{"id":334544,"date":"2026-02-13T01:36:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T01:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/334544\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T01:36:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T01:36:08","slug":"channel-4-sets-drama-slate-with-close-to-home-and-the-siege","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/334544\/","title":{"rendered":"Channel 4 Sets Drama Slate With ‘Close to Home’ and ‘The Siege’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe U.K.\u2019s Channel 4<\/a> has unveiled three new dramas from some of the territory\u2019s most exciting creatives, including actor Anthony Boyle<\/a>, \u201cSlow Horses\u201d showrunner Will Smith and production company Roughcut TV.<\/p>\n

\n\tFirst up is four-part series \u201cClose to Home,\u201d starring Boyle and produced by Element Pictures (\u201cBugonia\u201d). Based on Michael Magee\u2019s novel, it tells the story of Belfast-born Sean, who returns to the city after university and soon slides back into bad habits. But his life is turned upside down when one night he assaults a stranger at a party.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cClose to Home\u201d goes into production on location in Belfast later this month, directed by \u201cCode of Silence\u201d helmer Diarmuid Goggins. Joining Boyle, who has appeared in \u201cMasters of the Air\u201d and \u201cHouse of Guinness,\u201d are Jessica Reynolds (\u201cA Woman of Substance\u201d), Seamus O\u2019Hara (\u201cHouse of Guinness\u201d) and Ois\u00edn Thompson (\u201cTrespasses\u201d). Magee is adapting the novel while Fremantle are distributing.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201c\u2018Close To Home\u2019 explores the emotionally rich landscape of West Belfast through the eyes of Sean, played by the fantastic Anthony Boyle,\u201d said Channel 4 commissioning editor Gemma Boswell. \u201cWe\u2019re delighted to showcase Mick\u2019s beautiful writing with this timely and evocative story of a young generation finding their place in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tNext is \u201cThe Siege,\u201d based on Ben Macintyre\u2019s best-selling book and adapted by \u201cSlow Horses\u201d scribe Will Smith. \u201cRivals\u201d star Danny Dyer<\/a> is joined by David Morrissey (\u201cSherwood\u201d) and Motaz Malhees (\u201c200 Metres\u201d) in the six-part series. Directed by \u201cTime\u201d helmer Lewis Arnold, it tells the story of the 1990 siege of the Iranian embassy in London, when 26 people were taken hostage. As the highly tense situation unfolded over six days, the U.K.\u2019s special forces unit, the SAS, set out how to break the siege while the whole world was watching.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe show is a heart-stopping, emotional thriller that reveals the little-known motivations of the hapless hostage-takers and the very human reality of what went on inside the embassy as the world looked on and Britain\u2019s most lethal soldiers practiced their high stakes assault,\u201d said Channel 4 chief content office Ian Katz. \u201cIt will change the way people understand the siege and reveal how close the famous SAS operation came to disaster. We\u2019re thrilled to be working with Will Smith, Ben Macintyre, Lewis Arnold, Patrick Spence and the remarkable cast. This major commission underlines Channel 4\u2019s commitment to dialling up exceptional drama in its slate of original British programming.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe series will mark the first co-production between ARTE France and Channel 4, with NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution distributing.<\/p>\n

\n\tRounding out the drama slate is six-part drama \u201cWrong Move\u201d from Roughcut TV. Created by Ben Edwards (\u201cComa\u201d), it\u2019s a dark comedy about \u201cthree families bound by one fatal mistake.\u201d It follows three families in a house buying\/selling chain who find themselves entangled with a psychopath. Channel 4\u2019s interim head of drama calls it a \u201cgripping, bold thriller\u201d that \u201ccleverly exposes just how high the stakes can be within the property chain and how much of a roller\u2011coaster the process becomes for our characters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe series will go into production this spring with casting to be announced later. Fremantle will distribute the series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The U.K.\u2019s Channel 4 has unveiled three new dramas from some of the territory\u2019s most exciting creatives, including…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":334545,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[265],"tags":[11548,6016,21641,18,117,19,17,128],"class_list":{"0":"post-334544","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-anthony-boyle","9":"tag-channel-4","10":"tag-danny-dyer","11":"tag-eire","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-tv"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116060761932922116","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=334544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/334545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}