Eric | May 30th 2024 | Netflix

Benedict Cumberbatch will lead six-part thriller from writer Abi Morgan, alongside Gaby Hoffmann and McKinley Belcher III

Casting News

• Vincent Anderson - Benedict Cumberbatch

• Cassie Anderson - Gaby Hoffmann

• Detective Michael Ledroit - McKinley Belcher III

• Lennie Wilson - Dan Fogler

• George Lovett - Clarke Peters

• Edgar Anderson - Ivan Howe

• Anne Anderson - Phoebe Nicholls

• Matteo Cripp - David Denman

• Yuusuf Egbe - Bamar Kane

• Cecile Rochelle - Adepero Oduye

• Raya - Alexis Molnar

• Ronnie - Roberta Colindrez

About Eric

Set in 1980s New York, Eric is a new emotional thriller from Abi Morgan following the desperate search of a father when his nine year old son disappears one morning on the way to school. Vincent, one of New York’s leading puppeteers and creator of the hugely popular children’s television show, ‘Good Day Sunshine,’ struggles to cope with the loss of his son, Edgar, becoming increasingly distressed and volatile. Full of self-loathing and guilt around Edgar’s disappearance, he clings to his son’s drawings of a blue monster puppet, ERIC, convinced that if he can get ERIC on TV then Edgar will come home. As Vincent’s progressively destructive behaviour alienates his family, his work colleagues, and the detectives trying to help him, it’s Eric, a delusion of necessity, who becomes his only ally in the pursuit to bring his son home.

• Filming has commenced on the series which will film in Hungary and New York

• Produced by SISTER (Chernobyl, This Is Going To Hurt, Landscapers) and co-produced by Little Chick (The Split)

• Creator & Writer: BAFTA and Emmy-winner Abi Morgan OBE (River, Suffragette, The Split)

• Executive Producers: Abi Morgan, Jane Featherstone (Chernobyl, This Is Going To Hurt), Lucy Dyke (The Split, Black Mirror), BAFTA-winner Lucy Forbes (This is Going To Hurt, In My Skin, The End of The F***ing World) and Benedict Cumberbatch. 

• Director: Lucy Forbes

• Producer: Holly Pullinger (This Is Going To Hurt, Don’t Forget The Driver)

• Creator, Writer & Executive Producer Abi Morgan said: “Eric is a dark and crazy journey into the heart of 1980’s New York, and the good bad and ugly world of Vincent, a genius puppeteer on one of America’s leading kids TV shows. The chance to work with Benedict and the creative team at Sister and Netflix, is irresistible. With Lucy Forbes at the directorial helm, I feel fortunate to be working at a time of such great creativity in our industry. Fingers crossed Eric will be a welcome addition.”

• Executive Producers Jane Featherstone and Lucy Dyke said: “When Abi first pitched ERIC to us it gave us goosebumps. It is an extraordinary piece of writing, inspired by Abi’s experience of New York in the mid 1980s, a city rotten to its core but on the cusp of change. She writes both a tense thriller and an intimate portrait of a delusional father searching for his child, shadowed by a monster named Eric. We are thrilled that ERIC will be led by the multi-award-winning Benedict Cumberbatch and directed by the brilliant Lucy Forbes. Eric is set to be an incredibly unique and special limited series and we are overjoyed to be collaborating once more with our long-time creative partner Abi on it.”

• Format: Limited series

• Episodes: 6x 60 mins

Character Descriptions

Vincent Anderson (Benedict Cumberbatch)

One of New York’s leading puppet makers and puppeteers, Vincent is the creator of wildly popular children’s television show, Good Day Sunshine. Highly intelligent, charismatic yet narcissistic, Vincent is professionally volatile and privately neglectful of his wife Cassie and young son, Edgar.

Cassie Anderson (Gaby Hoffmann)

Born and raised in privilege on a farm in upstate New York, Cassie fell in love with Vincent at art college before the reality of life kicked in. A warm and loving mother to Edgar, Cassie struggles with Vincent, tired of his womanising and volatile behaviour.

Detective Michael Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III)

Twenty years in the police service, primarily spent in VICE, Ledroit is a leading detective in MISSING PERSONS ever since he felt compelled to help the swamped division in finding missing people. Ledroit works daily to hide his sexuality and life with long-term lover William but when his secret becomes an obstacle at work, Ledroit must choose between protecting his identity and solving a case.

Lennie Wilson (Dan Fogler)

Lennie Wilson, Vincent’s best friend and colleague and a brilliant puppeteer and maker in his own right. A committed bachelor, Lennie shares a strong bond with Edgar, who often comes to the workshop of Good Day Sunshine. 

George Lovett (Clarke Peters)

George Lovett, the super of the apartment building where Edgar lives, is a friendly neighbour with minimal belongings. Those he has, he treasures. His children no longer speaking to him, George befriended Edgar, letting him play in his apartment whenever his parents argued.

Edgar Anderson (Ivan Howe)

Artistic yet deeply withdrawn from the world, 9-year-old Edgar is inspired by the puppets on his father’s show Good Day Sunshine, a hit children’s puppet show, wanting to make a puppet of his own. 

Anne Anderson (Phoebe Nicholls)

Anne is an elegant yet brittle housewife to real estate mogul Robert Anderson and mother to Vincent, who struggles to connect to her and has carved out a life in direct opposition to everything Anne and Robert aspire to be. 

