Category Archives: Projects

Can’t Buy Me Love (Netflix Series)

Chris Lang has devised an original series currently in development with UnRATED Studios for Netflix. The series is currently filming in Paris,  directed by Noemie Saglio and will join Netflix for global streaming in 2018.

Set in modern day Paris, the eight-episode series follows a group of friends who rally around their perpetually single girlfriend Elsa, who can’t seem to figure out why she is so unlucky in love. In a misguided attempt to build back Elsa’s confidence, they hire a male escort to renew her faith in dating, relationships and finding love.

Executive producers are Anne Thomopoulos and François Florentiny. Lang also serves as executive producer and head writer along with Julien Teisseire as additional writer. Saglio will participate in the writing.

Saglio co-directed 2015’s comedy Connasse, Princesse Des Coeurs (aka Harry Me!), a candid-camera comedy about a woman determined to hook up with the British prince. Starring Camille Cottin, the film was based on a series of sketches that aired on Canal Plus and which Saglio also co-wrote and directed.

Of the upcoming series, Netflix VP International Originals Erik Barmack says, “This show is a fun and modern romantic story that will bring viewers into the energy of today’s Paris.”

Unforgotten: Season 3

Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar return as DCI Cassie Stuart and DI Sunil ‘Sunny’ Khan  investigating another emotionally-charged cold case.

When the body of a teenage girl who went missing at the turn of the millenium is found at a building site off the M1 motorway, four men – a close-knit group of old school friends that have stood by one another through thick and thin – are placed under the spotlight and their relationships are tested to the limit. We also delve deeper into Sunny and Cassie’s own personal lives this series, experiencing the effects that the cases have on their own relationships and well being.

Set across the south of England in locations including Norfolk, West Sussex, Bristol, Hampshire and London, the new series will explore how everyday lives can be fractured and destroyed by one event, showing that appearances can often be deceiving.

Hailed the “best detective drama of the decade” by the Daily Telegraph and “crime drama of the highest class” by The Guardian,  the first two series proved hugely successful with viewers and critics alike, with the last series receiving an average consolidated viewing figure of over 6million with a 21% share.

Key cast

• Nicola Walker
• Sanjeev Bhaskar
• Alex Jennings
• Emma Fielding
• Neil Morrissey
• Indra Ove
• James Fleet
• Sasha Behar
• Kevin Mcnally
• Amanda Root
• Janet Dibley
• Brid Brennan
• Alistair Mackenzie

Written and created by Chris Lang

Produced by Guy de Glanville

Directed by Andy Wilson

Executive produced by Chris Lang, Laura Mackie, Sally Haynes

Cast

Nicola Walker

Sanjeev Bhaskar

Alastair McKenzie

Alex Jennings

Amanda Root

Brid Brennan

Indra Ove

James Fleet

Janet Dibley

Kevin McNally

Neil Morrissey

Sasha Behar

Innocent

Convicted of murdering his wife Tara, David Collins has served seven years in prison. He’s lost everything he held dear: his wife, his two children and even the house he owned. He’s always protested his innocence and faces the rest of his life behind bars. His situation couldn’t be more desperate.

Despised by his wife’s family and friends, his only support has been his faithful brother Phil (Daniel Ryan) who has stood by him, sacrificing his own career and livelihood to mount a tireless campaign to prove his brother’s innocence.

Convinced of his guilt, Tara’s childless sister Alice and her husband Rob are now parents to David’s children and thanks to the proceeds of David’s estate enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. For Alice there’s no doubt of his guilt and she’s utterly devastated by the prospect of David’s appeal and re-trial.

DCI William Beech who led the original investigation into Tara’s murder has a lot to lose if David’s conviction is rendered unsafe, and could see him professionally humiliated and even suspended.

To David’s astonishment he is acquitted on a technicality and although suspicion still hangs heavy , he is free to walk from court and to begin rebuilding his life . But at what cost to him personally and those around him? Will David win a custody battle to reclaim his children as he seeks to establish his absolute innocence?

Innocent is a new four-part contemporary drama series written by acclaimed writers Chris Lang and Matt Arlidge starring Hermione Norris and Lee Ingleby and produced by TXTV.

• Reviews
• Credits
• Trailer
• Gallery

Appointment to view…instantly absorbing…remarkably satisfying. –Radio Times

The TV drama that has got the whole nation watching….fantastically intense…a spellbinding whodunit. –The Express

Instantly gripping. –Mirror

Compellingly acted with both Ingleby and Norris on fine, emotionally intense form – Sunday Telegraph

A masterfully hard to read performance from Ingleby. –Mail on Sunday

Chris Lang’s vice like thriller should keep viewers enthralled – ‘i’

I guarantee you’ll be gripped by this riveting four parter – TV Times

A cracking drama – Sunday Mirror

Whodunnits don’t get much more gripping – Sunday People

I will keep watching every day of the week, which is as good a recommendation as any – The Times

Submerged secrets, meltdown level performances, and a propulsive pace. – The Guardian

Cast:

• Lee Ingleby
• Hermione Norris
• Angel Coulby
• Dan Ryan
• Nigel Lindsay

Written and created by: Chris Lang and Matt Arlidge

Directed by: Richard Clark

Produced by: Jeremy Gwilt

Executive producers: Chris Lang, Matt Arlidge and Jeremy Gwilt.

Production Company: TXTV

https://youtu.be/1P4ek4AvMa0

Unforgotten – Season Two

The second season of  Chris Lang’s critically acclaimed drama “Unforgotten” premières on ITV on January 5, 2017.

Synopsis

A body is discovered in a sealed suitcase in the silt of the River Lea. With the body preserved but clearly having been there a number of years, DCI Cassie Stuart and DI Sunny Khan begin the complicated task of identifying the victim and investigating his murder.

