BBC Rekindles Relationship With ‘Cheaters’ As Clerkenwell Films Talks Writers Rooms & U.S. Co-Productions
11.04.2024 - 09:01
/ deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: When Murray Ferguson left UK drama house Clerkenwell Films in 2021 after more than two decades, it was a true changing of the guard. Today marks a big day for his successors, Petra Fried and Wim de Greef.
Not only is the Truelove and The End of the F***ing World producer’s Netflix drama series Baby Reindeer launching globally, but its BBC series Cheaters has landed a second season. Joint Managing Directors Fried and de Greef revealed the news in their first interview since taking over the company more than three years ago.
Susan Wokoma (CrazyHead, Year of the Rabbit, Enola Holmes), Joshua McGuire (Anatomy of a Scandal, Lovesick), Jack Fox (Riviera, Sanditon) and Callie Cooke (Henpocalypse, Rules of the Game) will all return for another run of the relationship comedy-drama. It is set for BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with no transmission date set yet.
The short-form show follows strangers Josh (McGuire) – who has a long-term girlfriend – and Fola (Wokoma), married women who drunkenly sleep together after their flight is delayed. Upon return to England, they find out that they’re actually new neighbors. Spoilers follow: In season two, Josh and Fola’s relationship has blossomed, but while she is keen to take things slow, the anxious Josh wants to speed things up. Meanwhile, scorned husband Zack (Fox) is determined to win Fola back, and Josh’s ex, Esther (Cooke) returns from travels.
“The interesting issue now is about what happens to a relationship that has started through cheating,” Fried told Deadline. “How do you move on and move forwards? There were some shocking revelations about our characters’ kinks in season one. How do you acknowledge that and move forwards without feeling shame?”
Fried is executive