Production to start in London in April

As part of Sky’s investment in original content, Sky 1 HD today (Friday 12 April, 2013) announces casting on its brand new drama THE SMOKE.  Jamie Bamber (Law & Order UK, Battlestar Galactica) will lead the cast, alongside Jodie Whittaker (Broadchurch), and Rhashan Stone (Strike Back). 

Written by Lucy Kirkwood (Skins), this eight part series follows the high-adrenaline adventures of White Watch, a team of London firefighters. Leading the crew is Kev (Bamber), a good man injured and betrayed during the worst fire of his career. Standing by Kev’s side as he returns to work is his gutsy girlfriend Trish (Whittaker) and his cocksure friend and fellow firefighter Mal (Stone). Other members of the crew include the hapless but charming Little Al (Gerard Kearns, Shameless), the fearless Ziggy (Pippa Bennett-Warner, Lewis) and the mysterious new boy Dennis (Taron Egerton, Lewis). 

THE SMOKE is a high octane, emotionally gripping, funny and occasionally outrageous ensemble drama about what it’s really like to be a firefighter in Britain today. And it’s tough trying to be a hero in a world that dismisses and disregards heroes. But whatever White Watch might go through, they are never beaten down, and they are always able to fall back on one another. As irreverent and emotionally charged as it is thrilling, you’ll never before have seen a show about firefighters quite like THE SMOKE.  

Sky 1 HD’s THE SMOKE is part of Sky’s commitment to increase its investment in original British content by 50% by 2014, when Sky expects to invest £600 million a year in British programmes across its portfolio of channels.  This commitment follows the success of home-grown content such as entertainment hits GOT TO DANCE and A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, dramas such as STRIKE BACK and MAD DOGS, comedies such as TROLLIED and STELLA and factual shows such as AN IDIOT ABROAD and the BAFTA-winning documentary FLYING MONSTERS 3D.

The 8x60’ series was commissioned by Sky’s Head of Drama, Anne Mensah, and will be produced by Kudos Film and TV. The Executive Producers are Jane Featherstone and Noelle Morris for Kudos Film and TV and Mensah for Sky. The series will be directed by Mike Barker (Silent Witness, Moby Dick) and produced by Chris Fry (Mayday, Spooks). 

THE SMOKE will air on Sky 1 HD in early 2014

Notes to editor

About Sky

Sky is the UK and Ireland’s leading home entertainment and communications company. Around 40% of all homes have a direct relationship with Sky through its range of TV, broadband and home telephony services.  

Sky is the UK’s biggest investor in television content, investing more than £2.3 billion a year in channels such as Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Living, Sky Arts, Sky Sports, Sky Movies and Sky News.   Around two-thirds of Sky’s content spend is invested in the UK and Sky is the fastest-growing source of investment in original British programmes. More than 30 million people watch Sky content each week.

Alongside its commitment to offering customers a greater choice of high-quality content, Sky is a leading innovator. Customers enjoy total control and flexibility over their favourite TV through Sky+, watch TV on the move through Sky Go, and enjoy the best quality TV experience at home through High Definition and 3D.   

Since launching Sky 3D in October 2010 Sky has broken new ground across a range of genres, including natural history, live music, the arts, spots and movies. Highlights have included previous David Attenborough 3D projects Flying Monsters 3D, The Bachelor King 3D, Kingdom of Plants 3D as well as live 3D broadcasts of a number of musical and dance performances including the Got To Dance Live Final and Kylie Minogue Live From The O2, the 3D TV world premieres of Avatar, Alice in Wonderland and the Toy Story Trilogy as well as more than 150 live sports broadcast spanning a range of domestic and international sports.

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Sky believes in making a wider contribution to the communities in which it operates by taking positive action on the environment, supporting grassroots sports and increasing access to, and participation in, the arts. Sky employs 23,000 people, has annual revenues of £6.8 billion and is estimated to support a £5.4 billion contribution to UK GDP. Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (BSY). www.sky.com/corporate.