ITV has commissioned a new five-part surveillance thriller from Tiger Aspect.
Viewpoint, written by Emmy award winning screenwriter, Ed Whitmore, will explore themes of voyeurism in a tight knit Manchester community.
Harry Bradbeer, director of Fleabag, conceived the series’ idea, which ITV describes as “Mining the paranoid hinterland" of classic thrillers Rear Window and The Lives Of Others.
The story follows the disappearance of a primary school teacher, Gemma King, who mysteriously vanishes without a trace. DC Martin Young’s investigation slips into the voyeuristic as he observes the geographical centre of the disappearance, Westbury Square, from single mum’s Zoe’s flat window. Young’s efforts to trace the prime suspect, Gemma’s boyfriend, become more complicated as his own trauma and guilt begin to surface, which leads him to question if he can trust his observations.
ITV’s head of drama, Polly Hall, who commissioned the series said: “It’s hard to find a crime series that feels new and fresh, which is why I am delighted to commission Viewpoint. Martin, the police surveillance officer watching a community to discover why a local teacher has gone missing, is in Zoe’s flat who secretly watches her neighbours because she’s lonely. The lines between the two and who can and can’t spy on us, is beautifully blurred. It creates a crime series that has a touch of Rear Window.”
The drama will be executive produced by Tiger Aspect’s Lucy Bedford, with Ashley Way set to direct each episode of the five-part series. Filming will begin in Manchester in Spring 2020. Viewpoint will be internationally distributed by EndemolShine international.
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