Wednesday 24 April 2024

UKTV today announces the commission of the brand-new series, Mudtown (6x60'), for its leading crime drama channel, Alibi. The six-part series is a co-commission with Welsh language free-to-air channel S4C and All3Media International. The series is produced by Severn Screen and has begun filming, shooting back-to-back in both English and Welsh language.

Mudtown centres around life at Newport's Magistrates Court. This gripping new drama is written by exciting new writing duo Hannah Daniel (star of Keeping Faith, Holby City) and Georgia Lee, who also sits on the Bench as a Magistrate. All3Media International will handle distribution of the series outside the UK.

Erin Richards (Gotham, The Crown) is set to take the lead as Claire Lewis Jones, alongside Tom Cullen (The Gold, Becoming Elizabeth) as St Pete, Matthew Gravelle (Broadchurch, Steeltown Murders) as Alun Lewis Jones, Lauren Morais (The Red King) as Beca Lewis Jones, Lloyd Meredith (The Red King, Gran Turismo) as Sonny Higgins, Kimberley Nixon (The Salisbury Poisonings, Life and Death in the Warehouse) as Sara Humphries, Sion Pritchard (Pila Pala, The Indian Doctor) as Davey Johns and Ifan Huw Dafydd (The Light in the Hall, Requiem) as Owen Williams.

Georgia Lee and Hannah Daniel said:

We are thrilled at the opportunity to represent the untold world of the magistrate's court, shot through with an authentic South Walian spirit. We couldn't be more excited about bringing the characters and this thrilling story to the screen with such strong partners.

The series follows experienced Magistrate Claire Lewis Jones as she faces personal turmoil while presiding over cases at Newport Magistrates Court. When Ned Humphries, a childhood friend of Beca, Claire's daughter, faces arson charges, Claire's loyalty to her community is put to the test. Matters are made worse when local criminal kingpin Saint Pete appears on the scene. Claire and Saint Pete go back a long way - will her past come back to threaten her present? As she delves deeper into the case, and suspicions grow around her daughter's new bad-boy boyfriend, Sonny Higgins, Claire uncovers a web of criminal activity that could put her and her family at risk.

As the truth emerges and consequences unfold, Claire must confront her own biases and decisions. The lines between right and wrong become blurred, leaving Claire in muddy waters as her maternal instincts clash with her commitment to uphold the law.

The UKTV Original series has been commissioned by Helen Perry, head of drama for UKTV, and ordered for Alibi by Emma Ayech, channel director, and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning. Executive Producer for Severn Screen is Ed Talfan and the series will be produced by Hannah Thomas (Steeltown Murders, Hidden) and directed by Rhys Carter (Yr Amgueddfa, Enid a Lucy) and Chris Forster (Hidden, The Light in the Hall). Mudtown (Ar y Ffin in Welsh) was commissioned for Welsh language broadcaster S4C by head of scripted, Gwenllian Gravelle, and will air first in late 2024 on S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer.

Helen Perry said: "It's brilliant to be working with Severn Screen and partnering with S4C, for the first time, alongside All3Media International. I'm thrilled that we get to bring Hannah and Georgia's razor-sharp scripts to life in a way that will make our audiences laugh, cry, gasp and stay on the edge of their seats. The characters are colourful, the crimes are complex, the twists are non-stop, and the whole show is shot through with wit. This series will give our Alibi audiences a very different type of legal drama and I can't wait to introduce them to it."

Emma Ayech added: "As we continue to expand Alibi's roster of UKTV originals, we're committed to delivering top-tier content to our audiences, and Mudtown is no exception. This brand-new series brings a fresh lens on crime and the local legal profession, as well as some fantastic new characters to add to Alibi's rich line up. Mudtown is fast-paced, witty and gripping, and we are thrilled to bring this exciting new series to our viewers."

Ed Talfan at Severn Screen said: "We're thrilled to be working with UKTV, S4C and All3Media International on this exciting project. The scripts are great, it's a strong cast and we have a first-class creative team leading the production. We're really looking forward to bringing these characters to life and for audiences across Wales, the UK and beyond to get to know them".

Gwenllian Gravelle at S4C added: "S4C is delighted to be working with UKTV and All3Media International on this must-watch fresh take on the procedural crime show genre. The brilliant team at Severn Screen has not only created a drama that reflects the reality of a south Wales community, but the human impact of crime is put under the microscope with wit, grit and compassion. With a terrific cast playing compelling characters, I can't wait for the audience to see this masterfully plotted and visually stunning drama."

