Romola Garai and Dominic West for BBC news room drama
Story by Jack Foley
ROMOLA Garai and Dominic West are to star in a new BBC2 drama set in a news room in the ’50s.
The Hour will follow the launch of a topical news show in London and will be set against the backdrop of a mysterious murder.
According to the BBC, Garai – of Atonement fame – will play a character called Bel Rowley, the show’s ambitious boss, while West – who shot to prominence as a member of US series The Wire – will play Hector Madden, the charismatic frontman of the show.
Bright Star actor Ben Whishaw will also appear in a key role as outspoken journalist Freddie Lyon.
The six-part series is due to be shown next year (2011) and is the creation of Abi Morgan, the Bafta-winning writer of Sex Traffic and White Girl.
Commenting on the show’s prospects, Ben Stephenson, controller of drama commissioning, said: “The combination of Ben Whishaw, Romola Garai and Dominic West gives us one of the most exciting casts for a British TV series in years.
“Our trio crackle with sexual frisson and will bring 1950s London to life with style and complexity.”