Matteo Cripp (David Denman) 

Captain Cripp, Ledroit’s eagle-eyed boss and captain of the station, has a good relationship with Ledroit and cares for him like a mentor. Edgar’s case brings media attention and pressure from above and when Ledroit believes it may be connected to missing boy Marlon Rochelle, a 14 year old from nearly a year ago, Cripp is quick to discourage this, keen for Ledroit to close the case quickly. 

Yuusuf Egbe (Bamar Kane)

Yuusuf Egbe lives amongst the mole people underneath New York City, along disused subways. A graffiti artist, Yuusuf leaves his tag all over New York but never expected them to be noticed – especially not by a 9 year old boy. 

Cecile Rochelle (Adepero Oduye)

Cecilie is an African American mother whose son Marlon disappeared 11 months ago. Marlon was older than Edgar and even though the police have done very little to help find Marlon, Cecile never lets up. She has resigned herself to the idea that he is dead but still wants him found. 

Raya (Alexis Molnar)

Raya is a friend of Yuusuf's, also living underneath New York City, along disused subways amongst the Mole People. Streetwise and addicted to crack cocaine, Raya knows how to use her smarts to get her next fix, but sometimes it's at great risk to her and those around her.

Ronnie (Roberta Colindrez)

Ronnie is a legendary puppeteer working on Good Day Sunshine with Vincent and Lennie, her long standing colleagues. Ronnie is immune to Vincent's charms which gives her a unique position to call him out with her quick, sarcastic wit.

The Outlaws | Coming Soon | BBC / Amazon Studios

The image features Academy Award-winning actor Christopher Walken in his first lead British television role, alongside writer and director Stephen Merchant (The Office, Jojo Rabbit), with Rhianne Barreto (Honour, Hanna), Gamba Cole (Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle, Hanna), Darren Boyd (Killing Eve, Lucky Man), Clare Perkins (EastEnders), and Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark, The War of the Worlds).

The Outlaws (previously known as The Offenders) follows seven strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a Community Payback sentence in Bristol. At first, they seem like archetypes we can easily pigeonhole, but gradually we see behind their façades, understand their hidden depths, and what made them the people they are today. We are reminded that no one is all good or all bad. Everyone has a story.

As their unlikely new friendships intersect with their complicated private lives, The Outlaws must unite to protect one of their own from Bristol’s most dangerous criminal gang. The show is part crime thriller, and part character study - with humour and heart.

Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) plays The Earl, a member of the landed gentry and Gabby’s (Eleanor Tomlinson) father. Julia Davis (Sally4Ever) plays Rita, head of human resources at Greg’s (Stephen Merchant) company.

The series is a co-production between the BBC and Amazon Studios, and is produced by Big Talk with Stephen Merchant’s Four Eyes. Big Talk is part of ITV Studios. Global distribution is handled by BBC Studios

The series is currently filming in Bristol, and will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, and on Amazon Prime Video in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Staged Series 1 | June 10th 2020 | BBC 1

David Tennant and Michael Sheen (playing themselves) were due to star in a production of Six Characters In Search Of An Author in the West End.

The pandemic has put paid to that, but their director (Simon Evans - also playing himself) is determined not to let the opportunity pass him by. He knows how big a chance this is for him and turns his attention to cajoling his stars into rehearsing over the internet.

All they need to do is read the first scene, but throughout the series they come up against a multitude of oppositional forces: distraction, boredom, home-schooling and their own egos.

Absurd and humorous in equal measure, Staged takes on the challenges of creating a drama in lockdown, on stage and off, with a line-up including Georgia Tennant, Lucy Eaton and Anna Lundberg. The show will also have a selection of guest stars including Nina Sosanya.

The Split Series 2 | Feb 11th 2020 | BBC 1

Now the Defoes are back, at newly merged law firm Noble Hale Defoe, and as former rivals now find themselves on the same side of the table, Hannah’s latest case is set to put NHD firmly on the map.

“Locked into an aggressive NDA by her controlling husband Richie Hansen (Ben Bailey Smith) when she was young and naive, Fi Hansen (Donna Air), one half of the UK’s most powerful celebrity couples, now wants out of her marriage. Hiring Hannah to help prepare to leave her dangerously coercive and manipulative partner, their divorce is set to be all the things the press love: public and messy.

“As the curtain is pulled back from the glossy veneer of their meticulously constructed public image, the pain that lies behind Brand Hansen is slowly revealed and Hannah must invest more than just her billable hours in helping Fi reclaim her life.”

As for that “passionate affair” with Christie, Hannah now feels trapped as she struggles to forgive Nathan while hiding the secret of her own infidelity.

“Meanwhile, Rose and James return from their honeymoon with ambitions to start their own family and Nina teeters on the edge, as the consequences of her erratic behaviour finally catch up with her,” the BBC reveals. “With the merger now complete, Ruth forced out from her role as head of the family firm, must search for a new purpose in life. And, as Hannah fights one of the most public cases of her professional career, the fight to save her own marriage is a deep, intensely, private battle.”

The Split Series 2 will air on BBC 1 on Tuesday February 9th at 21:00 PM, with all episodes available to stream on iPlayer afterwards.

Watch the Series 2 trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pFReGbJCkc

Home Series 2 | Feb 5th 2020 | C4

Home is written by and stars Rufus Jones (W1A, Stan & Olli) and follows a Syrian refugee who ends up living with a family in Britain after sneaking into their car in Calais. Series 2 picks up six months after Sami’s interview with the Home Office in order to stay permanently in the UK.

Home will air on Wednesday 5th February at 10pm on Channel 4.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/IHod0xSZfi0