MyAnna Buring and Russell Tovey have been cast in ‘Banished’.
The ‘Ripper Street’ actress and the ‘Being Human’ star will be joined by the likes of Julian Rhind-Tutt (‘The Hour’) and David Wenham (‘Top Of The Lake’) in Jimmy McGovern’s new BBC series, set for broadcast in 2015.
The seven-part fictional drama is inspired by 18th century events when Britain established a penal colony in Australia, and will centre around the settlement’s convicts, the soldiers who guarded them and the men who governed them.
Jimmy explained: "How the first convicts survived is the best story I’ve come across in over 30 years as a dramatist. When you’ve got something like that, you don’t worry about the narrative; you just concentrate on the characters. That is what we did. Consequently, I don’t think I’ve ever written anything so character-driven."
Australian actor David Wenham plays idealist Governor Arthur Phillip, who clashes with the uber strict Major Ross (Joseph Millson). At the centre of it all is a story of love and friendship between convicts Elizabeth Quinn (Myanna Buring), Tommy Barrett (Julian Rhind-Tutt) and James Freeman (Russell Tovey).
‘Banished’, which has been co-commissioned by BBC Two and BBC Worldwide Australia and New Zealand, was written by Jimmy McGovern, with Shaun Duggan (‘Accused’) penning episode five.
Sita Williams acts as producer and executive produces alongside Roxy Spencer and Jimmy McGovern.
Filming for begins in Sydney this April.
MyAnna Buring and Russell Tovey to star in Banished
