Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Alastair Petrie and Rebekah Staton lead the “unconventional thriller”.
To us, the impressively titled The Following Events Are Based On A Pack Of Lies instantly sounds fabulous. Now in production, the offbeat thriller has already garnered an impressive cast. Before we get to that however, here’s the premise:
Cheryl is a bestselling fantasy fiction author who, recently bereaved, now lives alone with her poodle, Goblin. Alice is a formidable PA, a mother, and a lifelong Madonna fan. Rob is an eccentric and celebrated ecopreneur (allegedly). Three apparent strangers with nothing in common… except Rob’s dupes, deceptions and delusions.
This is the story of two very different women (Alice Newman and Cheryl Harker) and the conman (Dr Rob Chance) they have in common; a dark, funny, and unpredictable thriller about three remarkable characters trapped in a tangled triangle of complexly layered half-truths and lies of epic proportions.
This is a story about lies and artifice, about our weakness for self-deception, and about the rapid ascent of the modern fraudster. Asking why do ‘respectable’ psychopaths rise to the top? Why does a posh man in a suit still seem so plausible next to a working-class mum in a pink cape? And if you can’t beat them, is joining them really so bad?
Above all, this is also the story of an unexpected friendship between two very different women and the power they’ll discover when they raise their voices in joyous rage. As they finally find the courage and self-belief to take charge, the con is on to try and take a predator down.
That cast
Leading the cast, Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Jack Ryan) stars as Cheryl. She’s joined by Rebekah Staton (Raised by Wolves) playing Alice and Alistair Petrie (Sex Education, Rogue One) as Rob.
Joining them are Romola Garai (The Hour), Derek Jacobi, Julian Barratt, Karl Johnson (Hot Fuzz) and Ellie Haddington (Enola Holmes).
A SISTER act
The Following Events Are Based On A Pack Of Lies is a thriller series across five hours. Its creators Penelope and Ginny Skinner commented as production began:
“We couldn’t be more delighted that, thanks to SISTER’s expert support and encouragement, this project has attracted such a talented group of collaborators to bring it to fruition. With Robbie McKillop and Nicole Charles’ insightful and creative direction along with an absolute dream cast, including stars like Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Rebekah Staton and Alistair Petrie, we are hugely proud that this show has found a home at the BBC. ”
The show is being made by SISTER (Landscapers, The Baby) and the directors are Robbie McKillop and Nicole Charles. Executive producers are Naomi de Pear, Lydia Hampson and Alice Tyler. Its producers are Georgie Fallon for SISTER alongside Penelope Skinner and Ginny Skinner. Jo McClellan executive produces.
The SISTER team added:
“We are so excited that this extraordinary cast has joined us to bring these scripts to life under the helm of such creative, collaborative directors as Robbie and Nicole. We feel incredibly lucky to be working with such a unique and talented team, and it’s testament to Penny and Ginny’s writing that we are!”
The Following Events Are Based On A Pack Of Lies is bound for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. We’ll keep you posted on the show’s progress.