The BBC has announced brand-new drama Shy & Lola, described as a “darkly comic story”, starring The Night Manager’s Hayley Squires who will play one half of an unlikely duo of characters.
Written by award-winning screenwriter and novelist Amanda Coe (whose TV credits include The Trial of Christine Keeler and Apple Tree Yard, which both also aired on the BBC), Shy & Lola centres on “two very different women who are forced to become allies when a murder entangles them in the criminal underworld operating in Shy’s small coastal town in the North of England”, as per the synopsis.
The show description continues: “Beginning as exploited novices, the unlikely duo turn out to have a talent for crime. As they build an operation that threatens to blow the local bad guys out of the water, opposing futures beckon – using their earnings to fund a fresh start, or becoming the new bosses in town.”
Actor Bel Powley (A Small Light) joins Squires to co-lead, with the pair taking on the titular roles of Lola and Shy respectively.
Alongside the announcement, screenwriter Amanda Coe said: “With such a rich and spiky central relationship at its core, Shy & Lola is a dream of a show to write, full of fun, action and emotion. I can’t wait to see our hugely exciting cast and director bring it to life.”
Photographer://BBC
Hayley Squires in The Night Manager
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Meanwhile, Clerkenwell Films’ (the production team behind Netflix’s Baby Reindeer and Sky’s The Death of Bunny Munro) executive producer Rachelle Constant described the series that Coe has penned as being “brilliantly bold”, noting that it blends “dark comedy with propulsive storytelling”.
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, also said in a statement: “Shy and Lola are an unlikely duo, the classic odd couple, who get caught up in a murder – and that’s just the start of it.”
BBC
Hayley Squires in The Night Manager
Salt went on to praise Amanda Coe’s “superb scripts”, saying that they will “surprise and amuse viewers in equal measure”, before adding: “With Clerkenwell producing and Hayley and Bel leading the cast, BBC viewers are in for a real treat.”
Shy & Lola is based on the 2020 French thriller Cheyenne & Lola, written by Virginie Brac.
Further cast for the BBC’s Shy & Lola has yet to be announced, and filming is due to begin this spring.
Shy & Lola is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, with a release window not yet confirmed.
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TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Â Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK’s biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. Â As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world’s oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).Â