New Victorian drama in the works from creators of Miss Scarlet and the Duke
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The team behind PBS/Masterpiece series Miss Scarlet and The Duke is developing a new Victorian drama called Fitz & Merryweather, about two detectives in 19th century London.
The series reunites the creators, Ben Edwards (right) and Rachael New (below), with exec producers Patty Lenahan Ishimoto and Patrick Irwin. Pre-sales are being handled by Abacus Media Rights (AMR), an Amcomri Entertainment company.
Fitz & Merryweather is set against the backdrop of mid-1800s London, and sees the hero detectives investigate cases of murder, theft, blackmail and missing persons. London was expanding and changing rapidly at the time, with immigrants arriving from around the world in search of a better life. But when the new arrivals become the targets for a new breed of criminals, mismatched duo Fitz and Merryweather are called in…
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Edwards and New said: “We want to tell stories about the side of Victorian life you don’t see as much on screen. The one with every race, colour and creed represented.
"Stories about new arrivals coming to London from across the world, outsiders who have no-one to turn to when they find themselves in trouble.
“Our mission is to create a compelling and entertaining series that reflects the many aspects of Victorian society that are still relevant today. We'll work with a team of diverse writers from multiple backgrounds, people with unique personal perspectives from their own family histories.
"Our goal is to recreate what it was like to arrive in a new country as an immigrant in an age that saw abject poverty run alongside amazing advances in inventions, industry and medicine."
Jonathan Ford, managing director at AMR, added: “We are delighted to be on board this exciting project at the very beginning and we can’t wait to see more international partners join us on what we expect to be an incredible journey.
"Having joint showrunners with the experience and passion of Ben and Rachael along with their remarkable in-depth knowledge of the era means Fitz & Merryweather will be an outstanding drama franchise to be part of from the start.”
Miss Scarlet and the Duke image via PBS/Masterpiece.
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