ITV Encore orders first original

ITV’s fledgling drama channel ITV Encore has commissioned its first original series, a supernatural thriller about a female country vicar.

Midwinter of the Spirit follows Merrily Watkins working and her work as an exorcist – a job increasingly mistrusted by the modern church and rarely talked about, even though it operates in virtually every diocese in the UK.

Based on the books written by Phil Rickman, the three-part series will be adapted by Stephen Volk (Afterlife, The Awakening, Ghostwatch) for ITV Studios. The drama will be produced Phil Collinson (Doctor Who, Coronation Street) and exec produced by creative director ITV Studios in Manchester, Kieran Roberts (The Trials of Jimmy Rose).

ITV launched in June and hosts some of the broadcaster’s most successful drama series including Vera and Lucan. Upon launch, it promised to screen original commissions.

ITV’s director of drama commissioning Steve November and controller of drama Victoria Fea greenlit the series. Filming will begin in the Hereford area of the UK n April 2015.