The BBC on Thursday unveiled a new original drama from writer Jimmy McGovern (Time, Cracker, The road) which will explore “the impact of grooming and sexual abuse on a family.”
Emmy winner Anna Friel (Marcella, pushing the daisies), who was BAFTA nominated for her previous work with Jimmy McGovern in Brokenleads the cast alongside Bobby Schofield (Time, Anne, SAS Rogue Heroes), BAFTA winner Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland, A Spy Among Friends, Poppy Shakespeare), BAFTA winner David Threlfall (Night sleeper, shameless, housewife 49), and Mark Womack (The Answerer, Playing the field, moving forward).
Further casting details will be revealed “in due course”, the BBC said.
Directed by Julia Ford (Showtrial, The Bay, Safe), the as-yet-untitled 90-minute drama will be made by LA Productions (Broken, Antonio, Treatment) for BBC iPlayer and BBC One.
“Set and filmed in Liverpool, the fictional drama centers on the Mitchell family as they deal with the devastating aftermath of an act of abuse and the realization that it was perpetrated by a member of their own family who has just been released from prison after serving his sentence,” according to a synopsis.
McGovern said: “I can't believe the cast and crew that have been assembled for this production. It's a challenging film, yes, but I can't wait for it to be released.”
Added Colin McKeown, executive producer for LA Productions: “This is a deeply thought-provoking and sensitive subject, approached with intelligence and care by Jimmy McGovern. It is a privilege to work with him again after the success of our previous collaborations on single dramas: Common, Care, Reg AND Antonio.”
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, said: “Jimmy McGovern is one of our greatest playwrights and a master at writing about the world today. His new film sensitively examines the pain of abuse and how it affects not just the victim, but the whole family. To see it brought to the screen with such a high-calibre cast and creative team is further testament to the quality of Jimmy's writing.”
The drama will be produced by LA Productions and is written by McGovern, directed by Ford and produced by Donna Molloy. The executive producers are McGovern and McKeown for LA Productions and Nawfal Faizullah and Katherine Bond for the BBC.