths to remain successful.

WILD BILL  
Six-time Golden Globe nominee Rob Lowe stars as Bill Hixon, a high-flying US police chief who relocates with his 14-year-old daughter to East Lincolnshire, England to shake up the local police force…and his own life in the process. As new Chief Constable of the force, he solves crimes with the help of a degree in criminology, a Masters in Psychopathology and a Doctorate in Statistical Mapping. Wild Bill expertly blends drama and humour in this sharp-witted original take on police procedurals.