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DISNEY+ ANNOUNCE CASTING FOR UK ORIGINAL ADVENTURE SERIES ‘THE BALLAD OF RENEGADE NELL’
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LONDON, UK (26 August 2022) Disney+ today announced casting for The Ballad of Renegade Nell, a Lookout Point original adventure series for Disney+, directed by Ben Taylor (Sex Education, Catastrophe). Louisa Harland (Derry Girls) plays the title role of Nell, a quick-witted and courageous young woman who finds herself framed for murder and unexpectedly becomes the most notorious highwaywoman in 18th Century England.
Newcomers Bo Bragason and Florence Keen star as her two younger sisters Roxy and George who, along with a plucky but prickly little spirit called Billy Blind, played by Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso), help Nell as she realises that fate has put her on the wrong side of the law for a reason much bigger than she could’ve ever imagined.
Adrian Lester (Trigger Point, Mary Queen of Scots) plays Nell’s formidable adversary the Earl of Poynton, a master political schemer and manipulator. The Earl joins forces with Sofia Wilmot, played by Alice Kremelberg (The Sinner), a young widow with thwarted ambitions whose quest for independence becomes indelibly entwined with Nell’s own. Frank Dillane (The Essex Serpent, Fear the Walking Dead) also joins the cast as charming rogue Charles Devereux, whilst Craig Parkinson (Line of Duty, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch) stars as Sam Trotter, Nell’s kind-hearted, widowed father.
Joely Richardson (Nip/Tuck) plays eccentric newspaper magnate Lady Eularia Moggerhanger, whilst Pip Torrens (The Crown, Poldark) appears as Lord Blancheford – the father of Sofia and her feckless, bullying brother Thomas, who is played by Jake Dunn (Get Even). Enyi Okoronkwo (The Lazarus Project, Giri/Haji) also stars as Rasselas, a spirited stable boy who joins Nell and her sisters on the run in his own bid for freedom.
The Ballad of Renegade Nell is a swashbuckling new action and fantasy adventure series from BAFTA-award-winning writer and executive producer Sally Wainwright (Gentleman Jack, Happy Valley), with eight episodes of 45 minutes each. The series is produced by Lookout Point as a Disney+ UK original series. Also directing will be Amanda Brotchie (Gentleman Jack) and MJ Delaney (Ted Lasso).
Executive Producers for Lookout Point, who are owned by BBC Studios, are Faith Penhale, Will Johnston and Louise Mutter. Executive Producer for Disney+ is VP, Scripted Content, EMEA Johanna Devereaux. Jon Jennings is Series Producer and Stella Merz is Producer.
Across EMEA alone, Disney’s International Content and Operations team plan to create 60 local productions by 2024, continuing to work with outstanding creators and premium producers as part of the company’s commitment to source, develop and produce high-quality original productions from around the globe.
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About Lookout Point
Led by Faith Penhale, Lookout Point is one of the UK’s leading producers, known for creating distinctive, ambitious scripted television with global impact. Their latest work is the second series of Sally Wainwright’s Bafta-nominated and RTS-award winning Gentleman Jack for BBC One and HBO, starring Suranne Jones and Sophie Rundle, which aired in Spring 22. Other recent titles include the ground-breaking adaptation of A Suitable Boy (2020) directed by Mira Nair, Les Misérables (2019) starring Dominic West, David Oyelowo and Lily Collins and War & Peace (2016) starring Paul Dano, Lily James and James Norton, all by Andrew Davies and for the BBC. Series 5 of Sally Wainwright’s award-winning and much loved BBC series Last Tango in Halifax, starring Anne Reid MBE and Sir Derek Jacobi, aired in 2020. Coming up are the eight-part swashbuckling 18th century family adventure The Ballad of Renegade Nell for Disney+, and the third and the final series of Happy Valley, starring Sarah Lancashire and James Norton for BBC and AMC. Both written and created by BAFTA award winning Sally Wainwright. In addition, the company is soon to air their co-production with Boffola Pictures Am I Being Unreasonable? written by and starring BAFTA award winning Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli for the BBC. Lookout Point holds a minority stake in Shane Allen and Kate Daughton’s comedy focused production company Boffola Pictures, and partners with them on a number of projects. The company is owned by BBC Studios.
DISNEY+ MEDIA RELATIONS
Lauren Goddard