The BBC has revealed its latest project, a three-part adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery novel Towards Zero.
The series, adapted for the screen by BAFTA-nominated Rachel Bennette and directed by Olivier Award-winner Sam Yates, is produced by Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Limited. It will be available on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.
Set in England in 1936, the story follows British tennis star Nevile Strange (played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and his ex-wife Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland) as they make the shocking decision to spend the summer together at Gull’s Point, the coastal estate of Nevile’s aunt, Lady Tressilian (Anjelica Huston).
The tension is palpable with the presence of Nevile’s new wife Kay (Mimi Keene) and a cast of intriguing characters, including a long-suffering lady’s companion, a mysterious gentleman’s valet, an exiled cousin with a grudge, a venerable family lawyer, an inquisitive orphan, and a French con man.
The murder mystery unfolds as a troubled detective works to untangle a web of jealousy, deceit, and dysfunction.
An all-star cast
Towards Zero boasts an impressive cast featuring Jackie Clune, Grace Doherty, Jack Farthing, Khalil Gharbia, Adam Hugill, Academy Award-winner Anjelica Huston, Ella Lily Hyland, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Mimi Keene, Clarke Peters, Emmy winner Matthew Rhys, and Olivier Award-winner Anjana Vasan.
James Prichard said: “Rachel has done an extraordinary job on making my great-grandmother’s story even more dramatic, intense and troubling. Add in a cast of this calibre and viewers are in for a real treat.”
Sheena Bucktowonsing and Damien Timmer, executive producers for Mammoth Screen, added: “We are privileged to be working with Hollywood legend Anjelica Huston and a particularly stellar cast on one of Agatha Christie’s most intriguing novels – the sun drenched Towards Zero. It’s a tale of tennis, an incendiary love triangle, the Devon coastline and murder!”
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, commented “For a writer whose work remains globally famous yet quintessentially British, it feels incredibly fitting that Towards Zero has attracted such a dazzling array of UK talent on both sides of the camera, alongside some exciting international names and Hollywood royalty.
“It’s an honour to partner with Agatha Christie Limited and Mammoth Screen to bring this tense, surprising and magnetic new adaptation to BBC iPlayer and BBC One.”
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