It must have been a couple of years ago now that we first heard rumours about Outcasts, a deep space SF show being developed by Kudos, the production company Life On Mars and Spooks. But then everything went a bit quiet and we assumed the project had quietly been shelved.
Then today, out of the blue the BBC issued the following press release. Exciting or what?
"Following on from the innovative and era-defining hits Spooks, Hustle and Life On Mars, Kudos Film & TV is moving into another new world. BBC One has commissioned a new eight-part drama series, Outcasts.
"Created by Ben Richards (Spooks, The Fixer, Party Animals), Outcasts is set on a recently-discovered planet and tells of the dilemmas, loves and lives of a group of people setting up a new world.
"This life-sustaining planet is now home to the surviving population from Earth. Here there is a chance to start again, to bring the lessons learnt from Earth and to put them into action on a new planet.
"Set in 2040, Outcasts begins on the day the last known transporter from Earth arrives, prompting great excitement on the new planet: Who is on board? Friends and loved ones? Important supplies and news from Earth? But also many questions: Will the new people bring the problems of Earth with them? Will the mistakes that destroyed Earth be repeated? Will the arrival of a new, would-be leader, rock the fragile and precarious equilibrium of our fresh, unified and courageous new world?
"And, most importantly of all, how do you create a new and a better world?
"This commission marks the latest high-profile scripted drama Kudos has produced for the BBC over the past decade, including such popular, award-winning shows as Spooks, Hustle, Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes.
Simon Crawford Collins, joint MD of Kudos and executive producer of Outcasts, said: 'We have a long and highly-successful working relationship with the BBC forged on such shows as Spooks, Hustle and Life On Mars and are really excited about continuing this on Outcasts. Outcasts is as original, contemporary and compelling as our past shows but will take viewers into a new world, literally, as it explores humans' drive for power, politics and sex in this new post-Earth era."
"Outcasts is an 8 x 60-minute series and will be produced by Richard Fell (Inspector Lynley, Blood & Oil, Fantabulosa) and directed by Bharat Nalluri (Tsunami, Spooks, Hustle, Life On Mars).
"Shooting starts in South Africa in April 2010 with casting to be confirmed."
With Kudos’s track record, we're hopeful this could turn out to be something pretty darned good.
