With The Party coming to ITV next month, World Productions creative director Simon Heath tells DQ about the novel’s journey to the small screen, the leading actor who championed the adaptation, and the reasons the show is something different for the makers of Line of Duty and Vigil.
TRAILER: Dominic Cooper and Romola Garai take the lead in Adultery, a “scandalous romance drama” written by Danny Brocklehurst (Brassic) and launching on ITV next month.
Cooper and Garai star as Tom Kirkman and Beth Brookes, who embark on a love affair after being introduced Tom’s daughter Jess (Leila Khan) and Beth’s son Ollie (Johnny Sanpher), blissfully unaware of their parents’ secret and wrapped up in a young love story of their own.
Meanwhile, Beth’s husband Neil (Matthew McNulty) and Tom’s wife Hannah (Shelley Conn) remain none the wiser, as their partners risk the collapse of their marriages and the lives of both families being changed forever.
The provocative love story raises questions about class, grief and the effects of social media, as it takes the viewer on a rollercoaster story of passion, parenthood and peril, as Tom and Beth embark upon a passionate and intense affair that threatens to uproot their whole lives.
Additional casting includes Andrew Knott as Dave, the ex-husband of Beth’s recently deceased best friend, and James Murray and Charley Webb as Paul and Leah Kirkman, Tom’s brother and sister-in-law.
Adultery is created and written by Brocklehurst. Will Sinclair directed episodes 1-3, and Daniel O’Hara directed episodes 4-6 with Sarah Lewis as series producer. Ben Stephenson, Preethi Mavahalli and Luke Woellhaf executive produced alongside Brocklehurst and Polly Hill for ITV.
Produced by Poison Pen Studios for ITV and STV, the six-part series will launch this October and will be available for streaming on ITVX and STV Player.
The series will be distributed internationally by ITV Studios.
tagged in: Adultery, ITV, ITV Studios, Poison Pen Studios, STV
FIRST LOOK: Toheeb Jimoh and Dujonna Gift star in Open Water, the BBC’s upcoming adaptation of Caleb Azumah Nelson’s debut novel that will debut in 2027.
Jimoh plays Marcus, who works in retail while trying to develop a career as a photographer. Effie (Gift) is studying dance at university in Dublin. From the moment they meet, they feel an immediate, undeniable connection. But, as Marcus soon learns, Effie is in a relationship with Marcus’ friend Samuel.
It’s a boundary that Marcus is unwilling to cross. A shared project, photographing and documenting Black creatives in London, draws them into each other’s orbit, but can their burgeoning friendship resist the pull of desire? They seem destined for each other, their crush evolving into a love that is ocean deep. But love is never enough, and their path towards one another is treacherous.
Described as a “moving story of longing, belonging and the courage to open yourself to love,” the series has recently wrapped filming on location in Birmingham and London.
The eight-part series is made by Mam Tor Productions and B-Side Productions for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Banijay Rights handles international distribution.
Nelson is the lead writer and director and is also an executive producer alongside Tally Garner for Mam Tor Productions, Matimba Kabalika for B-Side Productions and Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC. The series is produced by Karlvyn Dove. Composer and musician Cassie Kinoshi will create an original score.
Open Water will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in 2027.
tagged in: B-Side Productions, Banijay Rights, BBC iPlayer, BBC One, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Mam Tor Productions, Open Water
TRAILER: David Oyelowo, Hayley Atwell, Tom Sweet, Jack Huston and Tomer Capone head the cast of Treasure Island, a new take on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel coming to MGM+ in the US on October 11 and Paramount+ in the UK & Ireland on October 12, 2026.
When young Jim Hawkins and his fiercely determined mother Bess come into possession of Captain Flint’s legendary treasure map, they are swept into a brutal race for unimaginable riches. Crossing the Atlantic aboard the Hispaniola, Jim enters a world of shifting loyalties, ruthless ambition and deadly secrets, where trust can be as dangerous as betrayal. At the heart of the expedition is Long John Silver, a charismatic and deeply complex survivor whose ambitions challenge every certainty Jim holds. Through treacherous landscapes and escalating conflict, the hunt for treasure becomes a battle between loyalty and ambition that will change them forever.
Oyelowo stars as Long John Silver, Atwell as Bess Hawkins, Tom Sweet as Jim Hawkins, Jack Huston as Aaron Graham and Tomer Capone as Billy Bones.
