This Is England creator Shane Meadows is heading back to the BBC for a new series. This week, it was announced the filmmaker will be adapting Benjamin Myers' novel The Gallows Pole.
The project is still in its early stages, but the BBC confirmed yesterday (May 18) that Meadows would be would doing a TV adaptation of the 2017 Walter Scott Prize-winning novel.
Marking a big change of pace from This Is England, The Gallows Pole will be a period piece, fictionalizing the remarkable true 18th century story of David Hartley and the Cragg Vale Coiners — a community of weavers who made fake gold coins to supplement their incomes.
Speaking to ScreenDaily, Meadows said: "The Gallows Pole is an incredible true story, little known outside of Yorkshire, about a group of very naughty men and women who started clipping and counterfeiting coins out in the Moors as a way to keep themselves and their community alive."
He added: "I've never made a period drama before so I'm absolutely buzzing, and to be doing it with Piers [Wenger – BBC's director of drama]. his incredible team, and Element Pictures is nothing short of an honour."
The Gallows Pole will mark Meadows' first TV project since his limited series The Virtues, which starred Stephen Graham and was soundtracked by PJ Harvey. The director's last film, meanwhile, came back in 2013 with his music doc The Stone Roses: Made of Stone.
As of yet, no release date or cast has been revealed for The Gallows Pole.
The project is still in its early stages, but the BBC confirmed yesterday (May 18) that Meadows would be would doing a TV adaptation of the 2017 Walter Scott Prize-winning novel.
Marking a big change of pace from This Is England, The Gallows Pole will be a period piece, fictionalizing the remarkable true 18th century story of David Hartley and the Cragg Vale Coiners — a community of weavers who made fake gold coins to supplement their incomes.
Speaking to ScreenDaily, Meadows said: "The Gallows Pole is an incredible true story, little known outside of Yorkshire, about a group of very naughty men and women who started clipping and counterfeiting coins out in the Moors as a way to keep themselves and their community alive."
He added: "I've never made a period drama before so I'm absolutely buzzing, and to be doing it with Piers [Wenger – BBC's director of drama]. his incredible team, and Element Pictures is nothing short of an honour."
The Gallows Pole will mark Meadows' first TV project since his limited series The Virtues, which starred Stephen Graham and was soundtracked by PJ Harvey. The director's last film, meanwhile, came back in 2013 with his music doc The Stone Roses: Made of Stone.
As of yet, no release date or cast has been revealed for The Gallows Pole.
