Sky, Showtime team with Cumberbatch

Sky Atlantic in the UK and US premium cablenet Showtime are to coproduce a five-part drama executive produced by and starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

Benedict Cumberbatch

Melrose will be written by Bafta-nominated David Nicholls (Far From the Madding Crowd, One Day) and is based on the Patrick Melrose series of semi-autobiographical novels written by Edward St Aubyn.

The plot skewers the upper class as it tracks the lead’s journey from a traumatic childhood through adult substance abuse towards eventual recovery.

Cumberbatch (Sherlock) will play Melrose, an aristocratic playboy who struggles to overcome damage inflicted by an abusive father and a mother who condoned the behaviour.

Set in the South of France in the 1960s, New York in the 1980s and Britain in the early 2000s, each hour-long episode will be dedicated to one of the five novels.

Former Channel 4 executive Michael Jackson and Oscar-nominated producer Rachael Horovitz will executive produce through their recently formed prodco Two Cities Television. Adam Ackland will produce for SunnyMarch Productions.

The series was commissioned by Sky’s director of programmes Zai Bennett and head of drama Anne Mensah. Sky Vision will hold international distribution rights outside the UK and US.

Sky and Showtime have previously teamed up on coproductions of Penny Dreadful and Guerrilla, starring Idris Elba and Frieda Pinto.