With an expensive watch found on the body the only evidence to go on, the item is sent to forensics who suggest approaching a watchmaker who may have repaired it to find out more about its owner.

Meanwhile, we meet four seemingly unconnected suspects who may have a link to the victim – DI Tessa Nixon who is struggling with her loner son, nurse Marion Kelsey who works with chronically ill children, Brighton-based barrister Colin Osborne who is in the process of adopting a little girl with his husband, and teacher Sara Mahmoud who is interviewing for a new position in a school that needs turning around. How did any of them knew the victim, though, and why would one of them kill him?

Trailer

Production Stills

Dark Heart

Whilst devoting his life to his work, Will Wagstaffe, also known as Staffe to his colleagues, battles personal demons. He’s haunted by the unresolved murder of his parents, which affects both his private and professional life including his on-off romance with sometimes girlfriend, Sylvie, played by Miranda Raison.  His closest relationship is with his sister Juliette, played by Charlotte Riley, and young nephew Harry, who stays with him when Juliette has troubles with her boyfriend.

With no parents and no significant partner of his own, Juliette and Harry mean everything to Staffe. Determined and tenacious, Wagstaffe is an exceptionally good police officer, in spite of the fact he’s been known for pushing the boundaries of what’s considered acceptable policing.

Praise for “Dark Heart”

‘This is a quality thriller’
Observer

‘Impressive, lean and atmospheric’
The Mail

Unforgotten

Six-part crime drama centred around a historical crime that links four very different and seemingly unconnected suspects, unravelling secrets left buried for years.

DCI Cassie Stuart and DS Sunil ‘Sunny’ Khan reopen a cold case when a skeleton is discovered in the foundations of a demolished building, launching a murder hunt that could potentially date back decades.

The discovery of a car key near the body is the only clue to the identity of the victim, igniting a search to find out who he is and how, when and why he died.

With Nicola Walker, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Tom Courtenay, Trevor Eve, and Bernard Hill.

Undeniable

On an idyllic summer’s day in 1991, Anne Phillips took her seven year old daughter for a picnic in a local beauty spot. One hour later, Anne was dead, brutally murdered by an unknown assailant, the only witness, her little girl.

Twenty three years on Jane (Claire Goose) now herself a mother, still lives with the legacy of that dreadful day. Emotionally scarred for life, the fact that the killer was never found has meant she has never been able to fully move on.

But now, pregnant with her second child, she and her husband finally hope for a better future. Which is when she sees him. At a routine ante natal appointment, she sees Dr Andrew Rawlins (Peter Firth) an eminent oncologist and loving father, who she becomes convinced is her mother’s killer.

But is she right, or is this just one more expression of her fragile damaged mind.

The Tunnel

When a prominent French politician is found dead on the border between the UK and France, detectives Karl Roebuck (Stephen Dillane) and Elise Wassermann (Clémence Poésy) are sent to investigate on behalf of their respective countries.

The case takes a surreal turn when a shocking discovery is made at the crime scene, forcing the French and British police into an uneasy partnership. As the serial killer uses ever more elaborate and ingenious methods to highlight the moral bankruptcy of modern society, Karl and Elise are drawn deeper into the killer’s increasingly personal agenda.

Set against the backdrop of Europe in crisis, The Tunnel is adapted from the hit Swedish/Danish series The Bridge.

A Mother’s Son

The quiet town of East Lee, in Suffolk, is thrown in to turmoil when Lorraine Mullary, a local school girl, goes missing and is then found murdered. Shock sweeps through this small market town, including the newly merged family of Rosie (Hermione Norris) and her two children, and Ben (Martin Clunes) and his two kids, their new life together now overshadowed by the threat that a killer might be in their midst. And when Rosie finds a stained pair of trainers hidden in her son Jamie’s room, she suspects it could be blood. But could her son really be involved in Lorraine’s murder?

As the police investigation continues, the emotional turmoil and stress of the tragedy start to cause tensions between the two sides of the family. Jamie seeks solace with his dad David (Paul McGann) and Rosie finds she cannot suppress the growing fear that her son might be guilty of something truly terrible.

Nominated for 2013 Broadcast Awards: Best Serial

The Reckoning

When single mother Sally Ronson (Ashley Jenson) received a letter from a solicitor telling her she had been named in the will of a stranger, she was intrigued. Assuming she had been left a few hundred pounds from some distant relative, she headed up to the solicitor’s office with low expectations.

And there, alone in a private room with a CD the benefactor had made for her, she heard she was to inherit five million pounds. And all she had to do to get it, was kill a man. ‘A man who deserves to die’.

A high concept story of revenge and betrayal, The Reckoning captivated 6.5 million viewers on ITV1.

The Little House

The Little House is an adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s best selling novel, exploring the psychological power struggles within one family.

Ruth (Lucy Griffiths) is married to career minded Patrick (Rupert Evans) and is pushed towards the limits of her own sanity when she becomes entangled in the lives of her wealthy but interfering in laws, Elizabeth (Francesca Annis) and Frederick (Tim Piggot Smith).

An Oedipal tale of obsession and murder, The Little House drew 7.5 million viewers and received rave reviews.

Torn

Inspired a by a true story, Torn is a dramatic tale of parental love, families ties and belonging. It begins when Sarah (Holly Aird) believes she has seen the daughter she lost on a beach 11 years ago – the daughter who had, it was always assumed, tragically drowned. What follows is a devastating tug of love, as the now teenage girl (Jo Woodcock) is torn between her beloved “mother” who abducted her (Nicola Walker) and her biological mother, Sarah, who is a now stranger to her.

Torn was RTS nominated for Best Drama Serial and entertained 6.5 million viewers.