ITV and ITVX commissions thriller, Out There, starring Martin Clunes and Louis Ashbourne SerkisOFFICIAL PRESS RELEASENEWS PROVIDED BY ITV Press Centre ITV and ITVX commissions thriller, Out There, starring Martin Clunes and Louis Ashbourne Serkis, written by Ed Whitmore and Marc Evans, produced by Buffalo Pictures County lines drug dealing and an escalating, insidious crime wave sweeping the British countryside is the subject of new six-part ITV and ITVX drama, Out There, starring Martin Clunes, as a farmer confronted with dark forces seeping into his rural community. The drama will depict the stealthy, surreptitious invasion of the land our farmer cherishes, with devastating consequences, as his livelihood, homestead and family life are threatened by local county lines drugs dealers, essentially urban gangs using the British countryside as a field of operations, moving drugs and money between their inner-city hubs and provincial areas. Commented Martin Clunes: ITV’s Head of Drama Polly Hill has commissioned the series which will premiere on ITV1 and be available to stream on ITVX. Commented Polly Hill: Written by screenwriter Ed Whitmore (Steeltown Murders, Grace, Manhunt, Silent Witness, Safe House) and director Marc Evans (Steeltown Murders, Manhunt, The Pembrokeshire Murders, Grav), and produced by Buffalo Pictures (Manhunt, Doc Martin, Arthur & George), the series is set in the beautiful Welsh countryside with filming currently underway. Commented Writer and Executive Producer Ed Whitmore: Ed continued: Welsh born director Marc Evans commented: Martin Clunes plays Nathan Williams, a man who runs a farm which has been in his family for generations, caught in a numbing rhythm of work and grief following the death of his wife, Sabine, two years previously. A single parent to teenager Johnny, played by Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Nathan is uniquely placed and possesses enough pent-up energy to take on the gangs that threaten to engulf his son. Consequently, he embarks on a personal journey that will take him ever further out of his comfort zone into a dark alternative world as he fights to protect his family, his homestead and his legacy. He’s missed all the clues that the country idyll around him has been fatally compromised, contaminated by waves of criminality spreading and mutating virus-like from the city. Out There is produced by Philippa Braithwaite (Doc Martin, Manhunt, Arthur & George) and Evie Bergson-Korn (Farewell Doc Martin, Doc Martin as Development Producer, Manhunt as Co-Producer) and directed by Marc Evans with Philippa Langdale directing the final two episodes of the series. ITV’s Head of Drama Polly Hill is overseeing production from the channel’s perspective. The drama is executive produced by Ed Whitmore and Marc Evans. Acclaimed screenwriter, Ed Whitmore, is known for his hugely successful writing career, including his work on Silent Witness and Waking The Dead and previous collaborations with Martin Clunes and Marc Evans. Ed wrote series one and two of BAFTA nominated drama, Manhunt, which also earned Marc Evans a BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Director. Amongst the actors also featuring in Out There are Mark Lewis Jones as Caleb Williams, Natalia Kostrzewa as Eva, Carly-Sophia Davies as Sadie and Gerran Howell as Rhys. Filming has commenced in Wales and the drama is being produced in association with Creative Wales. Deputy Director of Creative Wales, Gerwyn Evans said: “Creative Wales is focused on ensuring that our TV and film industry has a sustainable, ethical future that gives back to the economy and people of Wales. Productions like Out There which provide jobs, significant spend in our economy and trainee placements that help to build our long-term supply of talent, are absolutely crucial in helping us to meet this ambition.”
Source ITV Press Centre
September 15, 2023 3:00am ET by Pressparty |