Put the Rosé on ice, and enjoy bad things in beautiful places. Murder in Provence with the wonderful Roger Allam and Nancy Carroll debuts on ITV Sunday 17th July.
I directed episodes 1 and 2, 90 minutes each. We did get to film in Aix-en-Provence but over 80% of it was shot in Covid era Didcot.
Season 3 Harlots is here on the BBC! This was a special job for me. Amazing writing, cast, crew, production, post and some lasting partnerships to come out of it. I directed episodes 4,5,6.
Today we hear from director Geoffrey Sax about filming new BBC drama Us across Europe before Covid-19 struck, exec producer Tim Key and Red Planet Pictures joint MD Alex Jones on getting back to work on Death In Paradise, and director Chloë Thomas about psychological drama The Deceived.
From the creator of award-winning Northern Irish sitcom Derry Girls comes The Deceived, a four-part series for the UK’s Channel 5 that blends horror and psychological drama to tell the story of a university student who falls in love with her married lecturer, before a shocking death leaves her in a world where she can no longer trust her own mind.
Director Chloë Thomas, whose credits included ITV/Hulu drama Harlots, speaks with Michael Pickard about the making of the series, from finding inspiration in Alfred Hitchcock and filming in Belfast to casting Normal People breakout star Paul Mescal and working with crew from Game of Thrones crew on some extraordinary stunts.
C21FM is live 24/7, with a new block of interviews starting at 10am BST every day at c21fmradio.com. You can download the audio on the C21 Podcast by CLICKING HERE.
(A great thing about) filming in Northern Ireland is Game of Thrones has created a generation of amazing technicians and filmmakers. They’ve set fire to so much shit ... they just know how to do it so well." Thanks to Michael Pickard editor of Drama Quarterly for interviewing me about The Deceived, Harlots, fire and beefs….
See full article here
Sex in the Daily Mail. What a turn up. Harlots has been bought by the BBC !
BBC Two is set air all three series of the critically acclaimed period drama Harlots, acquired by the channel from ITV Studios.
Samantha Morton, 43, Lesley Manville, 64, and Jessica Brown Findlay, 30, star in the series, which is produced by Monumental Pictures, part of ITV Studios.
Liv Tyler, 43, joins the cast in series two and three.
I directed 4,5,6 in series 3.
A young English student called Ophelia falls in love with her married lecturer, Michael. When their affair results in a shocking and tragic death, Ophelia finds herself trapped, and she can no longer trust her own mind.
Created by Tobias Beer, Lisa McGee (Derry Girls)
Director Chloe Thomas
Producer Imogen O'Sullivan
Cinematography Donna Wade
Music Hannah Peel
Production Co: New Pictures
SELF ISOLATION. SOCIAL DISTANCING. It's nothing new to recent graduates. There are no jobs. They haven't come out of their bedrooms for years. And they know all about HOMESCHOOLING - because they teach other people's kids.
A comedy pilot I made - KNOWLEDGE SELLER - written and starring very funny new comic Rob Oldham seems weirdly prophetic now about how recent graduates are scraping by. Knowledge Seller ep1 on YouTube
KNOWLEDGE SELLER is a pilot comedy series based on new comic Rob Oldham’s real life experiences as a personal tutor.
SAM (aka Knowledge Seller) is in thousands of pounds in debt from his education, so he's willing to sell his brain to anyone who’s paying. Anxious parents hire Sam to get their kids through exams. But adults also need his help: office worker Steve - a man with a taste for hard core philosophy. And Lily - a young woman with a secret.
SAM (aka the Knowledge Seller) is actually pretty good at tutoring - he’s got bookshelf wallpaper behind his head so he looks absolutely legit on Zoom. He’s been homeschooling other peoples’ kids since he left uni.
KNOWLEDGE SELLER is about our online life and the chasm between what we project to the outside world (happy, successful, baking sourdough bread) and what we really are (broke, depressed, inhaling pot noodles).
