Channel 4 has this week confirmed that Julie Walters is among the stars being filmed this month in Burnham-On-Sea, Brean and Berrow for a new TV drama series.
The channel has announced details of the show, called Truelove, a new six-episode drama series from Clerkenwell Films. It is being filmed in Burnham-On-Sea, Berrow and Brean.
A spokeswoman says: “Truelove is written by Iain Weatherby and co-created by him and Charlie Covell. With a core cast in their late 60s and 70s, Truelove breaks the rules for older characters on screen and flips ageist tropes on their head in a series which promises thrilling twists and turns, irreverent humour and passionate romance.”
“Enter our dynamic duo: Phil played by award-winning actress Julie Walters (National Treasure, Indian Summers), an ex-senior police chief enjoying a comfortable if boring retirement, and Ken played by Clarke Peters, pictured below, (The Wire, Da 5 Bloods), a divorcee and ex-special forces vet who feels similarly at sea. Phil and Ken were teenage sweethearts and despite life having moved on, they have never quite managed to forget each other.”
“Cut to a friend’s funeral many years later where Phil and Ken, along with a gang of old friends, are reunited. At the wake, with nostalgia and booze flowing in equal measure, talk soon takes a meditative turn and the group discuss what an ‘ideal’ death might look like.”
“Our gang make a drunken pact: rather than let each other suffer a slow and dreadful decline, they will step in and engineer a dignified death. In short, they will help each other die when the time is right. Because that, they all agree, is a sign of Truelove.”
“But what starts out as a fanciful idea soon morphs into shocking reality. Joining our stellar line up are Sue Johnston (Help, Kiri), Phil Davis (Trying, Silent Witness), Peter Egan (After Life, Unforgotten), Karl Johnson (Too Close, Mum), Fiona Button (The Split) and Kiran Sonia Sawar (Murdered by My Father).”
“Truelove wrestles with the knottiest of ethical questions out there – is it ever right to help end a life? But it does so with a lightness of touch that is both darkly funny and profoundly empathetic.”
“Fundamentally it is a show which focuses on a group of characters who are trying to take back control of their life in their twilight years. And it’s also a love story, as a long-extinguished romantic flame is rekindled between two characters who missed out on each other when they were younger, offering them a second chance to experience the love of their lives before time runs out. With a killer soundtrack (plus some actual killing), it couldn’t be more relevant. “
Caroline Hollick, Channel 4 Head of Drama, adds: “Truelove is a unique, poignant and darkly funny series which deals with big themes around regrets at the paths not taken, quality of life and serious illness. Beautifully written and with actors of the calibre of Julie Walters and Clarke Peters playing the leads, Truelove is an exciting addition to Channel 4’s upcoming portfolio of dramas. I can’t wait to see the series come to life.”
Charlie Covell, co-creator of Truelove commented: “I’m so thrilled that we’re making Truelove with and for Channel 4. I owe my career to the channel: from the 4Screenwriting course with Philip Shelley, to my first solo credit on Russell T Davies’ Banana, to The End of the F***ing World. Iain and I also got our first joint writing credit on C4, with Humans. It’s a great privilege to be working with the channel again: I can’t think of a more appropriate home for Truelove.”
Julie Walters says: “I had basically withdrawn from acting and wasn’t sure that anything could tempt me back but then I read Truelove. I was completely bowled over by the writing – the dark humour, the love story and thriller element set against a backdrop of what happens to us all as we approach our later years. I adore the character of Phil – smart, funny and hard edged. How often does one have the chance at my tender age to play a leading lady in a TV drama? I can’t wait to start and to work with Channel 4 again, a broadcaster with a remit that is so vital to the industry and viewers.”
Truelove is produced by Clerkenwell Films for Channel 4 and has been commissioned by Channel 4’s Head of Drama, Caroline Hollick and Commissioning Editor, Rebecca Holdsworth. The executive producers at Clerkenwell Films are Emily Harrison, Andy Baker and Petra Fried. Charlie Covell and Iain Weatherby also executive produce. Elliot Hegarty (Cheaters, Ted Lasso) and Rachna Suri (Half Bad, Ackley Bridge) will direct and Alex Walsh-Taylor (Cheaters, Lovesick) will produce. BBC Studios, which wholly owns Clerkenwell Films, is distributing the series internationally.
