S4C commissions new psychological thriller The Light in The Hall / Y Golau

26 November 2021

This story is also available in Welsh (Mae'r stori hon ar gael yn y Gymraeg hefyd): https://www.channel4.com/press/news/s4c-yn-comisiynu-cyfres-seicolegol-gyffrous-newydd-y-golau

Welsh public broadcaster S4C has commissioned a brand new 6 x 60’ minute psychological thriller The Light In The Hall / Y Golau co-produced by independent producers Duchess Street Productions and Triongl in association with APC Studios, and with the support of Welsh Government through Creative Wales.

In deals brokered by APC Studios, which is also handling worldwide sales, the series is produced in association with Channel 4 and Sundance Now for the English-language version for broadcast in the UK and North America, Australia and New Zealand respectively.

Written and created by Regina Moriarty (Murdered By My Boyfriend) and directed by Andy Newbery (Keeping Faith) and Chris Forster (Hidden), The Light In The Hall / Y Golau will be filmed in both English and Welsh. Starring Alexandra Roach (Killing Eve, Sanditon, No Offence), Iwan Rheon (Misfits, Game of Thrones) and Joanna Scanlan (After Love, No Offence), filming starts this autumn with broadcast planned for 2022. 

Journalist Cat Donato (Roach), originally from the same town as Ela Roberts, has always been obsessed by her murder. For Cat, it was personal. Ela had been part of her circle of friends but prior to her murder Ela had been ostracised over a silly teenage squabble, a fact that Cat has tried her best to forget.

Ela’s mother, Sharon Roberts (Scanlan) has never stopped grieving the loss of her daughter. Still disturbed by her memories of that last day, Sharon needs resolution. Joe Pritchard (Rheon), a quiet, unassuming gardener, was arrested for Ela’s murder after her DNA was found at his caravan. Joe confessed to killing Ela but wouldn’t, or couldn’t, say why or what he did with her body.

The news of Joe’s parole hearing and the prospect of his release causes both women to confront the past and the part they played in Ela’s final days. For Cat it’s a chance to write the true events surrounding the murder and for Sharon a chance to confront the man who killed her child. With so many questions unanswered, Joe’s return to the community could be a way to get to the bottom of the mystery once and for all. If Joe Pritchard did kill Ela, why did he do it, and where is the body?

Donna Wiffen and Jo Roderick from Duchess Street Productions, Gethin Scourfield, Nora Ostler and Alec Spiteri from Triongl and Laurent Boissel from APC Studios will executive produce, along with Gwenllian Gravelle from S4C. In the UK, the series has been acquired by Nick Lee, Head of Acquisitions at Channel 4, Caroline Hollick, Head of Drama at Channel 4, and will be overseen by Commissioning Editor, Gwawr Lloyd.

S4C Drama Commissioner, Gwenllian Gravelle said: “This gripping drama certainly promises to be one to remember. With a stellar cast and a talented production team, we can’t wait to introduce Y Golau to S4C viewers. This is our first ever co-production with Channel 4 and we look forward to working together along with Triongl Production Company and Duchess Street Productions on this sensational series.”

Donna Wiffen, Managing Director at Duchess Street Productions says: “We are excited to be bringing Regina’s exceptional writing talent to the screen in this, her first original TV series. Working with our fantastic Welsh partners at Triongl and with the unerring support of Gwenllian at S4C, we know The Light In The Hall / Y Golau will exceed our expectations in creating a complex and compelling thriller.”

Nora Ostler, Executive Producer at Triongl adds: “We are delighted to be working with Regina, the exceptional cast and our talented partners at Duchess Street on this compelling thriller. Many thanks to Gwenllian, S4C and APC for their support during the development of the series and to C4, Sundance Now and Creative Wales for making it possible. We look forward to taking this powerful story from Wales to the world.”

Laurent Boissel, Joint-CEOs and Co-Founder at APC, says: “We are incredibly excited to be working with the talented teams at Duchess Street and Triongl on this ambitious dual-language series. S4C’s commitment to the show, coupled with the co-production support of C4 and Sundance Now, creates an impressive broadcast platform for the series. As a producer we are thrilled to be on board and as a distributor, we are looking forward to taking the show to further territories around the world.”

Nick Lee, Head of Acquisitions, Channel 4, commented; “The Light is on! Regina’s story of injustice and retribution is truly absorbing. It’s a unique take on a murder-thriller where the clues, characters and story come thick and fast; by adding in such a talented cast it’s a show we are proud to be a partner on.”

