BBC3 has ordered Red Rose, a new horror series written by The Clarkson Twins – Michael and Paul – for BBC Three.

The eight-part series was commissioned by Fiona Campbell, Controller of BBC Three and Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama and will be co-produced by Eleven (Sex Education, The Enfield Haunting) and global independent studio Entertainment One, eOne (Sharp Objects).

The story follows a disparate group of teenagers, adrift in the long hot summer following GCSEs, hanging out on the Bolton moors with little sense of direction or purpose now that school is over. Rumours circulate of the Red Rose app, an urban legend that blooms on the smartphones of teenagers, encouraging them to undertake a series of challenges increasingly dangerous in its demands. On the fringes of her group of friends, Rochelle Jackson downloads the mysterious app. What she sets in motion is a series of events that take the town by storm, and bring the friends together to battle the unseen forces of a seemingly supernatural entity.

The Clarkson twins say: “We’re thrilled that our first show will be with the BBC. We’ve been working in LA for a while now, so the opportunity to return to the UK for our own show is incredible. Red Rose is a love letter to our hometown and childhood. We get to explore what challenges face the bright but opportunity starved teenagers of today. Working on the Haunting of Hill House has prepared us well to undertake this genre driven challenge. We can’t think of a better home for it than the BBC. It’s gonna be well good!”

Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, says: “In Red Rose, the rude, crude and utterly outspoken nature of Michael and Paul’s characters collides brilliantly with the chills and thrills of a very contemporary horror story. The result is a seductive mash up with a point of view and tone all of its own. We are delighted to be working with the Clarksons on their series which marks their return to British TV.”

Joel Wilson of Eleven, says: “We fell in love with Paul and Michael’s idea immediately and are deeply excited to be producing Red Rose for BBC Three and BBC One. We share Michael and Paul’s ambition to create a series with the same wit, intelligence and storytelling chutzpah of American genre movies like It Follows, Get Out and Scream – particularly given that we’re playing out our story in Paul and Michael’s beloved Bolton.”

Polly Williams, eOne’s Head of Scripted Development – UK Television, says: “Red Rose manages to combine thrilling genre with engaging characters and humour which makes it very special. As we continue to build our UK business, we couldn’t be more thrilled to team up with wonderful partners in BBC, Eleven and The Clarksons to bring such a unique piece to life.”

Red Rose is a co-production between Eleven and eOne for BBC Three. It will be executive produced by Joel Wilson and Jamie Campbell for Eleven; Polly Williams for e-One and Mona Qureshi for the BBC. Olivia Trench will co-executive produce for Eleven.

Casting will be announced in due course.

eOne controls international rights.

BBC Three Controller Fiona Campbell announced further commissions at the Edinburgh TV festival including new coming of age autobiographical drama written by newcomers Michael Patrick and Oisín Kearney, My Left Nut.

New factual titles include the Reggie Yates written factual drama about reality TV, Killed By My Fame, a six-part series called Skin which looks at troublesome skin conditions that affect the appearance, confidence and lives of individuals.  The Season: Breaking Ibiza (w/t) follows an ambitious group of young Brits as they embark on a transformational coming-of-age summer: living, working and playing on Ibiza whilst award-winning stylist and entrepreneur Sophia Hilton opens the Misfits Salon and Fight Dirty pits two messy households against each to battle for the cleanest house.

Houseshare is a shortform docuseries where six big characters from different backgrounds and parts of the UK with ambitions of moving to London try out communal living where they’ll not only be sharing a roof, but also by sharing all the money they earn.

Nudes is the first foreign language acquisition for BBC Three. Acquired from Wild Bunch TV and produced by NRK P3 and Barbosa, the youth drama is told as an anthology by three different teenagers  who, each in his or her own way, are plunged deep into a life crisis due to some leaked nude images.

Fiona Campbell, Controller, BBC Three, said: “The first few months at BBC Three have been a complete blur but I’m incredibly excited for the future of the channel. We have The Rap Game beginning soon and then of course, we have the launch of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in October followed by the return of Glow Up, The Young Offenders, This County, Man Like Mobeen and Eating With My Ex. For the next evolution of BBC Three, we’re building a channel that contains a family of returnable brands that are all about living a young life wherever you are in the UK. The new shows that we’re announcing are rooted in relatable experiences and subject matter which are aspirational, provide the space for expression and offer opportunities for people to be who they want to be and above all, have fun. We will continue to showcase and break talent such as Yung Filly in Hot Property and Oloni in My Mates a Bad Date, talent that says it like it is without boundaries. And we will continue to emphasise our voice with extraordinary documentaries and innovate with cutting edge storytelling and stories of our time right now with commissions like Red Rose and Killed By My Fame.”

Staff Reporter

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