Scripted

ITV Studios has announced a raft of pre-sales for the highly anticipated adrenaline-fuelled thriller Vigil and true-crime drama The Pembrokeshire Murders, which are both produced by World Productions, the production company behind the internationally acclaimed, multi-award winning Line of Duty and Bodyguard.

Vigil, which unravels a high-stakes conspiracy threatening the very heart of Britain’s nuclear deterrent, a Trident nuclear submarine, has been sold in Australia where BBC Studios Australia has acquired the territory premiere rights, and SBS is taking the free tv premiere window, while The Pembrokeshire Murders, which brings to life the extraordinary cold-case pursuit of the most notorious serial killer in Welsh history, has been picked up by Canal+ in Poland and licensed to the BBC for BBC Player in Singapore, Taiwan, the Philippines and Hong Kong. It is co-produced by Britbox and will exclusively premiere on the service in the US & Canada.

Both shows meanwhile have been acquired by VRT in Belgium, NPO in the Netherlands and across the Nordics in Denmark (DR), Finland (YLE), Norway (NRK) and Sweden (SVT).

Ruth Berry, Managing Director, Global Distribution at ITV Studios, said, “We are really excited to license these two different but equally gripping dramas to partners worldwide. World Productions’ reputation for making thrilling content is truly global and both Vigil and The Pembrokeshire Murders are really powerful stories.”

With the ITV Studios Fall Festival now underway as of this week, tomorrow sees its World-Class Drama session take place, with CEO and Creative Director of World Productions, Simon Heath, joined by special guests, Rose Leslie, Luke Evans and Jed Mercurio to discuss Vigil, The Pembrokeshire Murders, Line of Duty and more.

As Vigil (6x60 for BBC One) commences, two seemingly disparate events - the disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler and a death aboard a Trident nuclear submarine - bring the police into direct conflict with the Navy and British security services. DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) is thrown into this highly charged situation, tasked with heading an investigation both on land and at sea. Finding her authority increasingly weakened by the forces at play around her, the brilliant but fragile Silva is also left questioning her own choices as she navigates personal trauma and loss. Set in a shadowy world we rarely see but which has implications for us all, this timely thriller takes viewers deep into the pitch-black icy waters of the Atlantic, to a place where tomorrow’s geopolitical struggles are already being played out. From the producers of Bodyguard and Line of Duty, Vigil (working title) also stars Rose Leslie, Shaun Evans, Anjli Mohindra, Martin Compston, Paterson Joseph, Connor Swindells, Adam James and Gary Lewis. Written and created by BAFTA nominee Tom Edge (The Crown, C.B. Strike, Oscar-nominated Judy), it is directed by BAFTA winner James Strong (Broadchurch, Liar). Also written by Chandni Lakhani (Dublin Murders) and Ed Macdonald (The End of the F***ing World), Executive Producers are Simon Heath, Jake Lushington, James Strong, Tom Edge, and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC.

Revealing the gripping inside story of a groundbreaking case that set the standard for cold case murder investigations, The Pembrokeshire Murders (3x60 for ITV) is based on the book of the same name by Steve Wilkins and Jonathan Hill. Two unsolved double murders from the 1980s cast a long shadow over the work of the Dyfed-Powys police force. In 2006, newly promoted Detective Superintendent Steve Wilkins (Luke Evans, Dracula Untold, The Alienist) decided to reopen both cases. Employing pioneering forensic methods, Wilkins and his hand-picked team found microscopic DNA and fibres that potentially linked the murders to a string of burglaries committed in the 80s and 90s. The perpetrator of those crimes was nearing the end of his prison sentence, but if Steve Wilkins was right, he was also a serial killer... Could Steve and his team unearth enough forensic evidence to charge their suspect before he was released to potentially kill again? This three-part drama unravels the painstaking detective work and cutting-edge scientific innovations – as well as a bizarre identification via a TV gameshow – that would enable Steve and his team to catch the serial killer, John Cooper. The Pembrokeshire Murders is written by Nick Stevens (In Plain Sight), directed by Marc Evans (Manhunt) and produced by Ed Talfan (Hinterland). Executive Producer is Simon Heath (Line of Duty, Bodyguard).

ITV Studios also handles global distribution for the Golden Globe and BAFTA award-winning Bodyguard, as well as the hotly anticipated upcoming sixth series of the multi-award-winning police drama Line of Duty, both created by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions.

Recently back in production, the sixth instalment of the hit thriller is set a year and a half on from the events of series five, and will feature a brand new case for AC-12, focused on enigmatic Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson (Kelly McDonald), a senior investigating officer on an unsolved murder, whose unconventional conduct raises suspicions.