Articles about BBC
Acting out
Charles Babalola speaks to DQ about his role in Stephen Merchant’s BBC and Amazon comedy crime thriller The Outlaws, which introduces seven strangers forced to complete community service together.
Eye of the storm
Vox Pictures producer Adrian Bate and director Pip Broughton tell DQ how they blended conspiracy thriller and relationship drama in The Trick, a single film that dramatises the fallout from the 2009 Climategate affair.
Arrested development
Back to Life star Daisy Haggard and series co-writer Laura Solon reflect on making the dark comedy drama about a determined yet naive woman’s return to her family home after spending 18 years in prison.
A world of their own
Writer Ashley Pharoah, director Steve Barron and executive producers Simon Crawford Collins and Lionel Uzan recall their journey together in making Around the World in 80 Days, starring David Tennant as Phileas Fogg.
Sharing Sherwood’s secrets
As filming nears completion on BBC drama Sherwood, writer James Graham and executive producer Juliette Howell explain how this six-part series analyses the state of a nation through a crime thriller set in a northern mining village.
Treacherous waters
The cast and crew of The North Water reveal their perilous experience filming scenes in the Arctic for this story of an 1850s whaling expedition, written and directed by Andrew Haigh.
Davies cleans up his act
Greg Davies plans to add some polish to UK screens this week with the debut of his dark comedy series The Cleaner. He discusses how he adapted the show from a German series and why he’s excited by his lead role as a professional crime scene cleaner.
Going deeper
DQ takes a deep dive with the team behind the BBC’s claustrophobic submarine thriller Vigil to find out how they created this unique police drama, built the show’s expansive set and overcame a global pandemic.
In high spirits
As BBC comedy Ghosts returns for a third season, stars, writers and executive producers Mathew Baynton, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond talk upcoming storylines, filming in Covid bubbles and the show’s family-friendly heart.
Baptiste’s back, alright
Baptiste star Tchéky Karyo and producer John Griffin discuss the return of Julien Baptiste in the BBC crime drama as the retired police detective picks up a new case that takes him into Budapest’s corrupt underworld.
A life worth living
British actor Rakie Ayola speaks to DQ about her award-winning turn in BBC drama Anthony, which imagines the life 18-year-old Anthony Walker might have lived had he not been murdered in 2005, and explains how she got into character to play his mother Gee.
Us and them
Bafta-winning screenwriter David Nicholls recalls how Us, his novel about a man seeking to repair his marriage during a family holiday around Europe, made the journey to the small screen.
Job Description: Costume designer
Sinéad Kidao, the costume designer on The Pursuit of Love, reveals how she worked with writer and director Emily Mortimer to create the interwar style of this comedic drama based on Nancy Mitford’s novel.
Family viewing
Three Families director Alex Kalymnios and cinematographer Ula Pontikos discuss their work on this two-part BBC drama, which follows the real-life stories of a mother and two women affected by Northern Ireland’s restrictive abortion laws.
Delivering Call the Midwife
Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas joins cast members Helen George, Jenny Agutter and Leonie Elliott to celebrate the upcoming 10th season of the period drama.
Acting Normal
Normal People stars Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones look back on the success of the BBC and Hulu drama, based on Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel, and recall their time on set together.
Saints and synners
As Kay Mellor’s lottery drama The Syndicate returns after a six-year break, the writer and director tells DQ how the BBC series overcame the odds to film in Yorkshire and Monaco during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Job Description: Music supervisors
Juliet Martin and Maggie Phillips discuss working as music supervisors on BBC and Hulu sensation Normal People, explaining how music can enhance drama and highlighting some of their favourite tracks.
Doing their Duty
New recruit Kelly Macdonald joins the cast and creative team of Line of Duty to preview its eagerly anticipated sixth season. Just don’t ask what it’s about.
Chris versus Goliath
Chris Brandon discusses the journey towards writing his first television series, BBC thriller Bloodlands, and partnering with Line of Duty’s Jed Mercurio on this story of a Northern Irish police officer investigating a cold case with huge personal significance.