Channel 5 has commissioned a new primetime drama based on CL Skelton’s best-selling ‘The Hardacre Saga’ novels.
Produced by Playground, makers of the channel’s All Creatures Great and Small, the new six-part series is set in 1890s Yorkshire and follows the lives, loves and fortunes of the Hardacre family as they move from a grimy fish dock to a vast country estate.
When an accident at work on the docks leaves Sam and Mary Hardacre unemployed and destitute, they have to think fast. In a bid to avoid the workhouse, the couple put their last penny into a radical business venture they hope will free them from their harsh existence on the quays of the North Yorkshire coast.
Filming will begin on location in Ireland later this year and casting will be announced in the coming weeks.
The series has been created for television by Amy Roberts and Loren McLaughlan who will serve as Lead Writers and Executive Producers.
Sebastian Cardwell, Deputy Chief Content Officer at Channel 5 owners Paramount UK, said: “Playground have a stellar reputation for bringing wonderful stories to life on Channel 5 and we are sure that The Hardacres will continue that success.
“Our viewers will love being transported back to 1890s Yorkshire, for this gutsy, heartwarming tale following the family through stories of love, ambition and the quest for happiness.”
David Stern, Executive Producer and Joint Managing Director of Playground added: “We’re thrilled to be further extending our fantastic partnership with Channel 5 to bring CL Skelton’s glorious novels to the screen.
“The Hardacres is a life affirming rags to riches story about a family overcoming all odds, but in their quest for financial success they rediscover that community, friendship and family are the most precious things in life.
“Amy and Loren have done a brilliant job adapting the novels into a television series filled with humour, poignancy and a timely spirit that will resonate greatly with today’s Channel 5 audience.”