BBC hits jackpot with lottery drama

The BBC has commissioned the prodco founded by UK writer Kay Mellor to make a five-part drama about a group of supermarket workers who win a lottery.

Rollem Productions will produce The Syndicate, which begins filming in Leeds this week ahead of transmission on BBC1 in 2012.

The series is exec-produced by Polly Hill for the BBC and Mellor and Nicola Shindler for Rollem. Mellor has also written the show, which will be directed by Syd MacCartney.

The story follows five workers at a Leeds supermarket who face going from rags to riches after scooping a lottery jackpot. The cast features Timothy Spall (Harry Potter franchise) and Joanna Page (Gavin and Stacey).

Mellor has previously written A Passionate Woman and The Chase for the BBC and Fat Friends for UK commercial broadcaster ITV1, all of which were produced by Rollem.

The show was ordered by BBC1 controller Danny Cohen and Ben Stephenson, controller for drama commissioning.

Last week the BBC partnered with Sundance Channel US and UKTV in Australia and New Zealand for Top of the Lake, a new drama series from Oscar-winning writer/director Jane Campion.