EXCLUSIVE: Simon Pegg and a host of other British acting talent are joining Alexandra Roach in Channel 4‘s psychological drama Hunting Alice Bell.
Pegg, Ralf Little, Amanda Abbington, Emily Barber and Christina Bennington are joining the cast of the series, which stars Roach in the lead role and also counts Rudi Dharmalingam among its acting line-up.
Based on a long-gestating script from British comedian and broadcaster David Baddiel with his frequent writing partner Peter Bradshaw, the series is from iZen Studios-owned Clapperboard Studios in association with Sphere Abacus, which we can reveal is also on board as distributor.
Baddiel, Guardian journalist Bradshaw, Polly Buckle and Kate Vergese are writing. Paul Walker is the director. Exec producers are Mike Benson and Rachel Gesua for Clapperboard Studios, Baddiel, Bradshaw, Buckle, Jonathan Ford and Will Stapley. It is produced by Tamryn Reinecke.
We first reported on the show last week, and we can also reveal today that Sphere Abacus is attached as the international distributor. Channel 4 took the series through its acquisitions division, with Head of Acquisitions Polly Scate saying today: “As we continue to build our scripted slate, I am really excited to collaborate with Clapperboard on this gripping whodunnit. With a remarkable creative team behind it and such a fantastic cast, we are confident this project will captivate our viewers and keep them guessing.”
Here are further plot details, per a synopsis: “Alice Bell is a former nurse, and also the lover, and accomplice, of a notorious anaesthetist serial killer. She is presently living in Britain under a new identity. When, online, Fran Da Silva is accused of being Alice Bell, her happy family life implodes in a wave of mob hate. Then she discovers she’s not the only woman to suffer this fate. Fran and the other accused women band together to fight back and clear their names. But as they battle to prove their innocence, what if one of the group is lying – and is the real Alice Bell?”
Roach (Nightsleeper) will play Fran, with Abbington (Sherlock) as Julie, Barber plays Vanessa (MobLand), O’Rourke (God’s Creatures) is playing Ros, Bennington (Halo) attached as Charlotte, Dharmalingam (The Lazarus Project) as Nick, Little (Death in Paradise) playing Graham Hunter and Pegg portraying Jason Nash.
Baddiel said the idea for Hunting Alice Bell came from real cases of UK women who were terrorized by the general public over suspicions they were national hate figures secretly living in the community. Originally pitched as a feature, we understand landed on Clapperboard’s desk when Baddiel was working on an unscripted show for the UK production house.
“Over time it developed into a six-part drama, and more focussed on the way that this kind of destructive rumour-mongering, which can incite riots and mob rage, is now intensified by social media,” added Baddiel.
“Technology has created a whole new spin on the idea of mistaken identity. We are told that in the present culture anyone can be who they want to be, but that also means that anyone can have who they are taken away from them: the hive mind can decide who you are. This happens to the five women in Hunting Alice Bell: in a world where identity is very fluid, they have lost control of theirs.”
Rachel Gesua, Senior Executive Producer at Clapperboard, said: “Hunting Alice Bell is a story for our times, exploring what happens when the online mob come for a group of ordinary women and the devastating effect that can have. David, Peter and the writing team have created a bold and provocative drama, brimming with unforgettable characters and brought to life by the most extraordinary cast. We are thrilled to be working with the team at Channel 4 and Sphere Abacus on such a compelling drama.”
