BBC One has commissioned six episodes of a new hour-long apocalyptic drama titled Hard Sun from “Luther” creator Neil Cross and produced by Euston Films. Hard Sun, a pre-apocalyptic crime drama set in contemporary London, has been commissioned by Charlotte Moore, Controller of BBC One, and Polly Hill, Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning.
Detectives Elaine Renko and Robert Hicks, partners and enemies, seek to enforce the law and protect their loved ones in a world that every day slips closer to certain destruction.
“Imagine the world you see when you look out your window… except it’s been given a death sentence,” writer Neil Cross says. “This isn’t science fiction. This is the real world. There’s no hero to come save us; no contingency plan. We’ve got five years. This is the world of Hard Sun… and the world of Elaine Renko and Robert Hicks. What’s it like, trying to keep order, trying to enforce the law in a city that, day by day, slips closer to certain destruction? How do you get up in the morning? How do you get out of bed and leave your family and go out there, putting your own life at risk? And what about the predators? What about the murderers, the rapists, the thieves? What about the psychopaths, the religious nuts, the cult leaders, the serial killers? Who among them would fear a prison sentence, in a world like this? Who among them would fear legal consequences? What does a life sentence even mean, any more? What’s the point of justice in the face of Armageddon? I’ve had Renko and Hicks and their world rattling round my head for a while now. I’m incredibly happy that, like me, they’ve found their home at the BBC. I can’t wait for you to meet them.”
Polly Hill, Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning, says: “I am thrilled that BBC One is the home for Neil Cross’s new original drama, ‘Hard Sun.’ Neil has written a crime series that is bold, ambitious, relevant and dark but it’s also very moving and told through complex extraordinary characters. It’s brilliantly written and very exciting. I am also pleased that this is Euston Film’s first commission and this really does promise to be an original and compelling drama for 2017.”
Kate Harwood, Managing Director of Euston Films, adds: “We are delighted and proud that the first commission for a rebooted Euston Films is a Neil Cross project of such scale and nerve. The concept of ‘Hard Sun’ is characteristically bold, richly peopled and of course deliciously scary. We can’t wait to get started.”
Hard Sun is produced by Euston Films for BBC One. The executive producers are Kate Harwood for Euston Films and Elizabeth Kilgarriff for BBC One.
It will film in and around London, and casting will be announced in due course.
