David Farnor | On 07, Nov 2018

“The heartbreak of this place… Love it and hate it like no place on Earth.” That’s Ann Skelly’s Beth Winters in Death and Nightingales, BBC’s new drama.

Based on Eugene McCabe’s modern Irish classic, the three-part series tells a riveting story of love, betrayal, deception and revenge in the countryside of Fermanagh in 1885. Set over 24 hours, it follows Beth, who decides on her 25th birthday to join the charming Liam Ward (Jamie Dornan) and escape from her limited life and difficult relationship with her Protestant landowner stepfather, Billy (Matthew Rhys). Directed by Allan Cubitt (The Fall), the powerful and gripping drama charts a woman struggling to control her own destiny and illuminates tensions that tear both families and nations apart.

Filming began this summer in Northern Ireland and now, we’ve already got our first proper glimpse of the trio in action with a new trailer:

 

First look: Jamie Dornan, Ann Skelly and Matthew Rhys in BBC Two’s Death and Nightingales

14th August 2018

BBC Two has unveiled new pictures for its upcoming drama Death and Nightingales, starring Jamie Dornan, Ann Skelly and Matthew Rhys.

The pictures give us our first look at the trio in action, as filming coninues on the three-part drama. Directed by Allan Cubitt (The Fall), the series is based on Eugene McCabe’s modern Irish classic, and tells a riveting story of love, betrayal, deception and revenge in the countryside of Fermanagh in 1885.

Set over 24 hours, it follows Beth Winters (Ann Skelly), who decides on her 25th birthday to join the charming Liam Ward (Jamie Dornan) and escape from her limited life and difficult relationship with her Protestant landowner stepfather, Billy (Matthew Rhys).

Filming is underway on the programme in Northern Ireland. Here are the photos of the cast on set:

 

Jamie Dornan, Ann Skelly and Matthew Rhys to star in BBC Two’s Death And Nightingales

31st May 2018

Jamie Dornan (The Fall, The Siege Of Jadotville) and Matthew Rhys (The Americans, The Post) will return to the BBC to lead the cast of Death And Nightingales.

The drama is based on Eugene McCabe’s modern Irish classic, a riveting story of love, betrayal, deception and revenge in the haunting countryside of 19th century Fermanagh. A place where neighbours observe each other and inform, the series will drop us into a world of spies, confessions and double dealing, where a pervading sense of beauty is shot through with menace and impending doom.

Adapted and directed by Allan Cubitt (The Fall), the three-part series is an Imaginarium and Soho Moon production for BBC Two. Commissioned by Patrick Holland, Controller of BBC Two and Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, the Executive Producers are James Mitchell for Soho Moon and Tommy Bulfin.

Dornan and Rhys will be joined by Ann Skelly (Red Rock, Kissing Candice), who will star as Beth Winters, a young woman about to celebrate her 25th birthday – the day she has also decided to join the charming Liam Ward (Dornan) and escape from her life, and her complex relationship with Protestant landowner, and stepfather, Billy (Rhys).

Set over a 24-hour period, decades of pain and betrayal will build to create a powerful and gripping drama that follows a woman struggling to control her own destiny and will illuminate tensions that tear both families and nations apart.

Rhys says: “I’ve been a huge fan of Allan Cubitt’s work for many years so I’m thrilled to have been given the chance to work on Death And Nightingales alongside Jamie and Ann and return to the BBC.”

Dornan adds: “I’m thrilled to be reunited with Allan and his brilliant scripts to play such an intriguing character like Liam Ward and to return to Northern Ireland and BBC Two”.

Skelly comments: “Playing such a strong character as Beth Winters is truly an actor’s dream, and a fantastically intense challenge to be given the opportunity to play. And to get to work with such brilliant actors like Matthew and Jamie, and a director like Allan Cubitt, is just surreal to me. I can’t wait to start!”

Filming will begin this summer in Northern Ireland.

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