Billie Piper, John Simm & Nicola Walker Join Carey Mulligan In BBC Two’s ‘Collateral’
BBC Two have today announced Collateral, a new high-octane thriller from acclaimed playwright David Hare, starring Academy-Award nominee Carey Mulligan (An Education, The Great Gatsby, Suffragette).
It seems the casting director may also be a Whovian, as the ensemble cast also includes John Simm (Doctor Who, Life On Mars) and Billie Piper (Doctor Who, Penny Dreadful), along with Nicola Walker (Spooks, Last Tango In Halifax). Acclaimed director SJ Clarkson (Dexter, Jessica Jones, Love Nina, Toast) will be behind the camera.
Set over the course of four days, the four-part drama explores the spiraling repercussions surrounding the fatal shooting of a pizza delivery man. Refusing to accept this is a random act of senseless violence, tough and single-minded Detective Inspector Kip Glaspie (Mulligan) is determined to discover if there is a darker truth.
Politician David Mars (Simm) becomes instantly embroiled in the drama through his turbulent relationship with his troubled and unpredictable ex Karen (Piper). While Jane Oliver (Walker), a compassionate vicar, struggles to conceal her affair with the only witness to the crime. Hare’s electrifying writing acts as a moving spotlight, asking crucial questions about the state of modern Britain.
Carey Mulligan first attracted international recognition for her lead role in An Education and has found continued success with films such as The Great Gatsby, Suffragette, Shame and Inside Llewyn Davis. She will next be seen in Mudbound directed by Dee Rees and Wildlife directed by Paul Dano. She has been nominated for almost every major award, including a Tony, an Oscar, a Bafta, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award. Following the successful transfer of their revival of Skylight from the West End to Broadway, Collateral is her second collaboration with Hare.
“I’ve been writing drama for the BBC since 1973, but this is my first original series,” commented David Hare. “I’m thrilled that it has such a stunningly gifted cast.” The playwright, screenwriter, director and producer has written several feature films, including The Hours and The Reader both of which won Oscars, and widely-acclaimed plays including Plenty and Skylight.
“Collateral is a highly imaginative, thought-provoking and utterly contemporary state of the nation thriller written by Britain’s foremost political dramatist,” adds Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, who commissioned the series. “It is a great honour to welcome Sir David Hare back to the BBC and to be working with both he and The Forge on this outstanding piece of original work.”
Collateral will consist of 4 x 60 min episodes, and will premiere on BBC Two, with co-production by The Forge and Netflix. Filming began this week.
