Filming starts on Barbed Wire remake
Filming has started this week on ITV’s remake of the controversial drama, and book, A Bouquet of Barbed Wire. Joining Trevor Eve in the drama will be Hermione Norris, Jemima Rooper, Tom Riley and Imogen Poots.
ITV and Mammoth Screen announces the cast and start of principal photography for A Bouquet of Barbed Wire a 3 x 60 min drama. Six weeks of principal photography began this week on the ITV1 drama, A Bouquet of Barbed Wire. Trevor Eve (Waking the Dead, Framed) leads the cast as Peter Manson. Written by acclaimed writer Guy Andrews (Lost In Austen, Prime Suspect), directed by Ashley Pearce (Agatha Christie’s Poirot, The Commander, Afterlife) produced by Mammoth Screen, and commissioned by ITV1, the 3 x 60 min drama will be filmed on location around London. Eve will star alongside, Hermione Norris (Spooks, Kingdom), Imogen Poots (Miss Austen Regrets, 28 Weeks Later), Tom Riley (St. Trinians 2, Lost In Austen), Jemima Rooper (Lost In Austen, The Black Dahlia) and Mark Lewis Jones (The Passion, The Commander).
A modern reworking of Andrea Newman’s taboo-busting 1970s psychological drama, and adapted by Guy Andrews, A Bouquet of Barbed Wire explores the consequences of a father’s obsessive love for his daughter and how secrets once buried in the past return to haunt their lives. Trevor Eve will play Peter Manson, whose apparently successful life is turned upside down when his beloved teenage daughter Prue reveals she’s pregnant by her teacher, Gavin Sorenson. The very heart of the family is threatened as Peter has an intuitive sense that Gavin’s on a personal quest for revenge.
Commissioned by ITV’s Controller of Drama Commissioning, Sally Haynes, A Bouquet of Barbed Wire will be adapted for ITV by independent production company Mammoth Screen, who have recently produced Wuthering Heights, and whose joint managing directors Michele Buck and Damien Timmer are overseeing ITV1/AMC’s upcoming The Prisoner for ITV Studios. Mammoth will produce three 60 minutes episodes of A Bouquet of Barbed Wire.
“We’re delighted Guy Andrews has agreed to adapt A Bouquet of Barbed Wire for ITV. It’s a timeless, multi-layered tale of a family torn apart by secrets from the past. It created a stir during the 1970’s when first produced for television, and 30 years on we’re convinced a modern day audience will be just as intrigued by its themes of paternal jealousy and incestuous relationships.” – Sally Haynes
“The original TV version of A Bouquet of Barbed Wire was one of the most controversial dramas of its era, busting taboos which still have the power to shock decades later. Guy will bring a thrilling, modern sensibility to the story,” he added. – Damien Timmer, Executive Producer for Mammoth Screen.
Central to the drama are the characters of Peter (Trevor Eve), his daughter Prue, and his wife Cassie. No further casting information is available presently and pre-production has commenced. Filming is scheduled for November 2009. As the story unfolds, architect Peter employs mid 20’s rising star, Sarah Francis. Consequently, Peter and Cassie’s relationship becomes increasingly distant, as Peter tries to overcome the aching fear that he’s lost his daughter, and embarks on an affair with Sarah. With Peter’s marriage at breaking point, his increased erratic behaviour and facing financial ruin, it’s only a matter of time before the truth is revealed.