THANK YOU to SofieB for the heads up about this project.
Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony) has been hired to direct the feature length pilot for a new 6-part TV series titled Babylon, to be shown on Channel 4 in the UK sometime in 2014. This is the first television project which Danny Boyle is directing in 12 years. Danny will direct the pilot, though it is unclear at this stage whether he will also direct any or all of the other 6 episodes in the series. Channel 4 is so confident about this show that it has ordered a 6 part first series even though the pilot will not air in the UK until 2014.
You can find out more about this show via various sources :
Channel 4 | Deadline | Radio Times | Screen Daily
The eclectic cast is led by US actress Brit Marling with co-stars James Nesbitt, Paterson Joseph, Jill Halfpenny, Adam Deacon, Daniel Kaluuya, Jonny Sweet, Andrew Brooke and Bertie Carvel. Most of the supporting cast will play police officers.
The show, a dramady, evolves around James Nesbitt who plays a Chief Police Constable who has hired an American PR person (Brit Marling) to undertake a public relations revamp for the police force. High hilarity ensues, or something like that. Nicola’s Spotlight page has just been updated to indicate that she has been cast as a character called “Sharon Franklin“. At this stage, we assume that it is a guest role (since the main cast details have already been announced), and if so, we hope it will be a recurring guest role. We will update this page as and when more information becomes available.
Update : 9 February 2014
The pilot of this show was aired on Channel 4 in the UK tonight. Nicola has only a tiny role in the pilot, but here’s what the Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, writers of the show, had to say about her involvement (taken from the Press Pack which you can access HERE) :
… every role, even small, everyone is a recognised actor?
Sam: Special mention goes to Nicola Walker who has about two lines in the pilot. Pretty remarkable. But we have beefed up her part a lot for the series. We have been trying to work with her for years, and we are very excited to have her but we are also very grateful that she was able to do the pilot bearing in mind what she’s got.
Lets hope Nicola will be able to find time to film her scenes for this show. She will on on stage in A View from the Bridge between April and June. From June 2014, she will be required on set for Last Tango in Halifax 3 which is likely to occupy her until mid to end September 2014.
Screencaps from the Pilot Episode
Nicola looks lovely in a policewoman’s uniform!
Screencaps courtesy of SofieB. Thanks!
Six degrees
James Nesbitt appeared in episodes 201 and 202 of Touching Evil back in 1998.
Order from Amazon UK
You can order the show’s DVD box set (Regions 2 and 4 compatible) from Amazon UK. Your purchase made through this link will benefit Nicola’s chosen charity.
This is great news, I don’t know if it is just me not reading the articles properly but I haven’t seen Nicola’s name mentioned in the cast for this show
I think it’s a case of you not reading our comments properly. Nicola has not been named in the main cast list which is why in our own comments we came to the conclusion that she might be a guest star only. Let’s hope that as a guest star, her’s will be a recurring role throughout the 6 episodes.
That will teach me to read more slowly won’t it, I have to agree I am hoping Nicola is a recurring guest role if it is just a guest role 🙂