Latest news with #SynchronicityFilms
Otago Daily Times
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Book ‘in very good hands' for adaptation
Dunedin author and University of Otago Stuart Professor of Scottish studies Liam McIlvanney's latest book The Good Father may soon be turned into a television series. PHOTO: GERARD O'BRIEN What could be worse than your child disappearing? It is a recurring question in Dunedin author Liam McIlvanney's latest book The Good Father, and one that has lured a Bafta award-winning television production company to secure the screen rights to the thriller. The University of Otago Stuart Professor of Scottish studies said he was delighted his book had been optioned by Glasgow-based production company Synchronicity Films. "I'm a big fan of their work. "Their recent production of Andrew O'Hagan's Mayflies was superb. "They have also adapted The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Kiwi novelist Heather Morris and did a brilliant job there. "My book is in very good hands. They are good people as well as top professionals, so I'm thrilled to be working with them." Prof McIlvanney said it was the second time one of his novels had been optioned by a production company. His third novel The Quaker was also optioned in 2018, but it had not yet been translated for screen. The Good Father was about a couple who live an idyllic life in the seaside village of Fairlie, on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland. The beachside village of Fairlie, on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Billed as "gripping and emotionally charged", the story explores the devastating impact of trauma, family secrets and community suspicion when the couple's 7-year-old child goes missing from the beach outside the family's home. "The novel takes a deep emotional dive into the aftermath of the disappearance, and then a couple of dramatic twists lead the father down a path he could barely have imagined at the story's outset." It twists and flits around the question: what could be worse than your child disappearing? "The book has a pretty clear structure and some strong characters, and the setting is pretty photogenic, so I think it will translate well to screen," he said. Despite being the author of the book, he would have very little to do with the production itself. "I'm very happy to leave it to the professionals. "Jacquelin Perske is a phenomenal screenwriter and I'm really excited to see what she does with the novel and where she takes it with her own artistic vision." Synchronicity Films founder and creative director Claire Mundell said the company loved "a brilliant thriller" and Prof McIlvanney's novel "hooked" them from page one. "He's the Scottish Stephen King. "The Good Father is deeply suspenseful and propulsive, whilst asking complex moral and emotional questions: qualities that align perfectly with Synchronicity's passion for adapting bold, compelling and emotionally resonant stories." Prof McIlvanney was a little uncomfortable with the reference to him being "the Scottish Stephen King". "I take that with a pinch of salt. "I don't think I can really claim any comparison with the great Stephen King. "We both write books and we both have an 'i' in our surnames, but that's about it." As for when he thought the production might hit our television screens, he said he had no idea. "That's above my pay grade."
BBC News
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
BBC commissions new drama The Young Team adapted from Graeme Armstrong's best-selling novel
The BBC has commissioned six-part drama The Young Team, the scripted debut from one of Scotland's most exciting voices in literature, Graeme Armstrong. The series is adapted from Graeme's best-selling and award-winning debut novel of the same name. Set and filmed in North Lanarkshire, The Young Team is made by BAFTA award-winning indie Synchronicity Films (The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Mayflies, The Cry) and will air on BBC iPlayer, BBC Scotland and BBC One. 15-year-old Azzy Williams and his pals roam the streets of Airdrie on a Friday night, bottles of Buckfast in hand and techno playing from tinny speakers. Azzy is ready. Ready to smoke, pop pills, drink wine and fight. He longs to become fully initiated into local gang the Young Team Posse (YTP). But when Azzy, determined to prove himself, makes a bold move, a brutal gang conflict ensues with Azzy very firmly at its heart. The Young Team will follow Azzy on his journey from boyhood to manhood as he and his mates become postcode warriors in a toxic cycle that threatens to consume them. An unflinching look at the realities of addiction and gang violence, this ambitious series will tell a powerful, visceral story about the realities of life for young, disenfranchised people, and the fight for a different future. Creator and writer Graeme Armstrong says: 'I have been working on The Young Team project for 12 years. At the beginning, I was only 21 and in the first days of my recovery from a decade of territorial gang violence, substance abuse and addiction. To say it's been a labour of love is an understatement. Alongside creating a respectful representation of Scottish working class life and the trials of growing up amidst a 'young team' gang culture, entrenched for generations, the work on both page and screen has given me the opportunity to reach young people at risk, working in violence prevention to affect change in their lives. 