Channel 4 and Clerkenwell Films find Truelove with Julie Walters, Clarke Peters

Commercially funded UK pubcaster Channel 4 has commissioned Truelove, a six-episode drama from Clerkenwell Films, the team behind Bafta-winning C4 and Netflix coproduction The End of the F***ing World.

Julie Walters

Truelove stars Julie Walters (National Treasure, Indian Summers) and Clarke Peters (The Wire, Da 5 Bloods) who lead a core cast all aged in their late 60s and 70s.

The series was written by Iain Weatherby (Humans) and co-created by Weatherby and Charlie Covell (The End of the F***ing World).

Walters plays an ex-senior police chief enjoying a comfortable if boring retirement and Peters a divorcee and ex-special forces vet who feels similarly at sea.

The cast also includes Sue Johnston (Help, Kiri), Phil Davis (Trying, Silent Witness), Peter Egan (After Life, Unforgotten), Karl Johnson (Too Close, Mum), Fiona Button (The Split) and Kiran Sonia Sawar (Murdered by My Father).

At a friend’s funeral, the group makes a drunken pact: rather than let each other suffer a slow and dreadful decline, they will step in and engineer a dignified death. But what starts out as a fanciful idea soon morphs into shocking reality.

It was commissioned by Channel 4’s head of drama, Caroline Hollick, and commissioning editor, Rebecca Holdsworth. The executive producers at Clerkenwell Films are Emily Harrison, Andy Baker and Petra Fried. Covell and Weatherby also executive produce.

Elliot Hegarty (Cheaters, Ted Lasso) and Rachna Suri (Half Bad, Ackley Bridge) will direct and Alex Walsh-Taylor (Cheaters, Lovesick) will produce.

BBC Studios, which wholly owns Clerkenwell Films, is distributing the series internationally.

Clarke Peters

In related news, C4 has also made the latest commission from its Global Format Fund. Scared of the Dark (working title) is a six-part series coproduced by MultiStory Media and Possessed, which are both part of ITV Studios.

The endurance experiment sees a group of celebrities enter a specially created pitch-black reality space for seven days. Living in complete darkness, the celebs must endure the pressures of light deprivation as well as adapting to performing daily tasks in the lightless space.

It was commissioned for C4 by Tom Beck, head of live events, with Phil Harris, head of entertainment and events. The series will be exec produced by Glenn Hugill, Simone Haywood and Jon Cahn.

The Global Format Fund is aimed at stimulating the creation of original new formats from UK-based indies for UK and International audiences. ITV Studios will handle global distribution.

The broadcaster is also doubling its order on a new season of Britain’s Most Expensive Houses, commissioning Belfast-based indie Waddell Media to make an 8×60’ run after the success of the first four-part season.

The pubcaster has also revealed today that it is launching a new initiative designed to identify and support new TV drama writers in the West and South-west of England.

The Channel 4 TV Drama New Writers Scheme will give 12 writers six months of specialist support, including in-person workshops and training, mentoring and introductions to scripted drama production companies.

After completing the scheme, participants will be able to submit a first-draft script for consideration and feedback from C4’s drama commissioning editor, Gwawr Lloyd.