BAFTA Nominated Series Starring Oscar Nominees Samantha Morton and Tim Roth to Debut on Streaming Service on November 9th
Los Angeles/ New York, July 29, 2017 – Sundance Now, AMC Networks’ premium video streaming service dedicated to bringing viewers high-quality original and exclusive TV series, and acclaimed independent films and documentaries, announced today the acquisition of BAFTA nominated mini-series RILLINGTON PLACE through a deal with BBC Worldwide North America. Starring Samantha Morton (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, In America) and Tim Roth (Twin Peaks, The Hateful Eight, Rob Roy), the three-part scripted drama explores the life of serial killer John Christie and the murders at 10 Rillington Place, London in the 1940s and 1950s. It premieres on Sundance Now on November 9th.
Jan Diedrichsen, General Manager of SundanceTV and Sundance Now, commented: “Rillington Place weaves together a gifted cast of renowned actors and a remarkably unique storytelling method, set against a factually based and utterly terrifying backdrop. In the same vein as some of our most popular content, this highly bingeable series is perfect for Sundance Now members.”
A chilling three-part drama, Rillington Place is based on the real-life multiple murders carried out by John Christie in Notting Hill in the 1940’s and 50’s. The subsequent tragic miscarriage of justice, which led to Timothy Evans being hanged for a crime he did not commit, contributed towards the abolition of capital punishment in Britain.
Presenting each episode from the separate viewpoints of Ethel, Timothy and finally Christie, writers Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malone drew on original source material from London’s National Archives, alongside new interviews with surviving relatives, to retrace the steps that led Timothy to be accused of murder whilst Christie went unchallenged until his arrest in 1953.
Reconciled after living apart for nine years, John Reginald Christie (Tim Roth) and his wife, Ethel (Samantha Morton), move into the ground floor flat of 10 Rillington Place, West London. The adjustment to a new life, in a small, rundown property, is particularly felt by Ethel but she strives to please her husband. Ten years on, Timothy Evans (Nico Mirallegro) and his wife Beryl (Jodie Comer) move into a flat upstairs and fall prey to Christie’s influence and tales. When Beryl becomes pregnant with a second child, already struggling to make ends meet following the birth of baby Geraldine, the Evans allow Christie to help them with deadly consequences for the young newlyweds.
Rillington Place is made by BBC Studios, the BBC’s commercial production arm, in association with Bandit Television for BBC One. It is directed by Craig Viveiros (And Then There Were None) and written by Ed Whitmore (He Kills Coppers) and Tracey Malone (Born To Kill). Distribution is handled by BBC Worldwide. The deal was negotiated by Aurelie de Troyer, VP of Global Acquisitions and Co-Productions for Sundance Now.
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About BBC Studios
BBC Studios is the BBC’s main TV production arm, producing bold, British, creative content across a range of genres and specialisms. From Planet Earth II, Strictly Come Dancing and Top Gear, to Doctor Who, War and Peace and Louis Theroux, its programmes are renowned for their quality and loved by audiences in the UK and around the world. With bases all over the country, BBC Studios reflects and represents diverse voices and creative talent from across the UK. BBC Studios launched as a commercial business in April 2017, able to make programmes for other international and U.K. broadcasters as well as the BBC, supporting the BBC’s public service mission and generating financial returns for licence fee payers.