Shannon Cooper, Vice President, Programming, Sundance Now, adds: “The sophistication, compelling twists and constant intrigue built into every moment of this story speaks to the brilliance of Regina’s writing, and we are delighted to work alongside this sharp creative team and impressive cast as this moves from page to screen. We’re thankful to our partners at DSP, Triongl, APC, S4C and Channel 4 for bringing us along this sure-to-be exciting journey.”

Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to offer support through Creative Wales funding to this exciting production and partnership between Triongl, Duchess St, S4C and Channel 4 and APC. This production is providing invaluable paid trainee opportunities to future-proof our industry, stimulate investment into the local economy, and will showcase Welsh talent, language and culture across the UK and internationally.”

 

For further information, please contact:

Janet Balmforth email janet.balmforth@ddapr.com

Debra Clavey, Channel 4 Press Office

 

Notes to Editors:

Duchess Street Productions (DSP) is an exciting, UK drama producer that is part of the Long Story TV group managed by Paul Marquess and Donna Wiffen. The group specialises in developing and producing mustwatch, original drama series and adaptations for the domestic and global TV markets. Long Story TV prides itself on working with the very top writers: the most passionate, established and up-and-coming talent from TV, film and theatre and now has a mature portfolio of projects including London Kills (20x45) for Acorn TV – Hope Street (10x45) for BBC and Britbox.

Triongl is a TV and Film production company established in 2017 by Nora Ostler Spiteri and Alec Spiteri.  Fellow company director, Gethin Scourfield joined in 2018 following a year as acting drama commissioning editor for S4C.  All three are experienced producers with a track record of producing high-quality, award-winning scripted content, with a particular expertise in “back-to-back” (dual language) production. Their combined recent credits include international successes Keeping Faith (S4C/BBC Wales/APC), Hinterland (S4C/BBC/All3Media international), The A List (Netflix/Lionsgate) and The Miniaturist (BBC/WGBH/All3Media International).

Their miniseries Pili Pala (Butterfly Breath) premiered on S4C in September 2019 and was launched by All3Media International at MIPCOM in Cannes. They are currently shooting Stad, a 6x60’ drama series for S4C – a co-production with Cwmni Da. Their broad development slate includes several drama series and feature films.

APC Studios is headed by experienced principals Emmanuelle Guilbart and Laurent Boissel and is a leading independent production and distribution company that partners with global content creators to develop and finance projects from inception to international distribution.  APC has built a curated slate of English-language and local-language fiction from a range of global producers all over the world including hit drama Keeping Faith (BBC/S4C), Man in Room 301, Shadow Lines (Elisa Viihde), Operation Buffalo (ABC Australia), Gigantes, La Linea invisible (Telefonica Studios), Alex (Viaplay), stylish series A Very Secret Service (Arte) and Valkyrien (NRK). APC also has a quality slate of top-tier factual programmes and has a children’s division APC Kids which houses its own production company Zephyr Animation.

From AMC Networks, Sundance Now is for culture craving TV watchers looking for their next series to obsess over and offers a rich selection of original and exclusive series from engrossing true crime to heart-stopping dramas and fiercely intelligent thrillers from around the world, all streaming commercial-free. Exclusive new programs are added every week. Sundance Now has exclusively premiered several distinctive, critically acclaimed Sundance Now Original Series, including supernatural thriller A Discovery of Witches starring Matthew Goode and Teresa Palmer; glamourous thriller Riviera starring Julia Stiles; critically acclaimed French spy thriller crime drama  The Bureau; and Swedish period drama The Restaurant, as well as Sundance Now Exclusives, such as British true crime thriller Des starring David Tennant; Australian drama Upright starring Tim Minchin; Nordic drama Sanctuary; Australian psychological thriller The Secrets She Keeps, British psychological drama Cheat; Australian drama Bad Mothers; Nordic noir thriller Wisting and British thriller The Cry starring Jenna Coleman; as well as streaming exclusives, including Emmy-winner State of the Union starring Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd; British thriller Liar starring Joanne Froggatt and Ioan Gruffudd; and riveting true crime series The Suspect, The Dakota Entrapment Tapes, The Preppy Murder: Death in Central Park, No One Saw a Thing and Killing for Love with Amanda Knox’s podcast.