The series also stars Craige Els as Mr Arrow, Tristan Sturrock as Captain Smollett and Neil Pendleton as Mr Cameron.
Treasure Island is a Paramount+ Original Series in association with MGM+, produced by Playground. It has been created for television by Robert Murphy (Vera, Shetland) and it is directed by Jeremy Lovering (Slow Horses), William McGregor (The Buccaneers) and Paul Walker (Shameless) with Mark Hedges as producer.
The series will premiere on October 12 exclusively on Paramount+ in the UK & Ireland. Fifth Season is handling international distribution.
tagged in: Fifth Season, MGM, Paramount, Playground, Treasure Island
Lara Ricote and Samuel Bottomley play an ex-couple stuck living together in Channel 4’s new romcom Break Clause. They join director Alice Snedden to discuss building chemistry, embracing imperfect characters and crafting a breakup story worth rooting for.
Nearly a decade after the Breitscheidplatz attack, six-part drama Breitscheidplatz 19/12 (Blindspot Berlin) unpacks the events that led to tragedy. Writer-director David Nawrath, co-writer David Marian and producer Simon Amberger speak to DQ about their research, the difficult road to financing and their refusal to offer simple answers.
Director David Pujol talks to DQ about recreating the birth of El Bulli, working with chef Ferran Adrià himself, and telling the story of the restaurant that changed modern cuisine across two intertwining timelines.
With the launch of The Split Up comes a legal drama set in the world of The Split but with new characters, new locations and new dilemmas. DQ speaks to the cast and creative team about following Abi Morgan’s original series and what personal and professional challenges await the employees of Kishan Law.
As UK producer Dancing Ledge Productions marks 10 years of its writer in residence scheme, DQ speaks to CEO Laurence Bowen about the value of supporting new writers, while former participants Emma Sidi and Georgia Christou reveal the lessons they learned from a year up close to the television business.
Over a decade since her role in Sherlock, actor Lara Pulver has found herself embraced by a whole new audience thanks to MobLand. She tells DQ about her character Bella Harrigan’s unravelling in season two, her reunion with Joanne Froggatt, and the freedom of working on a Guy Ritchie set.
FIRST LOOK: Sheridan Smith heads the cast of Two Birds, a mystery crime thriller set in a remote Australian mining town coming soon to ITV in the UK and Australia’s Stan.
Set and filmed on location in Perth and Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Smith stars as Constable Izzie Cornwell, who arrives in the town of Dugdale from the UK hoping for a fresh start, only to have a disastrous misstep pull her into an increasingly tight web of deceit, guilt and rising danger as she navigates a murder investigation that brings her toe to toe with the fierce matriarch of notorious local crime family Mrs Baxter (Jacki Weaver), who is determined to protect her family and uncover the truth.
Weaver replaces the previously announced Judy Davis in the cast, due to scheduling conflicts, with Stephen Peacocke and Colin Friels also joining the show.
Further casting includes Fiona Button, Eva Morgan, Harry Greenwood, Nic Cassim, Victoria Fowler, Lila McGuire, Kit Jeakings-Bull, Matthew Pearce, Sarah Roberts and Matt Day.
Two Birds is produced by Chapter One in a coproduction with Stan and in association with ITV Studios for ITV and STV with streaming on ITVX and STV Player.
The six part series is written by Helen FitzGerald (The Cry) and Megan Palinkas (Heartbreak High), and directed by James Griffiths (The Ballad of Wallis Island) and Corrie Chen (Good Cop/Bad Cop). Martha Coleman (Scrublands: Silver) produced Two Birds through Third Act Stories.
Patrick Spence executive produces the series for Chapter One alongside ITV’s Callum Dziedzic, James Griffiths, Helen FitzGerald and Luke Speed and Stan executive producers are Andy Ryan and Donna Chang.
It is distributed internationally by ITV Studios.
tagged in: Chapter One, ITV, ITV Studios, Sheridan Smith, Stan, Third Act Stories, Two Birds
As Saturday Night Live UK returns for its second season, co-head writer Laura Claxton takes DQ inside the inner workings of the US sketch comedy transplant, opens up about working with each episode’s guest stars and explains why every fast and furious week on the show is so different.
FIRST LOOK: Emma Corrin, Jack Lowden and Olivia Colman head the starry cast of Pride and Prejudice, a new adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel coming to Netflix on December 3, 2026.
