Jessica Raine, Damien Molony, Nicholas Pinnock, Antonia Thomas, Leila Farzad and Hugh Skinner to star in hot new drama Two Weeks in August
The BBC has announced casting for Two Weeks in August, a witty and painfully relatable eight-part drama series for BBC iPlayer and BBC One that follows a group of friends reuniting for a summer holiday. Made by the multi-award-winning Various Artists Limited (I May Destroy You, Such Brave Girls), filming is now underway in Malta.
Written and created by Catherine Shepherd (Sally4Ever, The Shrink Next Door), Two Weeks in August is a story about friends who reconnect and uncover more about themselves and each other than they ever expected.
Jessica Raine (The Devil's Hour, Patrick Melrose) stars as Zoe, a woman pulled in every direction and hoping this holiday will be the tonic she and her family need. She is joined by Damien Molony (Bergerac, Brassic) as her troubled husband Dan. The cast also includes Nicholas Pinnock (For Life, The Book of Clarence) as their old friend Solomon and Antonia Thomas (The Good Doctor, Still Up) as his new wife Jess, alongside Leila Farzad (Kaos, I Hate Suzie) and Hugh Skinner (Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!, Fleabag) as uni friends Nat and Jacob.
Additional cast confirmed are Dolly Wells (Dracula), Tom Goodman-Hill (Baby Reindeer), Dylan Brady (Mary & George), Maria Almeida (The Strays), Khalil Gharbia (The Lost Boys), Florence Banks (The New Look), Sonny Poon Tip (Industry), Cassius Hackforth (Doctor Who), and introducing Eliza and Anthony Lambon as Zoe's children Eve and Theo, and Joe Dixon as Solomon and Jess' son Henry.
Set in Greece, Two Weeks in August tells the story of a woman who goes on holiday with her family and friends to rediscover joy in her life. But, here in paradise, what starts with an illicit kiss quickly turns the dream vacation into a nightmare. Zoe (Jessica Raine) begins to act on her deepest desires and the holiday she hoped for becomes a reckoning for a group of adults who refuse to grow up.
When they discover they are trapped on the island, and become faced with real life-or-death situations, the group soon turn on each other to find out who is to blame. Is Zoe responsible for the drama and destruction around her or, as heaven turns to hell, are bigger forces at play? We are in Greece after all, the land of the ancient Gods…
Jessica Raine says: 'Catherine's scripts reeled me in from the first page. Epic and nuanced. Funny and tragic. I'm honoured to be playing Zoe in this simply brilliant story.'
Roberto Troni and Kat Reynolds from Various Artists Limited and Catherine Shepherd said: 'Individually, these actors have such range and brilliance in everything they do. We feel so lucky to have them with us in the Med as they are dynamite together. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking – the real heart of the show.'
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says: "There is no better cast to bring Catherine's Two Weeks in August to life. You might not want to find yourselves on holiday with this group of characters, but watching their reunion unfold across eight sun-soaked episodes will be irresistible."
Two Weeks in August's lead director is Tom George (This Country, Sherwood) who is directing episodes 1-4. Matthew Moore (The Great, Colin from Accounts) will direct episodes 5-8. Two Weeks in August is currently being shot in Malta and Gozo with the help of local production company Pellikola.
Two Weeks in August is a Various Artists Limited production and was commissioned by Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama. Catherine Shepherd and Tom George serve as executive producers alongside Roberto Troni and Kat Reynolds for Various Artists Limited, and Jo McClellan for the BBC. Rhonda Smith (The Pursuit of Love, The Flatshare) will produce. Casting is by Julie Harkin and Nathan Toth. Episodes 1-4 and 6-8 are written by Catherine Shepherd and episode 5 is written by Georgia Christou. Two Weeks in August is produced in association with and distributed by ITV Studios.
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