David Thewlis to lead cast of BBC One’s adaptation of JB Priestley’s An Inspector Calls
BBC One today announces that David Thewlis will lead the all-star cast of the BBC One adaptation of JB Priestley’s classic play An Inspector Calls.
Published: 30 January 2015
An Inspector Calls is a British classic and I am thrilled to be working on this beautiful screen adaptation with Aisling Walsh.
David Thewlis (Harry Potter, War Horse) will play The Inspector, Ken Stott (The Hobbit, Rebus) will play Arthur Birling and Miranda Richardson (Mapp & Lucia, Parades End) will play his wife Sybil Birling. They will be joined by Chloe Pirrie (The Game, Black Mirror), Kyle Soller (Poldark, Anna Karenina) and Sophie Rundle (Happy Valley, Peaky Blinders) and Finn Cole (Peaky Blinders).
Produced by Drama Republic (The Honourable Woman) and directed by the award-winning Aisling Walsh (A Poet in New York, Room at the Top), An Inspector Calls will be adapted for the BBC by critically acclaimed playwright Helen Edmundson and will air on BBC One later this year as part of its season of classic 20th century literature adaptations.
An Inspector Calls is a mysterious detective thriller, set in 1912 and written by English dramatist JB Priestley. Following the suicide of a young woman from the local town, an inspector calls unexpectedly to interrogate the wealthy Birling family. As their world unravels, each member of the family is revealed to have unwittingly played a part in her demise. Set at a time when society was transforming and women's lives were about to change forever, An Inspector Calls is considered to be one of the classics of 20th century theatre.
Lead actor David Thewlis says: “An Inspector Calls is a British classic and I am thrilled to be working on this beautiful screen adaptation with Aisling Walsh.”
Thewlis will star as the mysterious Inspector who interrogates the wealthy Birling family and their dinner guests, following the suicide of a young woman.
Greg Brenman, managing director and executive producer of Drama Republic, says: “It’s an incredible honour to be working with such a dream cast and director on this timeless classic, revered by generations all over the world.”
Lucy Richer, Commissioning Editor for BBC Drama, adds: “The mysterious and elusive Inspector Goole has fascinated audiences for generations and David Thewlis is the perfect actor to bring him to life. We're delighted that he, Ken Stott and Miranda Richardson are heading up this stellar cast to bring one of the nation's favourite stories to BBC One."
BBC One’s season of classic 20th-century literature will also include Adrian Hodges’ adaptation of The Go-Between, Jed Mercurio’s adaptation of DH Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Ben Vanstone’s adaptation of Laurie Lee’s novel Cider With Rosie.
An Inspector Calls will start filming next month in Yorkshire and will air later this year on BBC One. Greg Brenman and Roanna Benn are the executive producers for Drama Republic and Lucy Richer for the BBC. Howard Ella is the producer.
The season was commissioned by Charlotte Moore, Controller of BBC One and Ben Stephenson, Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning.
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