'This has been the privilege of my life but it comes with enormous responsibility, as does our task to capture this unique culture on film. The impact of storytelling like this changed my destiny and ultimately, saved me. The BBC and Synchronicity adaptation will take this legacy to new peaks, creating powerful drama which connects with a current UK audience living under the shadow of rising violence, gangs and blade culture. We understand these profound challenges and are well placed to tell this story through lived experience and a shared commitment to accuracy. The solution lies in the community and that is where this story originated. I cannot wait to get stuck in and see The Young Team brought to life by such a trusted network as the BBC and with the tenacity and absolute passion of my friends and colleagues at Synchronicity Films.' Claire Mundell, Founder and Creative Direct of Synchronicity Films and executive producer on the series, says: 'Working with Graeme on the adaptation of his staggeringly accomplished debut novel The Young Team is at the heart of what we do at Synchronicity and it's an absolute honour to watch his brilliance as he starts his screenwriting career. Drama can change lives and we hope that the lives we depict in The Young Team, informed at the helm by Graeme's lived experience, will speak to an audience of young people on the margins, caught up in a cycle of intergenerational trauma and recreational violence and who rarely see themselves represented truthfully and without judgement in all their joy, swagger, humour and compassion. There are many more talented unheard young voices out there, just like Graeme, in working class communities and if this series inspires some of them to see creativity and self-expression as a way of reaching their potential that will be the greatest reward of all.' Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning for BBC Scotland, says: 'It is exciting for BBC Scotland to continue our working relationship with Graeme Armstrong. Having explored gang culture in documentary form we're thrilled to be adapting Graeme's hit novel and bringing the complex characters to life on screen and showcasing The Young Team gang to viewers around the country. The Young Team has been such a culturally significant novel for Scotland and for the BBC to be the broadcaster bringing this powerful story to television truly is an honour.' Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says: 'The Young Team's unflinching and compelling depiction of gang life, inspired by Graeme's personal experiences, has proven hugely popular with readers since its publication five years ago. We feel privileged that for his first TV drama Graeme has chosen to adapt his book for the BBC, working alongside the team at Synchronicity Films, and we can't wait to bring Azzy and co to the screen.' The Young Team (6 x 60') was commissioned by Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, and Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning for BBC Scotland. The series is created and written by the novel's author Graeme Armstrong. Executive producers are Claire Mundell for Synchronicity Films, Gaynor Holmes for the BBC, and Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland. GK / LH2
Express Tribune
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Philosophy of life
Synchronicity Films has optioned the rights to Alexander McCall Smith's Isabel Dalhousie book series, also known as The Sunday Philosophy Club. Andrea Gibb is set to adapt the internationally popular novels for television, with All3Media International handling distribution. The crime drama will follow the intellectually curious philosopher and ethics editor as she gets drawn into mysteries beyond her professional scope. Tattooist of Auschwitz' Producer Synchronicity Adapting Alexander McCall Smith's Isabel Dalhousie Series for TV Bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith's beloved Isabel Dalhousie series—also known as The Sunday Philosophy Club—is heading to television. Synchronicity Films, the production company behind The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Mayflies, and The Cry, has secured the rights to adapt the internationally popular novels. Screenwriter Andrea Gibb (Miss Austen, Mayflies) has been tapped to bring the series to life, while Media International will handle global distribution. The show, envisioned as a returnable crime drama, will follow Isabel Dalhousie, a fiercely independent philosopher and editor of the Journal of Applied Ethics. Though neither a detective nor a police officer, Isabel's deep sense of morality and insatiable curiosity drive her to investigate mysteries that, as the official description notes, 'should, quite frankly, be none of her business.' 'I am thrilled to be adapting the adventures of Alexander McCall Smith's delightful amateur sleuth, Isabel Dalhousie, for television,' said Gibb. 'She is a fascinating character with a tenacious curiosity driven by a strong moral code and a faith in philosophical thinking, making this series incredibly appealing to dramatize.'
