BBC, Amazon Freevee ask The Tourist prodco Two Brothers to tell Boat Story

Thriller Boat Story has begun filming in Yorkshire

UK pubcaster the BBC and Amazon’s AVoD service Amazon Freevee have commissioned a thriller series from All3Media label Two Brothers Pictures (The Tourist, The Missing, Fleabag).

Boat Story (6×60’) is written by Two Brothers’ MDs Harry and Jack Williams and will premiere in the UK on BBC One and iPlayer and in the US on Amazon Freevee.

The plot centres on two hard-up strangers, played by Daisy Haggard (Back to Life, Breeders) and Paterson Joseph (Vigil, Noughts & Crosses), who stumble across a haul of cocaine on a wrecked boat.

After agreeing to sell it and split the cash, they quickly find themselves entangled with police, masked hitmen and a sharp-suited gangster played by Tcheky Karyo (Baptiste, The Missing).

Joanna Scanlan (After Love, Notes on a Scandal), Craig Fairbrass (One Piece, Villain & Muscle) and Phil Daniels (Quadrophenia, House of Dragons) also star in the series, which is set on the Yorkshire coastline.

Harry and Jack Williams exec produce with Two Brothers’ head of drama Christopher Aird and exec producer Daniel Walker. Tommy Bulfin exec produces for the BBC. The Williams brothers are directing block one, with Alice Troughton helming block two and Daniel Nettheim block three. Matthew Bird is producing.

Harry and Jack Williams said in a statement: “We loved making The Tourist and Boat Story picks up where that left off – tonally at least. It’s a morality tale and a thriller and other things that make it hard to define, even though we seem to be attempting to define it. It’s full of vulnerable, messed-up and eccentric characters and we’ve cast some of our favourite actors to play them.”

Aird added: “Boat Story will surprise the audience from the first minute. Harry and Jack are challenging conventions we’ve come to second guess in screen drama. I think this is their boldest show yet and very exciting.”

All3Media International is distributing Boat Story worldwide. Filming has begun in and around Yorkshire.