Corrin plays Elizabeth Bennet, Lowden is Mr Darcy and Colman is Mrs Bennet, with Rufus Sewell as Mr Bennet, Freya Mavor as Jane Bennet, Daryl McCormack as Mr Bingley, Jamie Demetriou as Mr Collins, Louis Partridge as Mr Wickham, Rhea Norwood as Lydia Bennet, Hopey Parish as Mary Bennet and Hollie Avery as Kitty Bennet.
When wealthy bachelors arrive in their neighbourhood, the five Bennet sisters must navigate love, family, and society’s expectations to secure their futures. Jane falls for the charming Mr Bingley, while Elizabeth clashes with his proud friend Mr Darcy – but unexpected encounters and family scandals force Elizabeth to reconsider her feelings and discover the true nature of love.
Pride and Prejudice is a six-part limited series, written by Dolly Alderton (Everything I Know About Love) and directed by Euros Lyn (Heartstopper).
Executive producers are Laura Lankester, Will Johnston and Louise Mutter for Lookout Point, Dolly Alderton, Euros Lyn and Emma Corrin. The producer is Lisa Osborne.
tagged in: Dolly Alderton, Emma Corrin, Euros Lyn, Jack Lowden, Netflix, Olivia Colman, Pride and Prejudice
FIRST LOOK: The Walsh Sisters are back together for a second season, with production underway on new episodes of the RTÉ and BBC comedy drama inspired by the novels of Marian Keyes.
Season two of The Walsh Sisters rejoins the chaotic, dysfunctional, but deeply loveable family of five sisters, their mother, and bemused father in their Dublin hometown. Rachel steps outside the family bubble to navigate recovery on her own terms, but an encounter with a familiar face tests her newfound independence, Claire defies the traditional expectations placed on her as a mother compared to her ex’s responsibilities as a father, Maggie’s quest to become the perfect family takes an unexpected turn, Helen becomes overprotective of her sisters while struggling with her emotional wellbeing, and Anna tries some unusual methods to get over heartbreak.
Individually, all five sisters are forced to confront their true identities as the roles in life they’ve previously played seemingly no longer fit. Meanwhile, Daddy Walsh remains blissfully oblivious to the family drama, focused entirely on his quest to land a part in the local amateur dramatic musical – much to the exasperation of Mammy Walsh.
New cast members include Peter Coonan as David, Rachel’s fellow recovering addict; Aislín McGuckin as Patsy Costello, Luke’s mother; Art Campion as an old schoolfriend of the sisters; and Fay Ripley as marriage counsellor Sharon.
They join a returning cast led by Caroline Menton as Rachel, Danielle Galligan as Claire, Máiréad Tyers as Helen, Stefanie Preissner as Maggie and Louisa Harland as Anna. Aidan Quinn returns as as Jack ‘Daddy’ Walsh and Carrie Crowley as Mammy Walsh.
Preissner also continues as creative lead and writer on the series, with this season based on Keyes’ novels The Mystery of Mercy Close and Angels.
The Walsh Sisters is produced by Cuba Pictures and Metropolitan Pictures for RTÉ, in association with the BBC, with Cineflix Rights distributing internationally. Stan returns as the exclusive home for the new season in Australia.
The executive producers are Dixie Linder and Nick Marston for Cuba Pictures, David McLoughlin for Metropolitan Pictures, David Crean and Dermot Horan for RTÉ, Tom Misselbrook for Cineflix Rights, along with Stefanie Preissner, Marian Keyes and Tony Baines. Patrick O’Donoghue is the producer.
tagged in: BBC, Cineflix Rights, Cuba Pictures, Marian Keyes, Metropolitan Pictures, RTÉ, The Walsh Sisters
Television drama likes to shock viewers with an early or unexpected death of a key character – and ITV’s Trigger Point is no exception. DQ hears from cast members Eric Shango, Natalie Simpson and Maanuv Thiara about starring in the show’s fourth season and the experience of filming one actor’s final scenes.
From Emmerdale to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Amy Nuttall has been on screen for more than 20 years. As she takes the lead in 5 family drama Forever Home, she speaks to DQ about the mystery at the heart of this six-part story, the challenge of perfecting her northeast accent and how she goes “all in” on any new role.
A 13-year journey for writer-directors Tom Tykwer and Achim von Borries comes to an end with the fifth and final season of German period drama Babylon Berlin. They reflect on their partnership – together with Henk Handloegten – and the challenge of closing out this “love letter” to a city and a period.
