Anna Paquin drama Flack to air on W

Anna Paquin stars in the channel’s first ever drama commission.

“Oliver Lansley has written six of the best scripts I’ve ever read.  He walks that fine line between intense character driven drama and exceptionally intelligent humour.  My character, Robyn, exists in a world where there are no moral absolutes and humour is used as a sharply executed defence mechanism to maintain the illusion of perpetual control. I am incredibly excited about tackling the creative complexities of Flack as an actress and for my company CASM’s collaboration with W and Pop.”  – Anna Paquin

UKTV has commissioned its first ever drama series for premium entertainment channel W. The six part series is set in the world of high-stakes public relations and stars  Anna Paquin in the lead role. Flack stars Paquin as the sharp and witty publicity maven Robyn, who’s an expert at her craft but a complete self-saboteur when it comes to her personal life.

Flack reflects on the brutal reality and complexities of modern life where problems can go viral in an instant. With PR serving as the perfect backdrop to explore these complexities, the storyline centres on an American PR executive living in London (Paquin) who must figure out how to make the best of bad situations and somehow manage to get out unscathed. 

The programme is the first UKTV co-commission with an American broadcaster. The series is co-commissioned with US network Pop and co-produced by Hat Trick Productions and Anna Paquin’s production company CASM Films. The series was created by Oliver Lansley who will also executive produce. Lead director on Flack will be Peter Cattaneo, director of the BAFTA-winning BBC Two comedy Rev. The production starts this spring and is due to air on W in 2019.

“It’s very exciting to announce Flack as the first original drama for W – it marks a new chapter in the ever-expanding story of UKTV’s move into original programming.  The response from independent producers to our call out for distinctive drama has been incredible and as well as moving into production on Flack, we are now developing a growing number of original drama series for Alibi and Drama.” – Richard Watsham, UKTV’s director of commissioning