Simon Crawford Collins’ independent production company Slim Film + Television, which was set up in November 2011 to produce high-end drama, scripted comedy and major international co-productions, has won its first commission. BBC Two has ordered a 90 minute one-off film titled Legacy, a gripping espionage thriller set during the height of the Cold War in 1970s London which will be produced by the indie. The drama will form part of BBC Two’s season of programmes exploring the history of the Cold War.
Based on Alan Judd’s novel, Legacy was written by The Politician’s Husband scribe Paula Milne and tells the compelling story of young spy Charles Thoroughgood who discovers the disturbing truth about his father’s complex past. The one-off was commissioned by BBC Two Controller Janice Hadlow and the BBC’s Controller of Drama Ben Stephenson. The executive producers are Lucy Richer, Simon Crawford Collins, Paula Milne and Alan Judd. Dredd helmer Pete Travis is attached to direct. BBC Worldwide is handling international distribution.
“My two guiding principles when I set up Slim was that I would only work on projects that I was absolutely passionate about and with people who I love working with. Legacy couldn’t tick those boxes more emphatically”, sais Simon Crawford Collins, Managing Director of Slim Film + Television. “Alan Judd’s brilliant novel was recommended to me by a senior intelligence officer as simply the best book to capture what it really felt like to be a spy during the Cold War. Paula Milne has written a wonderfully tense and intriguing screenplay based on this book and I’m delighted that Slim have brought Paula and Pete back together again – for the first time since Endgame. I know they will collaborate to produce something truly exceptional.”
Ben Stephenson, Controller of Drama Commissioning at the BBC, added: “Legacy is a brilliant twist on a classic genre – a Cold War spy thriller with an emotional beating heart. We have worked with Simon for many years and we are delighted that the BBC has commissioned the first project to come out of Slim.”
