HBO, BBC to coproduce drama series Lions from Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd

Warner Bros Discovery-owned cablenet HBO in the US and UK pubcaster the BBC have joined forces to coproduce Lions (working title), the next drama series from Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd.

Richard Gadd

The six-part series centres on two estranged friends, one of whom turns up at the other’s wedding, leading to an explosion of violence.

Spanning almost 40 years from the 1980s to the present day, Lions will cover the highs and lows of the two men’s relationship, from their meeting as teenagers to their falling out as adults, ultimately asking the question ‘what does it mean to be a man?’

Alexandra Brodski (Somewhere Boy) and Eshref Reybrouck (Ferry: The Series) are attached to direct, while Wendy Griffin (Limbo) is producing. Banijay UK’s Mam Tor Productions is the prodco.

Gadd, who is writing the series, will exec produce with BBC commissioning editor Gaynor Holmes and BBC Scotland commissioning exec Gavin Smith. Exec producing for Mam Tor are founder Tally Garner and head of development Morven Reid.

Lions will premiere on HBO, BBC One, BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer. Banijay Rights is handling international distribution outside the UK, Ireland and US. The series has received support from Screen Scotland.

Kara Buckley, senior VP of HBO drama programming, described Lions as “gripping and evocative,” while Lindsay Salt, director of BBC drama, said it was “bold, brilliant, one-of-a-kind storytelling.”

Louise Thornton, head of commissioning at BBC Scotland, added: “Lions is a superb example of how we can bring high-quality storytelling and content rooted in Scotland to audiences across the UK and the world.”