BBC orders Magdalene Laundries drama with Ruth Wilson
Ruth Wilson and Daryl McCormack are to star in BBC One and Showtime drama The Woman in the Wall, produced by Motive Pictures.
The 6 x 60 gothic detective story is created and written by Joe Murtagh and examines the legacy of one of Ireland’s most notorious scandals – the institutions known as The Magdalene Laundries.
Wilson also executive produces, alongside Sam Lavender and Simon Maxwell for Motive, Murtagh, and director Harry Wootliff, who will direct multiple episodes. The second block director is Rachna Suri.
Murtagh said: “My family is from Mayo, the county in which the fictional Kilkinure is set, and it deeply frustrates and saddens me that it feels so few people have heard of the Laundries that existed across Ireland.
“I hope that by making something that has the familiarity of a genre piece we are able to shed some light on the awful things that occurred within these kind of institutions and introduce this history to the wider public, so that nothing like it may ever happen again.”
Lavender and Maxwell added: “Joe Murtagh has crafted a brilliantly inventive and emotionally powerful exploration of the personal and collective traumas experienced by the survivors of the Magdalene laundries and Mother & Baby Homes.
“It’s a testament to the unique quality of Joe’s scripts that this series/show has attracted the extraordinary talents of Ruth Wilson, Daryl McCormack and director Harry Wootliff to work with us to bring this profoundly relevant story to audiences around the world.”
Images credit: Pip.
Also on The Knowledge
C5 drama Under Her Skin films in Malta
New Channel 5 drama Under Her Skin (w/t) has begun filming in Malta, starring Jo Joyner and Rachel Shenton.
Pioneer Film Studios welcomes Screen Facilities Scotland
Trade body Screen Facilities Scotland is moving its headquarters to Pioneer Film Studios’ campus, joining several other companies making the move to the shiny new complex in a drive to establish a national production hub.
True-crime drama Steeltown Murders begins south Wales shoot
Filming has begun in south Wales on Steeltown Murders (w/t), a true-crime drama about a series of murders in the Port Talbot area.
Essex council sets up dedicated film office
Essex County Council is setting up a dedicated film office to promote the region as a film-friendly destination.
Kenneth Branagh's A Haunting in Venice readying UK and Italy shoot
20th Century Studios' A Haunting in Venice, starring Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey and Michelle Yeoh, is set to start production next month in the UK and Italy for Disney.
BBC Three orders full series of Dreaming Whilst Black
BBC Three has ordered six episodes of Dreaming Whilst Black following last year’s successful pilot.
