Filming starts in Bristol

The cast has been announced for Stephen Merchant’s new BBC One comedy-drama The Offenders, including Christopher Walken and Poldark’s Eleanor Tomlinson.

Currently being filmed in Bristol, the six-part series follows seven strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community service sentence in Bristol.

Producers say: ‘At first, the offenders seem like archetypes easy to pigeonhole, but gradually we see behind their façades, understand their hidden depths and what made them the people they are today. We are reminded that no one is all good or all bad. Everyone has a story.’

The show which will also air on Amazon Prime outside the UK, marks Walken’s first lead British television role, as he plays Frank, an inveterate scoundrel trying to reconnect with his family.

Also playing offenders are: 

• Merchant as Greg, a lonely lawyer coping with divorce, work-place bullying and scary men with knives. 
• Rhianne Barreto as Rani, a gifted but rebellious math student who has been hot-housed from a young age by her loving but controlling parents.
• Gamba Cole as Christian, a young man struggling to raise his kid sister while staying one step ahead of the Brook Hill Crew, a notorious Bristol crime gang.
• Darren Boyd as John, a businessman and law-abiding pillar of the community furious at being labeled a criminal.
• Clare Perkins as Myrna, an ageing activist and campaigner who has lost none of her youthful radicalism. 
• Tomlinson ass Gabby, an aristocratic celebutante whose glamour and life of leisure masks deep-rooted problems.

Additional cast include: Jessica Gunning, Dolly Wells, Ian McElhinney, Nina Wadia, Aiyana Goodfellow and Charles Babalola.

Stephen Merchant, above, who wrote and co-directs the show, said: ‘Like so many other productions, we’d just begun filming when Covid-19 struck and we had to shut down. 

‘I’m delighted that we’re now finally able to resume filming with this incredible cast and finish this long-standing passion project. This is the first series I’ve made in my hometown of Bristol and I’m so excited to showcase the city and utilise the amazing local talent.’

Produced by: Big Talk and Stephen Merchant’s company, Four Eyes.
Directors:  Stephen Merchant and John Butler
Producer: Nickie Sault
Commissioned for the BBC by: Charlotte Moore, chief content officer; Shane Allen, controller of comedy commissioning and Kate Daughton, head of comedy.

Published: 15 Dec 2020