David Farnor | On 24, Feb 2024

The BBC has unveiled its upcoming slate of 12 new dramas, ranging from a spin-off from hit legal drama The Split to an adaptation of the stage play, Dear England.

Speaking at a BBC event this week, Director of BBC Drama Lindsay Salt set out her plan to redefine ‘state of the nation’ drama and repurpose it for audiences of all ages. She warned that the industry has seen a shift in recent years from ‘Peak TV’ to ‘Peak Caution’, and urged producers, writers and directors to take risks and push boundaries.

Lindsay identified currency, character and empathy as her three priorities to redefine state-of-the-nation drama. She cited dramas such as State of Play, Three Girls and Our Friends in the North as state-of-the-nation dramas, along with I May Destroy You and This is Going to Hurt.

She said: “I believe that the BBC is the only place that can promise true boldness and braveness in all our decision making. In an era of caution, it’s our time to shine. There’s something about this moment, the current climate in our industry, that makes our approach to risk even more essential.”

One of the notable commissions is Dear England, a four-part drama about Gareth Southgate and the England men’s football team. Based on James Graham’s (Sherwood, The Way, Quiz) National Theatre play of the same name – which transferred to London’s West End after a sell-out run last year – it will star Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale, Shakespeare in Love) as Gareth Southgate, with Rupert Goold (Judy, King Charles III, The Hollow Crown), who directed Dear England on stage, helming the series.

Here’s the full slate of new dramas announced this week:

Blue Lights

The BBC has ordered two more six-part series of the critically acclaimed Belfast-based police drama Blue Lights from Two Cities Television for BBC One and iPlayer, starring Annie Conlon (Katherine Devlin), Grace Ellis (Siân Brooke) and Tommy Foster (Nathan Braniff).

Dear England

The BBC has commissioned Dear England, a new drama series about Gareth Southgate and the England men’s football team, based on James Graham’s (Sherwood, The Way, Quiz) smash hit National Theatre play of the same name.

Film Club

The BBC has commissioned new romantic comedy-drama Film Club, the screenwriting debut from actors Aimee Lou Wood (Living, Sex Education, White Lotus s3) and Ralph Davis (SAS Rogue Heroes, Life After Life, Othello).

Lions (working title)

The BBC has commissioned Lions (working title), an original six-part drama about two men across the decades, written and created by the multi award-winning writer and performer Richard Gadd (Baby Reindeer, Sex Education).

Mint

The BBC has commissioned Mint, a darkly comic and unconventional drama about what it means to be part of a crime family, from writer and filmmaker Charlotte Regan who garnered huge critical acclaim for her recent, BAFTA-nominated film Scrapper.

Reunion

The BBC has commissioned Reunion, an emotional thriller of revenge and redemption, which follows the journey of Brennan, a deaf man determined to right his wrongs, while unravelling the truth behind the events that led him to prison. It is written by William Mager, a deaf writer originally from Sheffield, and is will be set and filmed in and around Sheffield and Doncaster.

Kayleigh Llewellyn

The BBC has commissioned The Dream Lands, a coming-of-age story with a twist, based on Rosa Rankin-Gee’s enthralling novel Dreamland, and brought to life for TV by Kayleigh Llewellyn, the BAFTA-award winning creator and writer of acclaimed series, In My Skin.

The Listeners

The BBC has commissioned The Listeners, starring Rebecca Hall (Christine, The Town, Vicky Christina Barcelona) and based on the novel by Jordan Tannahill, who has also written the adaptation. It centres around Claire (Rebecca Hall), a teacher who begins to hear a low humming sound that no one else around her can hear – apart from a student of hers, Kyle (Ollie West – Hamnet).

The Ministry of Time

The BBC has commissioned The Ministry of Time, a new drama based on Kaliane Bradley’s hotly anticipated debut novel of the same name, adapted by Alice Birch (Normal People, The End We Start From, Dead Ringers).

The Split Up

The BBC has commissioned The Split Up, a new six-part series featuring the high-stakes world of Manchester’s divorce law circuit, where one family of lawyers, the Kishans, reigns supreme. The Split Up’s story and characters are created by Ursula Rani Sarma (Smother, Delicious) and based on The Split created by Abi Morgan.

This City is Ours

The BBC has commissioned This City is Ours, an epic Liverpool crime drama created by writer Stephen Butchard (The Good Mothers, The Last Kingdom, Five Daughters) and made by Left Bank Pictures (The Crown, Quiz, Sitting in Limbo) for BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

We Go Again

The BBC has commissioned new drama We Go Again (working title) from award-winning writer Janice Okoh (Sanditon, Hetty Feather) for BBC Three. The six-part series is based on Janice’s play Three Birds, winner of the prestigious Bruntwood Playwriting Prize, and follows three stubbornly optimistic siblings with a dark secret.

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