Category: IN FOCUS
Havana good time
Cuba Libre star Beatriz Godinho and writer-director Henrique Oliveira introduce DQ to the larger-than-life true story at the centre of this Portuguese drama about one woman’s infatuation with Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara.
Caught in the Crossfire
Crossfire star Keeley Hawes and writer Louise Doughty tell DQ about asking viewers what they would do if gunmen attacked their holiday resort, unlikeable lead characters and why they hope the stars of Gogglebox will be watching.
Baby blues
Star Pia Tjelta and the creative team behind Norwegian drama Made in Oslo discuss the conception and delivery of this fertility clinic-set series, which explores how far one woman is willing to go to become a mother.
No time to lose
Dutch drama Het Gouden Uur (The Golden Hour) explores what happens when a deadly terrorist attack targets a busy city and how one police officer becomes caught up in the aftermath. DQ finds out more.
Hearts and minds
The team behind Netflix sensation Heartstopper reveal how the small-screen adaptation of Alice Oseman’s graphic novel earned the seal of approval from the source material’s legion of devotees.
Testing the waters
The makers of Snap Original series Breakwater reveal how they got to grips with vertical filmmaking to produce this ambitious shortform series and discuss the importance of entertainment with a message.
Warts and all
Writer and director Stefan Golaszewski and stars Nicola Walker and Sean Bean take DQ down the aisle to explain how they attempted to bring a detailed and realistic portrait of a relationship three decades in the making to TV with BBC miniseries Marriage.
Dream team
The Sandman creative duo Neil Gaiman and Allan Heinberg discuss their attempts to keep the Netflix fantasy series grounded in the real world, while cast members including Tom Sturridge and Vanesu Samunyai reveal how they got into character.
Immortal combat
Inspired by true events, El Inmortal (The Immortal) charts one man’s criminal reign across Europe. Creator/producer José Manuel Lorenzo and the cast tell DQ about dramatising the story, overcoming the pandemic and recreating 1990s Spain.
Teacher vs student
A teacher and a pupil push each other to breaking point as tempers flare in Israeli drama Sh’at Efes (The Lesson). Writer Deakla Keydar, director Eitan Zur and actors Maya Landsmann and Doron Ben-David take DQ to school.
Highs & glows
Star Nina Ellen Ødegaard and director Atle Knudsen tell DQ about making Norwegian drama Etterglød (Afterglow), a series of love and life told through the story of a woman facing a devastating illness.
Road to nowhere
Spanish drama Cómo mandarlo todo a la mierda (How to Screw it All Up) follows a group of friends searching for freedom on a spontaneous road trip. Creators Jaime Olías and Pablo Sanhermelando talk risk-taking and speaking to Gen Z with the HBO Max series.
Body politics
Santa Evita star Natalia Oreiro and writers Marcela Guerty and Pamela Rementería look back on making this period drama charting the mysterious and incredible events surrounding Eva Perón’s body after her death.
Fertile ground
In Danish series Skruk (Baby Fever), a fertility doctor who wants a baby of her own takes dramatic steps to become pregnant. Creators Amalie Næsby Fick and Nikolaj Feifer tell DQ about their partnership, creating a flawed leading character and how their own experiences influenced the story.
Come die with me
Star Maria Doyle Kennedy and producer Thierry Cassuto reveal how they cooked up South African drama Recipes for Love & Murder, an adaptation of Sally Andrew’s novel about a recipe writer-turned-amateur sleuth.
A thing of Beauty
Blending telenovela melodrama with topical issues facing South Africa, Savage Beauty is a story of revenge set against the backdrop of the beauty industry. DQ hears from creator Lebogang Mogashoa and executive producer Harriet Gavshon about how they made this Netflix original series.
Mind your language
Star Alexandra Roach and executive producers Donna Wiffen, Jo Roderick and Nora Ostler Spiteri shine a light on making Welsh drama Y Golau (The Light in the Hall) and the demands of filming a series back to back in two languages.
Faroese fare
As Faroese drama Trom makes its UK debut, the cast and production team behind the series discuss filming challenges, language complications and why Nordic noir is still in demand.
A new domain of conflict
The Undeclared War stars Hannah Khalique-Brown as a gifted coder at the forefront of a government effort to ward off a series of cyber-attacks on the UK. DQ speaks to the actor and writer-director Peter Kosminsky about this topical and timely drama.
In the fog of war
Director Antoine Fuqua, star Taylor Kitsch and showrunner David DiGilio break down the making of Prime Video series The Terminal List, which blends action thriller and psychological drama to mind-bending effect after a Navy SEALs operation goes tragically wrong.