Paramount+ Reveals Slate of New British Original Series Commissions
As Paramount+ prepares for its launch in the U.K. this summer, the streamer has announced an expanded slate of scripted and unscripted U.K. original series.
According to Variety, the new programming includes The Ex-Wife, a four-part drama based on the psychological thriller novel by author Jess Ryder. The story centers around the newly married Natasha, who has the dream house, a doting husband, and a beautiful little girl called Emily but has her life turned upside down by her husband’s ex-wife.
The Ex-Wife is set to star Céline Buckens (Showtrial) in the lead role; it is written by Catherine Steadman, who also serves as executive producer. Brian O’Malley (The Lodgers) is on board as director. Clapperboard Studios, BlackBox Multimedia, and Night Train Media will produce.
Other projects include The Burning Girls, a six-part drama series about a female vicar and single mother to a 15-year-old daughter who moves to Chapel Croft in the hope of a fresh start. However, their new beginning gets off to a bad start as they find the village is rife with conspiracies and secrets. The series is based on the novel of the same name by C.J. Tudor and produced by Buccaneer Media.
The slate of unscripted programming includes L.A. Hairdressers, an eight-episode series that follows the stylists of two Los Angeles establishments, and Fashion House, a three-episode anthology series telling the story of three of the most iconic fashion houses of all time — Gucci, Versace, and Burberry.
In addition, the streamer will be breaking into the true crime genre, first with Pervert: Catching the Strip Search Caller, about a hoax caller who targeted fast-food restaurants across America, convincing managers to obey his instructions, resulting in the abuse of staff. And secondly, Girl, Taken, a feature-length film tracing the story of Celeste and Morne Nurse, whose baby daughter Zephany was stolen from hospital two days after her birth in Cape Town in 1997.
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