Category: IN FOCUS
Deadly games
A crime drama set in 1936, Polish series Breslau (The Breslau Murders) marks the first Disney+ original production from Central and Eastern Europe. Star Agata Kulesza and director Leszek Dawid talk playing unlikeable characters and creating the show’s tense atmosphere.
The story of Gandhi
With new Indian drama Gandhi, director Hansal Mehta and producer Sameer Nair explore the formative years of the civil rights leader. They discuss partnering for this epic story, not being bowed by the weight of history and why the series is really a young-adult drama.
Prophet warning
Un prophète (A Prophet) writers Abdel Raouf Dafri and Nicolas Peufaillit, producer Marco Cherqui and director Enrico Maria Artale speak to DQ about reimagining the 2009 prison film of the same name as a TV series, its themes of identity and offering a new perspective behind bars.a
Sámi celebration
A Sámi Wedding creator Åse Kathrin Vuolab and producers Nina Figenschow and Eric Vogel invite DQ inside the making of this Norwegian drama about a dysfunctional family attempting to arrange the perfect wedding. Spoiler: It does not go well.
Justice for Julie
Sheridan Smith delivers a powerful and emotive performance as Ann Ming, a mother fighting to put her daughter’s murderer behind bars, in ITV four-parter I Fought The Law. She joins the real Ming and the show’s creative team to discuss bringing this true story to the screen.
Battle ready
Stars James Norton and Emily Beecham, director Baltasar Kormákur and executive producer Kitty Kaletsky recall their epic effort to bring the Battle of Hastings to television in King & Conqueror – and reveal why there’s more to this historical story than its central protagonists.
Hostage situation
DQ speaks to star Suranne Jones and showrunner Matt Charman about making Netflix political thriller Hostage, their actor-writer partnership and why peanut butter was an integral part of the show.
Taking the Narrow Road
The Narrow Road to the Deep North star Jacob Elordi, director Justin Kurzel and writer Shaun Grant discuss their route to making this five-part drama, which tells a love story set against the shadows of the Second World War.
Highland flings
Stars Jamie Roy, Harriet Slater, Hermione Corfield and Jeremy Irvine lift the lift the lid on making Outlander: Blood of My Blood, as showrunner Matthew B Roberts discusses the challenges of plotting and producing the historical prequel.
Catching up with Karen
Three years after its debut, Karen Pirie continues to freshen up the crime genre with its unashamedly “normal” title character. Writer Emer Kenny and executive producer Emma Luffingham take DQ inside the series based on Val McDermid’s literary detective.
Alien arrival
Alien: Earth showrunner Noah Hawley joins members of the cast to delve into the making of the first television series based on the iconic Alien film franchise, revealing why some of the sets look familiar and why the famed Xenomorphs aren’t the only things to be frightened of.
Putting together Broken Spies
A squad of women spies is at the centre of the Portuguese war effort in As Espias (Broken Spies). Creator Pandora da Cunha Telles and director João Maia reveal the secrets behind this period drama that explores Portugal’s unique role between two global enemies.
Iranian nights
The cast and creative team behind Iranian drama At the End of the Night open up about this intimate, authentic story about the breakdown of a couple’s relationship, its roots in real life and how it has pushed boundaries for storytelling in Iran.
Stenbeck to the future
A five-part biopic of Jan Stenbeck explores the life of the Swedish media mogul and reveals the personal cost of his professional success. Writer Alex Haridi, director Goran Kapetanović and executive producer Erik Hultkvist tell DQ about making Stenbeck (Vanguard).
Holmes truths
As Sherlock & Daughter sells to broadcasters around the world, DQ hears from stars Blu Hunt and Fiona Glascott, creator Brendan Foley, writer Shelly Goldstein and executive producer Karine Martin about reinventing the iconic sleuth with a mystery relating to his own past.
Institutional horrors
Writer Benjamin Cavell and director Jack Bender take DQ inside the making of MGM+ supernatural thriller The Institute and discuss their partnership to bring this Stephen King adaptation to the screen.
Family justice
Creator John Quaintance, star Luke Cook and executive producer Jeff Wachtel unpack crime comedy-drama Good Cop/Bad Cop, from its sibling-centred story to indie-style financing – and why Quaintance hopes it becomes someone’s favourite show.
Raul or nothing
Music drama Raul Seixas: Eu Sou (Let Me Sing) charts the life of the musician and performer known as the ‘Brazilian Elvis.’ Co-creators Paulo Morelli and Pedro Morelli join star Ravel Andrade to talk about the legacy of Seixas and how they brought his life story to the screen.
Parent trap
Minu Kallis Ema (My Dear Mother) writer Raoul Suvi and director Doris Tääker speak to DQ about this Estonian drama, which uses a murder mystery to tell a story about addiction and abuse after a woman is accused of killing her mother.
Code breakers
Rose-Ayling Ellis takes her first leading role in Code of Silence, an ITV drama about a deaf woman who is thrown into a world of crime. She joins creator Catherine Moulton to detail their mission to blend an authentic representation of the deaf experience with a high-stakes thriller.