The second coproduction of BBC Worldwide and Polish Television after their coproduction of the series Spies of Warsaw, includes Polish artists on set and behind camera.
The deal with TVP was brokered by BBC Worldwide and Apple Film Production in Poland. Leading Polish production company Apple Film Production led by Dariusz Jabłoński will act as the Polish coproducer on the series for TVP. BBC Worldwide is the global distributor for the series.
The Passing Bells tells the story of WWI through the eyes of two very ordinary and very young men who enlist in a war they expect will be over within months. As the conflict unfolds, so do the boys’ stories as they grow up amid the horror of war, lose their friends and find love.
The cast includes two young actors, Paddy Gibson and Jack Lowden and their war girlfriends: Sabrina Bartlett and Polish actress Erika Markuszewska, a student of the Warsaw Theatre School making her screen debut.
The Passing Bells was written by award-winning writer Tony Jordan and is produced by Red Planet Pictures.
“This is a hugely important project for British television in this,” said Jordan, owner of Red Planet Pictures, “the centenary of the First World War, a conflict that shaped Europe as we know it today. It was always going to be vital to find a meaningful European partner for this project and working with TVP is something Red Planet is very excited about.”
Juliusz Braun, President of TVP, said, “The first coproduction with BBC, The Spies of Warsaw, was very well received internationally and, importantly, by Polish viewers. This is why we have again embarked on a joint project to produce The Passing Bells.”
Dariusz Jabłoński of Apple Film Production said, “With its international experience and reputation, Apple Film Production brings the best international projects and TVP, the public broadcaster with a vision, courage and ambition to take the Polish audiences into the world of international TV drama, is boldly taking the challenge, which makes the collaboration with BBC possible. We are now meeting for the second time to produce a project written by an outstanding British scriptwriter Tony Jordan and his Red Planet Pictures. Moreover, all the filming will be done in Poland by an international team of outstanding artists, including several Poles and we are very proud of this. Lastly, each zloty spent by TVP on this series will be matched by four zlotys spent by foreign producers in Poland.”
The Passing Bells is directed by Brendan Maher, an award-winning Australian director. The project’s cinematographers areJacek Petrycki, multiple award winner in Poland and BAFTA laureate for The Betrayed, and Tomasz Naumiuk, a rising young cinematographer. Ashleigh Jeffres will be the scenographer working with Ewa Skoczkowska, an award-winning (EMMY) Polish scenographer.
Commissioned by Ben Stephenson, Controller BBC Drama and Danny Cohen, Former Director of Television, BBC, The Passing Bells will form a key part of BBC One’s programming to mark the centenary of World War One and will appear on Poland’s national broadcaster (TVP) in November 2014 to coincide with celebrations to mark the rebirth of the Polish nation at the end of World War One.
