‘Scrublands’: BBC Picks Up Australian Crime Thriller Based On Chris Hammer Novel
With Hollywood on strike, the BBC has been turning to Australia to help fill out its schedule, as the pick up ‘Scrublands‘, another Oz-based crime drama, this one adapted from the debut novel by Chris Hammer.
The four-part series is set in an isolated country town, where a charismatic and dedicated young priest (Jay Ryan – It Chapter Two, Top of the Lake) calmly opens fire on his congregation, killing five parishioners. One year later investigative journalist Martin Scarsden (Luke Arnold – Black Sails, Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of INXS) arrives in Riversend to write what should be a simple feature story on the anniversary of the tragedy. But when Martin’s instincts kick in and he digs beneath the surface, the previously accepted narrative begins to fall apart and he finds himself in a life-and-death race to uncover the truth.
The cast also includes Bella Heathcote (C*A*U*G*H*T, Relic), Robert Taylor (The Newsreader), Adam Zwar (Squinters), Zane Ciarma (Neighbours), Victoria Thaine (Nowhere Boys), Stacy Clausen (True Spirit), Genevieve Morris (No Activity) and newcomer Ella Ferris.
“With its enigmatic central protagonist and atmospheric depiction of rural Australia, the compelling and complex narrative of Scrublands will keep BBC viewers guessing until the very end…” said Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition.
This is the latest in a string of Australian dramas the BBC has acquired in recent months. Other include season two of ‘The Newsreader‘; The six-part crime drama ‘Black Snow‘ starring ‘Vikings’ Travis Fimmel; And the four-part thriller ‘Bad Behaviour‘.
Based on the award-winning novel written by Chris Hammer, ‘Scrublands’ was acquired by the BBC from Abacus Media Rights who have international distribution rights for the series. It was produced by Easy Tiger (Colin from Accounts, The Twelve) for Stan Australia and the Nine Network. Produced by Ian Collie, Rob Gibson, David Redman and Felicity Packard, the series is directed by Greg McLean and written by Felicity Packard, Kelsey Munro and Jock Serong.
‘Scrublands‘ does not yet have a premiere date, but will air on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. If you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
