Monday 12 June 2023
UKTV's catalogue of original drama continues to grow, with the latest commission of The Red King (6x60') for leading crime drama channel Alibi.
The six-part series is created and written by Toby Whithouse (Being Human, The Game) and produced by Quay Street Productions, in association with ITV Studios, which will handle international distribution, and supported by North East Screen. Filming starts today and features a star-studded line up with Anjli Mohindra (The Lazarus Project, Vigil) playing Grace Narayan, Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte) as Lady Heather Nancarrow and Marc Warren (Van Der Valk) as Dr Ian Prideaux.
Further cast include Jill Halfpenny (The Long Shadow, Everything I Know About Love) as Ann Fletcher, Mark Lewis Jones (Keeping Faith) as Gruffudd Prosser, Oliver Ryan (Steeltown Murders, Pennyworth) as Mihangel Pugh, Sam Swainsbury (Mum, Fisherman's Friend) as Father Douglas Carrisford, Lu Corfield (Showtrial) as Lowri Bain, James Bamford (Luther: The Fallen Sun) as Owen Parry and Maeve Courtier-Lilley (The Outpost) as Winter Bain.
Toby Whithouse said:
Working with Quay Street and UKTV has been a genuine joy. This has been a passion project for all of us. A genre bending mystery, combining drama, suspense and horror, starring some of the best actors in television. We're so excited to share these characters and their stories with you.
Smart, capable and by the book Grace Narayan (Mohindra) was flying high as an inner-city police sergeant before being forced into a 'punishment posting' on the small, antiquated island of St. Jory. Confronted by the forgotten and unsolved case of missing teenage boy Cai, Grace quickly discovers that she must overcome scarce evidence, extraordinary local characters, and the island's strange cult history to uncover the truth.
The Red King is a character-driven mystery-thriller, that combines the powerful story of a knotty police investigation with chilling, atmospheric folk-horror through the island's eerie past devotion to a pagan God called the Red King and the cult of the True Way.
The UKTV Original series has been commissioned by Philippa Collie Cousins, senior commissioning editor, with Pete Thornton, head of scripted, and ordered for Alibi by Emma Ayech, channel director, and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning. Executive producers are Nicola Shindler (Nolly, It's A Sin, Stay Close) and Davina Earl (Men Up, Safe, Come Home) for Quay Street Productions (part of ITV Studios), Philippa Collie Cousins for UKTV and Toby Whithouse. The series will be directed by Daniel O'Hara (Stay Close, The Stranger, Brassic), who is also executive producer, and produced by Guy Hescott (Without Sin, Whitstable Pearl).
Hilary Rosen said: "Toby Whithouse has created a clever and ambitious crime drama set in a vivid island location, and this dark and original tale will have audiences gripped. We are delighted to be collaborating once again with Nicola Shindler and her fantastic team at Quay Street Productions."
Emma Ayech added: "We're so excited to be working with the team at Quay Street Productions on this brilliant new series. The ensemble cast will perfectly bring the story to life, making this a fantastic addition to our growing portfolio of UKTV Original dramas on Alibi."
Davina Earl, Executive Producer, Quay Street Productions said: "The Red King has been such an exciting project to bring to the screen, working with the team at UKTV. Toby Whithouse has a wonderfully distinctive voice, and his scripts are deeply intriguing, darkly funny and truly scary. The cast are a stellar mix of some of our most well-known and beloved actors. Plus, we get to showcase the North East as we create this compelling and atmospheric drama, which, as a North Easterner, is incredibly rewarding."
The Red King is the latest UKTV Original for Alibi and will air in 2024. Other original dramas include The Diplomat, produced by World Productions, and Annika, which stars Nicola Walker and will return to Alibi for a second series later this year.
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For more information, please contact:
Kelly Phelps, Publicity Manager, UKTV
Notes for Editors:
About Alibi
Sky 109/826, Virgin 126/200, BT 312/382, TalkTalk 312, TV Player On demand on Sky, Virgin, BT and TalkTalk
Alibi is the only TV channel dedicated to crime drama, investigating the best selection from the genre and premiering hit series from around the world such as CSI: Vegas, Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Briarpatch and Tommy.
Alibi stepped into UKTV Original crime drama series with guaranteed thrills, twists and turns including hit series Annika, starring Nicola Walker, Traces, starring Molly Windsor and Martin Compston and We Hunt Together, starring Eve Myles and Babou Ceesay.
Now in its 16th series, Murdoch Mysteries has found a safe space on the channel while newcomers Hudson and Rex have become hugely popular additions. British crime dramas including Death in Paradise, Father Brown and Silent Witness give the viewers another chance to catch their favourite shows.
About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 25 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.
UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.
corporate.uktv.co.uk | press.uktv.co.uk | @uktvpress
About Quay Street Productions
Quay Street Productions was founded by multi-award-winning producer Nicola Shindler OBE in 2021, to make contemporary, provocative, entertaining, and engaging drama for U.K. and global audiences. The production company, which is part of ITV Studios, builds on Shindler's reputation to deliver compelling drama, with her previous credits including It's A Sin, Stay Close, Ridley Road, Finding Alice, The Stranger, Happy Valley and Queer As Folk.
Based in Manchester, Quay Street Productions puts the writers and talent at the centre of the production process. Welcoming voices from all different backgrounds, Quay Street Productions promotes a diversity of storytelling working with new and established writers. Quay Street's inaugural drama Nolly, written by Russell T Davies and starring Helena Bonham Carter, was released on ITVX in February 2023, and Significant Other premieres on 8th June on ITVX. Quay Street is currently in production on After the Flood for ITV and BritBox International, Fool Me Once for Netflix and Men Up for BBC One.
Instagram: @QuayStreetProductions
Twitter: @QuayStreetProd_
quaystreetproductions.co.uk
About North East Screen
North East Screen is the screen agency for the North East. We develop and champion North East England as one of the UK's leading film and TV production hubs where exceptional screen industry talent can live, create and work. We support all incoming productions with crew, locations and facilities shooting anywhere in the North East through our free and invaluable Film Office.
North East Screen Industries Partnership (NESIP) was formed by Combined and Local Authorities from across the region to level up the regional film and TV industries by more than doubling its 2019 share of the UK production market and delivering an annual economic impact to the regional economy of £88m.