Nicôle Lecky has penned her second drama for the BBC, following the triumph of the BAFTA-winning show “Mood.” This announcement came today from Lindsay Salt, the Director of BBC Drama, during the Edinburgh TV Festival’s Spotlight on the BBC session.
In this fresh six-part series, produced by Firebird Pictures for both BBC One and BBC iPlayer, we are introduced to Lorna. She’s a self-made, accomplished black businesswoman hailing from South London. Her journey to success has been one of determination. Alongside her is her best friend Juliet, a white woman who was born into the privileged gated community they both reside in. The daughters of the two, Grace and Allegra, share a deep friendship, and their lives seem enviable. Primrose Estate, a sanctuary for the exceedingly affluent and their cherished children, stands as a place where turmoil is unheard of.
However, the tranquillity is shattered when Grace and Allegra become embroiled in a startling scandal at their exclusive private school. This unexpected turn of events forces Juliet and Lorna into opposing positions, pushing their friendship to its limits. As poisonous secrets and deceit spread through the core of this idyllic town, and a teenager mysteriously disappears, the fault lines within the community threaten to unveil the unpleasantness and betrayal lurking beneath the elitist facade. It’s revealed that people are not as they appear, particularly among the privileged one percent.
Set in a secluded enclave in the Home Counties, the show unfolds across generations, following the teenagers, their mothers, and the broader community. It presents a thought-provoking and candid exploration of mother-daughter dynamics amidst a haze of social media, concealed apps, and peer pressure. The show raises the question: To what extent will parents go to safeguard their children? And how much do adolescent girls truly understand about the women who raise them? If the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, then who is leading these young girls astray? The phrase “like mother, like daughter” reverberates loudly in this intricate world, where danger lurks just beneath the surface, even in a seemingly flawless town.
Nicôle Lecky (Mood) says: “I am truly thrilled to be working with the BBC again alongside the incredible Liz Kilgarriff and the team at Firebird Pictures. Creating the world so far has been a lot of fun and I am looking forward to finding our four amazing female leads in Juliet, Lorna, Grace and Allegra. Dark humour, big twists and bags of attitude are what makes this show so juicy – not to mention a killer soundtrack and wardrobe. I can’t wait to bring it to the screen.”
Elizabeth Kilgarriff (Bodyguard, The Cry, Luther) says: “To be working with the brilliant creative force that is Nicôle Lecky is hugely exciting and we are delighted to be bringing this fabulous, subversive, darkly funny and thoroughly entertaining mystery thriller to the BBC. Set in a seductive world of privilege and wealth, Nicôle shines a light on the often messy and complex reality of mother/daughter relationships, peeling back the layers of perfectionism to reveal the real women beneath – and then forcing their secrets and lies to the surface in an explosion of betrayal, scandal and down-right bad behaviour. Deliciously outrageous, emotionally complex and surprising at every turn – with an inimitable Nicôle Lecky twist – this is a story where all that glitters definitely isn’t gold.”
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says: “This powerful and compelling new drama from Nicôle Lecky taps into the fears and concerns of all parents, exploring what lies beneath the surface of two families’ supposed perfect lives and how a scandal can ripple through a community with long-lasting effects. I’m thrilled that Nicôle has chosen to write her second drama series for the BBC, working alongside the team at Firebird and I’m excited to see her vision come to life.”
The 6 x 60 series is produced by Firebird Pictures, one of BBC Studios’ owned production labels, for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. It is written and created by Nicôle Lecky. The executive producers are Elizabeth Kilgarriff, Nicôle Lecky, Ayela Butt and Lucy Richer for the BBC.
