Martin Clunes films county-lines thriller in Wales
Filming is underway in Wales on Out There, a new ITV drama starring Martin Clunes about county lines and the rise of rural crime.
The six-part thriller is from writers Ed Whitmore and Marc Evans; the latter directs along with Philippa Langdale. The producers are Philippa Braithwaite for Buffalo Pictures and Evie Bergson-Korn.
Clunes plays Nathan, now running the generations-old family farm. Widowed two years ago, Nathan is challenged by dark forces as an insidious crime wave sweeps across his rural community.
Louis Ashbourne Serkis co-stars as his teenage son Johnny; Mark Lewis Jones, Natalia Kostrzewa, Carly-Sophia Davies and Gerran Howell are among the supporting cast; the drama is supported by Creative Wales.
Clunes said: "I’m very happy to be working with Marc Evans and Ed Whitmore again after the success of Manhunt. Out There couldn’t be more different from Doc Martin. It’s pretty dark, but definitely a story worth telling.”
Whitmore added: “County lines is a particularly vicious and ruthless wave of drug dealing that uses fear and violence to coerce, often vulnerable, young people into working as runners and dealers. It has become a serious and rapidly increasing problem across the whole of the UK, so it felt like an important and timely story to tell.”
“I’ve always been fascinated by the notion of things being hidden in plain sight and the way in which different social worlds can co-exist cheek-by-jowl until, one day, they collide. The fundamental premise of Out There - a widowed farmer who discovers that his son has fallen foul of county lines - immediately spoke to me as a story I wanted to tell.”
Evans commented: “We are thrilled to have the support of Creative Wales to produce Out There in my in my home country. We are able to explore beautiful and rarely seen areas around the Black Mountains and to use local talent for our cast and crew.”
Also on The Knowledge
UKTV takes Canal Boat Diaries from BBC Four and films in the West Midlands
UKTV has licensed the format rights from the BBC for Canal Boat Diaries, with a new series in the pipeline for the broadcaster’s factual channel Yesterday.
The Killing Kind doubled Bristol for London during six-month shoot for Paramount+
Paramount+ original drama The Killing Kind doubled Bristol for London during a lengthy six-month shoot that began in January this year. Filming also took place at The Bottle Yard Studios.
Cornwall TV and film production hits £5m as regional film commission wins £400,000 boost
Screen Cornwall has released its first economic impact figures, revealing that film and TV production was worth more than £5m to the county’s economy in 2022*.
Derry Girls creator sets comedy thriller at C4
Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee is re-teaming with Hat Trick Productions on a new Channel 4 comedy thriller set in Northern Ireland, How To Get To Heaven From Belfast.
Caroline Quentin to explore National Parks for More4
Caroline Quentin will explore the UK’s National Parks in a new series for Channel 4, produced by King of Sunshine Productions with Group M Motion Entertainment.
BBC and Netflix join on Lockerbie drama
The BBC and Netflix are joining up on a new factual drama about the Lockerbie bombing, with World Productions producing.