Picnic At Hanging Rock is coming to the UK. BBC Two has secured the UK rights to the six episode Australian drama starring Natalie Dormer (Game Of Thrones) after striking a deal with international distributor FremantleMedia International. The series will premiere on BBC Two later this year.
Natalie Dormer plays Hester Appleyard, the enigmatic Headmistress of Appleyard College. “I’m excited that the BBC Two is bringing this magical reimagining of an Australian classic to the UK audience”, she said in a statement. It’s is a collaboration of which I’m very proud to be a part.”
Picnic At Hanging Rock tells the story of three adolescent girls and their governess who mysteriously go missing in the Australian bush after a sunny Valentine’s Day picnic in 1900. It follows the far-reaching impact of their disappearance on the students and staff of Appleyard College as theories start to circulate, paranoia sets in and long-held secrets surface, as the rock exerts its strange power and its unsolved mystery continues to spread.
The six episode series, which is based on Joan Lindsay’s novel, was originally commissioned by Australian broadcaster Foxtel’s Showcase channel and was adapted for television by Beatrix Christian and Alice Addison. In addition to Dormer, the cast also includes Lily Sullivan, Madeleine Madden, Samara Weaving, Ruby Rees, Yael Stone, Lola Bessis and Anna McGahan.
“This stylistically bold and atmospheric take on Picnic At Hanging Rock – led by one of Britain’s most exciting actors, Natalie Dormer – will be irresistible both to fans of the classic novel and to those coming to this mysterious story for the first time”. added the BBC’s Head of Programme Acquisition Sue Deeks, who brokered the deal with FremantleMedia International.
Check out a trailer for Picnic At Hanging Rock below:
