BBC America, BBC One Team on New Supernatural Drama

BBC America and BBC One are teaming on a paranormal drama, The Living and the Dead.

Co-produced by BBC Wales Drama Production and BBC America in association with Monastic Productions for BBC One, The Living and The Dead will span six, one-hour episodes. The show will be written by Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham, co-creators and writers of Life on Mars, Ashes To Ashes and Eternal Law.

Set in Somerset, England circa 1888, the story is centered in a land and a community on the edge of monumental change, on the great hinge between ancient traditional ways and an industrial, scientific future. A land of ghosts and myths, poltergeists and demons - if there was ever a time for those ghosts to rise out of the ground, this would be that time.  At the heart of this small community is Nathan Appleby, a reluctant gentleman farmer who is obsessed with proving the existence of the afterlife. He will investigate hauntings, paranormal happenings, and ghostly visitations, encouraged by the Society for Psychical Research. But as these terrifying investigations become ever more frequent and ever more scary, Appleby starts to see and hear disturbing things that he simply cannot have imagined.

“We are as excited about this show as anything since Life On Mars and Ashes to Ashes – we want it to be moving, tender, sensual…and very, very scary,” said Pharoah and Graham.

Richard De Croce, senior vice president of programming, BBC America noted: “We look forward to teaming up once again with Ashley Pharoah, Matthew Graham and our colleagues in the BBC on a drama that will haunt and thrill our Supernatural Saturday audience.”

The Living and the Dead is slated to be filmed in the West Country of England next year, with casting and premiere dates to be announced in due time.