The BBC and Amazon Freevee have commissioned Boat Story, a 6×60’ thriller written by Harry and Jack Williams and produced by their indie, Two Brothers Pictures in association with All3Media International.

Boat Story will premiere in the UK on BBC One and iPlayer, and in the US on Amazon Freevee.

When two hard-up strangers, Janet (Daisy Haggard – Back to Life, Breeders) and Samuel (Paterson Joseph – Vigil, Noughts & Crosses), stumble across a haul of cocaine on a shipwrecked boat, they can’t believe their luck. After agreeing to sell it and split the cash, they quickly find themselves entangled with police, masked hitmen, and a sharp-suited gangster known only as ‘The Tailor’ (Tcheky Karyo – Baptiste, The Missing).

Also starring BAFTA-winner, Joanna Scanlan (After Love, Notes on A Scandal), Craig Fairbrass (One Piece, Villain and Muscle) and Phil Daniels (Quadrophenia, House of Dragons), Boat Story “twists and turns with character-driven, surprising storytelling, hilarious and moving in equal turns. Off-beat humour contrasts with high-octane action sequences against the spectacular backdrop of the beautiful, windswept Yorkshire coastline.”

Harry and Jack Williams, writers and Managing Directors of Two Brothers Pictures said: “We loved making The Tourist and Boat Story picks up where that left off – tonally at least. It’s a morality tale and a thriller and other things that make it hard to define even though we seem to be attempting to define it. It’s full of vulnerable, messed up and eccentric characters and we’ve cast some of our favourite actors to play them. We are excited to bring this to life along with our fellow directors.”

Christopher Aird, Two Brothers Pictures Head of Drama, said “Boat Story will surprise the audience from the first minute. Harry & Jack are challenging conventions we’ve come to second guess in screen drama. I think this is their boldest show yet and very exciting.”

Tommy Bulfin, executive producer for the BBC, added “Even by Jack and Harry’s remarkable standards, Boat Story is a hugely entertaining and fiendishly clever thriller that I know will have the nation desperate to know what’s coming next. And I cannot think of a more perfect cast to bring these fantastic characters to life – you’ll just have to wait and see which ones you can trust!”

Boat Story is a Two Brothers Pictures (an All3Media company) production for the BBC. The series is written by Harry and Jack Williams (The Missing, Baptiste, The Tourist), who alongside Christopher Aird (Baptiste, Liar, The Tourist) and Daniel Walker will serve as executive producers for Two Brothers Pictures and with Tommy Bulfin as executive producer for the BBC. Matthew Bird (Isolation Stories, Strangers) will produce, and Harry and Jack Williams will direct block one. Alice Troughton will direct block two and Daniel Nettheim directs block three. International sales will be handled by All3Media International.

Boat Story is filming now in and around Yorkshire.

Jon Creamer

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