CROOKHAVEN: CASTING ANNOUNCED, LED BY DOUGRAY SCOTT, FOR NEW BBC DRAMA

Dougray Scott (Crime, Exterritorial, Enigma, Vigil) will star in the upcoming 8 x 45’ BBC drama series Crookhaven.

Scott will play the role of Caspian Lockett, the headmaster and leader of the secretive Crookhaven, a school for crooks where students learn how to hone their skills in order to do good. Claire Forlani (Meet Joe Black, In The Name of The King, Industry) also joins the cast playing mysterious Carmen, the wife of Caspian [Scott].

Dougray says: “I am thrilled to get started on this fantastic family drama. I am really looking forward to working with all of the extremely talented people on this production and bringing this role to life.”

Joining Scott is an award-winning cast including Keith Allen (Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, Kingsman, Marcella, Bodies) and Naomi Wirthner (Slow Horses, Alex Rider) as well as an exciting ensemble of talent who play the high achieving, hand-picked Crookhaven students sharing credits such as Adolescence, Game of Thrones, Heartstopper and The Witcher.

Gabriel Avery, whose epic story we follow, is played by Lucas Leach (FBI International) alongside Headmaster’s daughter, Penelope, played by Carmel Laniado (The Witcher, Dolittle, A Christmas Carol).

The other Crooklings are played by Amari Bacchus (Adolescence); Leila Khan (Heartstopper, Death in Paradise); Sani Thabo (Casualty, Everything Now); Tipper Seifert-Cleveland (Cruella, Krypton, Game of Thrones); Aerona Shi (Goldie’s Oldies); Charlie Mann (Virdee, The Watched) and Rowan McIntosh (The Chelsea Detective). Also starring are Genesis Lynea (Silent Witness, Casualty, Death in Paradise), Alex Mugnaioni (Mr Sloane) and Imran Yusuf (Wanderlust, The Missing).

Created for television by Justin Young (Death In Paradise, Sandition, Dickensian, Ripper Street), this thrilling adventure is based on the hit global book series by JJ Arcanjo and is set in a school where students are trained to perfect their unusual skills to bring balance, justice and order to the outside world. It will premiere on BBC iPlayer early next year.

Screenwriter Justin Young says: “From the moment my daughters and I read the first Crookhaven book, I knew it had the potential to be a thrilling, timeless series for the whole family. Bringing the Crookhaven world to life has been a glorious adventure, and it’s both an honour and a thrill to be working with such an extraordinarily talented cast and crew — truly a dream mix of industry legends and dazzling new faces.”

Now translated into 20 languages, the books are being brought to life in this drama series full of twists and turns, filmed in a spectacular country estate in Northern Ireland. Centred around pickpocketing genius Gabriel and his archrival, headmaster’s daughter Penelope, the series follows a group of eight very different, young international students as they compete for the coveted Crooked Cup.

Full of wit, surprise and betrayal, the inter-school rivalry between the ‘Merits’, those selected for their deceptive talents, and the ‘Legacies’, students who come from generations of master thieves, comes to the fore as they go head to head in the competition for the infamous Crooked Cup – all while battling a terrifying enemy – The Nameless.

Patricia Hidalgo, Director BBC Children’s and Education says: “Crookhaven, an adaptation from the already successful books will make a gripping Kids & Family TV Drama series, with intriguing characters, ingenious plot twists and dark secrets. We know it will resonate strongly at home and abroad, and we could not be more excited to bring such high-end production together with tremendous wealth of acting talent to our line up.”

Tali Walters, Creative Director at BBC Studios Kids and Family productions, says: “Dougray’s track record of portraying characters who operate in morally grey areas, to which he brings intensity and emotional complexity, matches perfectly with the spirit of Caspian...

"Alongside Dougray we have an exciting ensemble of young talent, the next generation of actors already making their mark and I’m incredibly proud of the cast we’ve put together. It is testament to the exceptional scripts penned by Justin and the fantastic storytelling of JJ, who has created multidimensional and memorable characters, that will resonate with audiences of all ages.”

Crookhaven is made by BBC Studios Kids & Family Productions.