‘Scoop’ Producer Developing “Ambitious, Contemporary” Returning TV Series Starring Sarah Lancashire

deadline.com:

EXCLUSIVE: The production outfit behind Netflix’s Prince Andrew feature Scoop is working with Sarah Lancashire on an “ambitious, contemporary returning series” that Lancashire will star in.

Lighthouse Film & Television is teaming with Lancashire’s recently launched Via Pictures on the show, we can reveal, which Lighthouse co-founder Radford Neville teased is a “research heavy project inspired by real characters.” Conversations with networks have already begun and Lancashire will star, contradicting reports that emerged earlier this week that she has retired from acting.

Lancashire launched Via Pictures with husband and former BBC and Banijay UK boss Peter Salmon last year upon the conclusion of Happy Valley, one of the corporation’s biggest dramas of the past decade. “When we set up Lighthouse in 2019 we talked to Sarah about developing something specifically for her,” added Neville. “In the interim she has set up Via and towards the end of last year we had an idea for an ambitious, contemporary returning series that may be perfect for Sarah.” Co-producing with indies with a different skillset is one of Lighthouse’s strategies and the team did so to good effect on Scoop, which was made with factual producer Voltage TV following a conversation that started over mince pies and wine at Christmas, according to Neville. “We’ve never been shy of partnerships and brainstorming with a factual company is a different experience,” he added.

Lighthouse has been busy looking to the future while producing Scoop and has also optioned the rights to Killjoy by Jo Cheetham, a non-fiction book telling the uplifting true story of how a group of unlikely everyday campaigners fought to have The Sun stop publishing pictures of topless