Forged confirmed for unique new BBC drama Counsels as filming will get underway

Casting has been introduced for brand new BBC high-stakes authorized drama Counsels with filming underway in Glasgow. A Balloon Entertainment manufacturing, the collection is co-created by Scottish writers Bryan Elsley (The Crow Road, Skins) and BBC Writers’ Drama Room graduate Gillian McCormack. Set in Glasgow, the eight-part collection is made by Balloon Entertainment (Champion, Clique, Newark Newark) for BBCiPlayer, BBC One and BBC Scotland in affiliation with All3Media International and in coproduction with ZDFneo.

Counsels follows the lives of a bunch of twentysomething attorneys in Glasgow within the essential second when a couple of years out of college their careers lastly change into critical. Working throughout the authorized panorama, whether or not as public prosecutors, slick representatives of glossier business pursuits or the shabby and good-hearted final resort of these with nothing left to lose, every considered one of them is out to win. They are colleagues jostling for promotion, lovers making an attempt to carry onto each other as ambitions speed up and pure adversaries professionally and personally. And now’s the time issues are going to catch hearth.

Our younger attorneys Jamie (Brandon Grace, My Lady Jane, Hamlet Hail to the Thief), Bav (Ro Kumar, Traces S2, Accidental Death of an Anarchist), Nadine (Eilidh Park, Wind of Change), Alasdair (George Prentice, The Pendragon Cycle), Katie (Alyth Ross, Last Light, Dirty Angels) and Karina (Rebecca Bell, Outlander: Blood of My Blood) navigate their typically advanced and messy lives while exploring the difficult but thrilling world of regulation.

The ensemble is joined by an impeccable vary of established expertise together with: Michelle Gomez (Doom Patrol, The Flight Attendant), Derek Riddell (Happy Valley, Industry), Laura Haddock (What It Feels Like For A Girl, The Recruit), Daniela Nardini (This Life, Sunset Song), Michael Nardone (Traces, The Night Manager), Sally Howitt (River City, Dinosaur), Stuart Bowman (Department Q, Only Child), Neshla Caplan (The Rig, Rebus) and Stephen Purdon (River City, Sweet Sixteen).

Bryan Elsley says: “I am delighted to be leading with Gillian McCormack on Counsels. We look forward to introducing a galaxy of Scottish acting, writing and directing talent to our audience. Set entirely in Glasgow, we hope to bring the city vividly to life and fill it with arresting stories and characters.”

Gillian McCormack provides: “It’s been amazing to work with Bryan and see our incredible crew and phenomenal cast come together. Developing our characters and their worlds has been a brilliant experience and I can’t wait to share their stories set against the backdrop of the dynamic, exciting and contemporary city of Glasgow, of which I am hugely proud.”

Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning, BBC Scotland feedback: “We’re delighted to see the cameras start rolling on Counsels. Bryan and Gillian have created a wonderful world showcasing brilliant young lawyers whose professional and personal lives are as dramatic as the cases they represent. Counsels is part of the single biggest BBC investment in drama in Scotland for over a decade and we can’t wait for audiences to get to know these new exciting characters and to get caught up in their lives, loves and dramas.”

David Swetman, SVP Content and Commercial Strategy, All3Media International says: “We’re delighted to be working with Bryan Elsley and the talented team at Balloon Entertainment again on high-stakes legal drama COUNSELS. With its exciting young cast and dynamic writing from Bryan and Gillian McCormack it is sure to be an international success, as seen in ZDF’s early boarding as a key co-production partner.”

Counsels (8×60’) was commissioned by Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, and Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning for BBC Scotland. It is co-created, written and govt produced by Bryan Elsley and Gillian McCormack, with additional episodes written by Maryam Hamidi (Vigil) and Jingan Young (Red Eye). Gaynor Holmes and Stephanie Fyfe are Executive Producers for the BBC with Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland and Daniel Donnelly and Dave Evans for Balloon. The Producer is Brian Kaczynski (Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, Mayflies) and the Directors are Lynsey Miller (Surface S2, The Turkish Detective) and Siri Rødnes (Shetland, River City). The collection might be distributed by Balloon Entertainment’s worldwide companion All3Media International and is a coproduction with ZDFneo. Katharina Kremling is the Commissioning Editor for ZDFneo. Counsels is supported by Screen Scotland.

JM2

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