Articles about BBC
Series to Watch: February 2023
DQ checks out the upcoming schedules to pick 10 new series to watch this February, from the story of a soap superstar and a diplomatic drama to the reimagining of a classic western.
Special delivery
Now in its 12th season, Call the Midwife is assured of its status as one of the BBC’s best-loved series. The cast reveal how its focus on social change and relatable issues means it’s more than just a medical drama.
Father time
As BBC series Father Brown returns for a milestone 10th season, DQ heads to the sunlit Cotswolds to find the vicar-turned-detective entertaining a royal visitor while gathering an increasing number of famous fans around the world.
May days
Mayflies writer Andrea Gibb and executive producer Claire Mundell discuss their approach to adapting Andrew O’Hagan’s acclaimed novel for the BBC and explain their personal connections to this story of friendship and loss.
No script to screen
Casualty executive producer Jon Sen and director Steve Hughes open up about filming an entirely improvised episode of the long-running BBC medical drama, which also shines a light on the current crisis around ambulance response times in the UK.
DQ100 – Part four
In the fourth part of the DQ100 2022/23, DQ picks out a range of shows to tune in for and the actors, directors and writers making them, as well as some of the trends and trailblazers worth catching up with.
Heads will roll
Marie Antoinette star Emilia Schüle and producers Claude Chelli and Stéphanie Chartreux take DQ inside the making of this eight-part historical drama, which promises to show a new side of the young Austrian princess who would become Queen of France.
Tourist trail
Australian actor Danielle Macdonald looks back on making Outback-set thriller The Tourist and reveals how she moved to LA as a teenager to follow her acting ambitions.
Staging a Reunion
Six-part mystery thriller The Reunion sees old friendships pushed to extremes by 25-year-old revelations. Director Bill Eagles tells DQ about helming this European production, working with two sets of actors and why he doesn’t want to be typecast.
Take con me
Sister execs Alice Tyler and Lydia Hampson take DQ inside the Chernobyl and Landscapers producer’s development process and preview upcoming BBC conman series The Following Events Are Based on a Pack of Lies.
Devilish drama
Pop duo Let’s Eat Grandma turned composers to create the haunting soundtrack to Netflix fantasy drama The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself. They join writer Joe Barton to tell DQ about their collaboration for the show.
Marriage vows
The A Word spin-off Ralph & Katie continued the story of the titular newlyweds as they face a host of domestic challenges. DQ spoke to writers Genevieve Barr and Tom Wentworth about working on the series, which broke new ground for inclusive drama.
Heroic effort
Peaky Blinders meets Band of Brothers in SAS Rogue Heroes, a rocking retelling of how the specialist British Army unit was forged during the Second World War. Director Tom Shankland, producer Stephen Smallwood and executive producer Karen Wilson reveal how they made it.
Who’s next
As Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa waits in the wings to take on the lead role, Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker and showrunner Chris Chibnall reflect on their time on the iconic series and discuss making this weekend’s 90-minute special.
In the firing line
Crossfire executive producer Chris Carey, MD of producer Dancing Ledge Productions, talks DQ through a pivotal scene in the three-part thriller, in which holidaymakers are caught up in a terrorist attack at their picturesque hotel.
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.
Everything I Know About Starstruck
Rose Matafeo, the creator and star of Starstruck, and Dolly Alderton, the writer behind Everything I Know About Love, share stories, revelations and advice from their experience making their shows.
World of Hurt
Former doctor Adam Kay speaks to DQ about turning his bestselling memoir This is Going to Hurt into a BBC drama and the show’s real-world impact within the medical community.
Delving into deepfakes
Ben Chanan, creator and writer of BBC surveillance thriller The Capture, discusses bringing back the series for a second season, becoming a showrunner and keeping ahead of the headlines.
Hooper’s dream job
Director Louise Hooper tells DQ about her rise from arts documentaries to epic fantasy dramas, shooting Netflix’s secret The Sandman episode and creating series to suit her own surrealist imagination.