Written by and Starring Rob Oldham
Featuring : Tim Atkin, Jessye Romeo, El Anthony, Sukie Smith
Director and Co-Creator Chloë Thomas
Producer Alex Rühl
Camera Justin Evans
A one glove films production
Lisa McGee - who created and wrote the superb Derry Girls, talks about The Deceived, co-written with her husband Tobias. Directed by me ! link to Stylist article here
I spy a shot from my latest series: The Deceived, a 4 part thriller from writers Lisa McGee and Tobias Beer, in the latest Freeview commercial. About 10 seconds in, a very intense look from Emily Reid, to a very intense guy - Emmett Scanlan. link here
Roundheads and Cavaliers has been featured by the British Comedy Guide!
Cambridge Film Festival Shorts to Elevate
Roundheads and Cavaliers at the Cambridge Film Festival. Shorts to Elevate
“At her first historical reenactment Alice finds herself caught between a Roundhead and a Cavalier.”
The Deceived - in Broadcast magazine
Broadcast Magazine International Drama Hot Picks 27- March
“A compelling, sinister narrative of lust, manipulation and betrayal, the central character in The Deceived is English student Ophelia (Emily Reid – Curfew), who falls in love with her married lecturer, seeing in him all the answers to her needs. When their affair results in a shocking and tragic death, Ophelia finds herself trapped in a world where she can no longer trust her own mind.
Emmett J. Scanlan (Krypton, Peaky Blinders, The Fall) plays the timelessly attractive and charismatic English lecturer Dr Michael Callaghan; Catherine Walker (Shetland, Versailles) plays his wife Roisin, a successful, award-winning fiction writer; Eleanor Methven (Little Women) plays Roisin’s devoted and sometimes overbearing mother Mary Mulvery; Ian McElhinney (Game of Thrones, Derry Girls) is Michael’s father Hugh fighting the oncoming tide of dementia; Shelley Conn (Liar) plays Roisin’s best friend Ruth, intelligent and loyal, and Dempsey Bovell (Patrick Melrose) is Michael’s confidante and biggest admirer, Matthew.
Writers Lisa McGee and Tobias Beer say: “We always had a ‘dream cast’ in mind when we began working on the show, but never imagined we would end up with them actually on board. With the brilliant Chloe Thomas directing, we are thrilled to have the story in such gifted hands.”
The Deceived is directed by Chloe Thomas (Harlots, Victoria), produced by Imogen O’Sullivan and executive produced by Charlie Hampton (The Spanish Princess), Charlie Pattinson (Catherine the Great, The Missing), Lisa McGee and Tobias Beer.”
Read the RTS East article here
I was very pleased to be invited to talk to RTS East members and ARU students about directing. Thank you Anglia Ruskin University and senior lecturer and film-maker Hans Petch for the questions. Nice mention of DP Nicola Daley too!
“Thomas’s passion for storytelling underpins everything she does. Sharp and insightful in conversation, the director discussed her enjoyment of filming larger-scale dramas such as Victoria and working with the highly creative cinematographer Nicola Daley on the sumptuous Harlots, which tells the story of 18th century sex workers in London.
She also discussed the challenges facing a new director brought on board an established series and how she tries to make her own mark.”
I actually got a thrill. Seeing Keyed Alike listed in Encounters Festival (VR Lates, 20:30 Wed 20 September WATERSIDE 3) made it really real. It has my name there as Director but it should have all our names: Producer and the reasonwhyIgotintoVRinthefirst place Alex Ruhl and Casting Wonder Woman Coralie Rose. We didn't know each other a year ago. And now we've made 1 VR film and a comedy pilot.
from the Encounters programme notes: "One of VR’s most exciting qualities is its powerful ability to foster feelings of intimacy. In her Together strand, guest curator Catherine Allen sets out to reclaim intimacy in VR from commercial VR porn’s male gaze. Experience work at the cutting edge of VR culture that takes you through different stages of a relationship. In curating Together Catherine sets out to demonstrate what VR is capable of in terms of showing the nuances of human relationships, sensuality and sexuality."