TRAILER: Summer H Howell takes the title role in Carrie, the first series adaptation of Stephen King’s classic novel from Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House) debuting on Prime Video on October 7, 2026.
The eight-part series introduces Carrie White (Howell), a misfit high‑schooler who has spent her life hidden away inside the walls of her home with her fiercely protective mother, Margaret. After her father’s sudden, untimely death thrusts her into the unforgiving ecosystem of public high school, Carrie is forced to navigate a viral bullying scandal that tears through her community, the relentless pressure and casual cruelty of the social‑media age, and the awakening of mysterious telekinetic powers that rise alongside her adolescence.
The cast includes Samantha Sloyan as Margaret White, Siena Agudong as Sue Snell, Alison Thornton as Chris Hargensen, Joel Oulette as Tommy Ross, Josie Totah as Tina, Arthur Conti as Billy, Thalia Dudek as Emaline, Amber Midthunder as Miss Desjardin and Matthew Lillard as Principal Grayle.
Recurring guest stars from Flanagan’s previous series including Michael Trucco, Crystal Balint, Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, Tim Bagley and Heather Graham.
Carrie is written and executive produced by showrunner Flanagan (Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House, The Fall of the House of Usher), with Stephen King also an executive producer. Flanagan directed episodes 1, 2, 7 and 8, while 3, 4, 5 and 6 are directed by Kate Siegel (The Exorcist: Martyrs), Axelle Carolyn (Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen), Kyra Sedgwick (Family Movie) and Hiromi Kamata (Shogun), respectively.
The series is an Amazon MGM Studios production.
tagged in: Carrie, Mike Flanagan, Prime Video, Stephen King
TRAILER: Ritu Arya and Sanjeev Bhaskar head the cast of The Split Up, a six-part legal drama based on Abi Morgan’s The Split that is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on September 20.
A follow-up to The Split, which ended after three seasons and a two-part special in 2024, The Split Up brings a new family, a new city and a new set of relationships to the charged world of high-net-worth divorce law.
Rising legal star Aria Kishan (Arya) is poised to take over Kishan Law, the powerhouse family firm set up by her father Dhruv (Bhaskar). The go-to firm for Manchester’s elite, Aria and her family represent high-profile clients, played by guest stars including Lenny Henry, Jane Horrocks and Jameela Jamil.
Alongside the pressures of her workplace, Aria faces scrutiny in her relationship too. Her wedding to long-term partner Neal (Danny Ashok) is on the horizon, but with their personal and professional lives so entwined, it’s unclear if their relationship can withstand any more pressure – a problem further compounded when a former secret flame Luke (Dimitri Leonidas) unexpectedly takes a job at Kishan Law.
Aria stands on the brink of inheriting her family firm, but with the family still grieving the recent death of Aria’s mother, Dhruv begins to question whether his daughter can, or should, take on the responsibility of running Kishan Law single handedly. Alongside her siblings Maya (Aysha Kala) and Kav (Arian Nik), whose own relationships and loyalties are far from straightforward, Aria must ask herself: who should you live your life for?
The cast also features Mawaan Rizwan, Sindhu Vee, Shalini Peiris and Tom Forbes.
The Split Up’s story and characters are created by Ursula Rani Sarma (Delicious), based on The Split, created Morgan (Eric). It is produced by Sister Pictures in association with Morgan’s Little Chick.
The six-part series is executive produced by Morgan, Jane Featherstone, Bryony Arnold, Sarma with Nawfal Faizullah for the BBC and it is co-executive produced by Shamim Sarif. Additional episodes are written by Sumerah Srivastav (Missing You), Kaamil Shah (Count Abdulla) and Sonali Bhattacharyya (Chasing Hares – Young Vic/Theatre Uncut).
The series is directed by Shamim Sarif (You) and Khurrum M Sultan (Vera). Natasha Romaniuk (Outrageous) is producer and Kasheina Vencatasawmy (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) is associate producer. BBC Studios is handling global sales.
All episodes of The Split Up will be available on BBC iPlayer from Sunday, September 20. Episodes will air on BBC One at 9pm on Sundays and Mondays from that same date.
tagged in: Abi Morgan, BBC Studios, Little Chick, Sister Pictures, The Split, The Split Up
Ahead of the launch of Netflix sports drama Crew Girl, executive producers Lindsay Macadam and Jeff Norton tell DQ about developing and producing a series set in the world of rowing, filming on water and embracing the power of reinvention.
