THE CADBURYS: FIRST LOOK IMAGES FROM NEW UKTV DRAMA EXPLORING THE STORY OF THE CADBURY FAMILY
A set of first look images have been released for The Cadburys (6x60’), the upcoming six-part series that tells the story of the Cadbury family, with Toby Regbo, Harry Gilby, Jessica Barden and Pearce Quigleystarring as Richard, George, Maria and John.
The first look images offer a glimpse at the Cadbury family in 1860s Birmingham, from George’s obsession to create the first solid eating cocoa, to the romance between Richard and Elizabeth Adlington (Poppy Gilbert) and the irresistible attraction between Maria and Francis Fry (Ben Hardy).
The images released also provide a first look at John Cadbury, Elizabeth’s mother, Dorothy (Joanna Scanlan), and fellow-inventor, Joseph Rowntree (Mathew Baynton).
The Cadburys (previously announced under the working title of Chocolate Wars) is a UKTV commission with BritBox and Sony Pictures Television, produced by Fable Pictures, in association with Alfresco Pictures, and written by Chloë Mi Lin Ewart (Curfew, All Creatures Great and Small, Beyond Paradise). Sony Pictures Television will handle worldwide sales as international distributor, with Creative UK providing regional support through the ERDF funded West Midlands Production Fund.
The first-look images will also be unveiled by Mayor Richard Parker on 8th October as part of the West Midlands Growth Summit. The Cadburys exemplifies the West Midlands' ambitions to grow and develop the regional creative industries sector, having been recognised as the country's newest screen production hub earlier this year.
The Mayor recently visited The Cadburys set during filming, and saw first-hand how top-level production comes together to tell the story of the visionary Cadbury family, the underdogs of the cocoa world, on their journey towards creating the world-famous Cadbury’s chocolate bar.
In 1860s Birmingham, when chocolate as we know it doesn’t yet exist, two very different brothers, Richard (Regbo) and George Cadbury (Gilby), find themselves in charge of their family’s failing cocoa business. Together, they have the radical genius and burning ambition to turn Cadbury into one of the world’s most beloved confectioners – if they can only learn to trust and rely on each other.
Their sister Maria (Barden) is navigating her own role within the family and the business, but things become even more complicated when she falls in love with Cadbury’s biggest rival, Francis Fry (Hardy) and is forced to question where her true loyalties really lie. Infused with historical delights and magical invention, The Cadburys is about how we build, break and rebuild the bonds of family - and how the sweetest things in life are rarely simple.
Helen Perry, head of drama commissioning at UKTV, said: "We're excited to reveal the first-look images from The Cadburys, a brilliant new feel-good drama inspired by one of Birmingham's most iconic stories. The series showcases the exceptional creative talent, locations and production expertise found across the West Midlands, while bringing a story with deep roots in the region to audiences across the UK and beyond...
"We're proud to be working with our partners to bring this major new drama to screen and champion the West Midlands as a centre for world-class television production.”
Filming recently concluded in Birmingham, with the series set to launch on free-streaming service U in 2027.