Mudtown is the latest UKTV Original series for Alibi and will air in 2025. Other recently announced dramas on the channel include I, Jack Wright, written by Chris Lang and Bookish, written by and starring Mark Gatiss, both due to air on the channel next year.

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For more information, please contact:

Kelly Phelps, Publicity Manager, UKTV
Shannon Bulmer, Publicist, UKTV

Notes for Editors:

About Alibi

Sky 109/826, Virgin 126/200, BT 312/382, TalkTalk 312, TV Player On demand on Sky, Virgin, BT and TalkTalk

Alibi is the only TV channel dedicated to crime drama, investigating the best selection from the genre and premiering hit series from around the world such as CSI: Vegas, So Help Me Todd, Dark Winds and Black Sands.

Alibi's offering of UKTV Original crime drama series give viewers guaranteed thrills, twists and turns through hit shows including Annika, starring Nicola Walker, Traces, starring Molly Windsor and Martin Compston and We Hunt Together, starring Eve Myles and Babou Ceesay. Sophie Rundle also leads the cast in Barcelona-set drama, The Diplomat, while Anjli Monindra, Marc Warren and Adjoa Andoh star in the brand-new series from writer Toby Whithouse, The Red King.

Alibi is also home to fan favourites, Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Murdoch Mysteries and Hudson and Rex, and gives viewers another chance to catch hugely popular British crime dramas including Death in Paradise, Father Brown and Silent Witness.

@alibi_channel

About UKTV

UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 25 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.

UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.

corporate.uktv.co.uk | press.uktv.co.uk | @uktvpress

About S4C

S4C is a public broadcaster and the only Welsh language television channel in the world. S4C distributes a wide range of programmes including drama, documentaries, news, music, entertainment, live sport and children programmes. Online content includes HANSH a unique platform with content aimed mainly at 16-34-year-olds. S4C Clic - S4C's player and on demand service provides exclusive content, catch up, archive material and box sets. All S4C content is also available on demand via BBC iPlayer.

About Severn Screen

Severn Screen is one of Wales' leading film and television production companies producing high quality film and television drama in Welsh and English. Recent titles include STEELTOWN MURDERS (2023, BBC), THE PEMBROKESHIRE MURDERS (2021, ITV/World Productions) and three series of S4C/BBC drama HIDDEN/CRAITH (2018-2021).

Film titles include Gareth Evans' APOSTLE (2018), starring Dan Stevens, Michael Sheen and Lucy Boynton; Adrian Shergold's ONE WAY TO DENMARK (2019), starring Rafe Spall; and Gareth Evans' HAVOC (2024, currently in post), starring Tom Hardy and Forest Whitaker.

Severn Screen Creative Director, Ed Talfan, was EP on Richard Billingham's RAY & LIZ (2019) and a producer on season one of GANGS OF LONDON (SKY/AMC, 2021). Severn Screen Head of Drama, Hannah Thomas, who will produce MUDTOWN, and was also lead producer on STEELTOWN MURDERS and HIDDEN/CRAITH(2018-22).

The company has received support from Creative Wales on a number of its projects to date and was recently awarded support by the UK Global Screen Fund.

About All3Media International

All3Media International distributes popular, award-winning TV programmes to over 1,000 broadcasters and media platforms around the world. The company has been celebrated for producing, marketing and distributing high-quality, ground-breaking and pioneering shows to a global audience, consistently topping the Broadcast and Televisual annual Indies Surveys and receiving the Queen's Award for Enterprise in recognition of its growth - twice. Its catalogue contains over 20,000 hours of content across all genres.

As well as Britain's top-selling drama series MIDSOMER MURDERS, All3Media International's quality scripted content includes FLEABAG, ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL, IT'S A SIN, TRIGGER POINT, THE TOURIST, MYSTERY ROAD, VAN DER VALK and THE ENGLISH. Its non-scripted content slate includes premium factual documentaries such as WHO IS GHISLAINE MAXWELL? and FEVER PITCH: THE RISE OF THE PREMIER LEAGUE as well as various factual entertainment titles including ESCAPE TO THE CHATEAU, GREAT BRITISH MENU and FOUR IN A BED. The company also represents brands featuring some of television's most beloved names including Monty Don, Alan Titchmarsh, Gordon Ramsay, Mary Beard and Grayson Perry. All3Media International's celebrated formats include THE TRAITORS, GOGGLEBOX, UNDERCOVER BOSS, THIS IS YOUR LIFE, LINGO, THE DOG HOUSE and RACE ACROSS THE WORLD, and it also represents an extensive list of successful scripted formats including LIAR, BLOOD, CHEAT and QUEER AS FOLK.