Skip to main content

Bristol Live

New series from Netflix Adolescence creator being filmed in Bristol

The romantic Channel 4 drama series will star Keeley Hawes and Paapa Essiedu

Keeley Hawes(Image: Ian West/PA Wire)

A new romantic drama series from the co-creator of 'Adolescence' is being filmed in Bristol and is set to star Keeley Hawes and Paapa Essiedu.

The Channel 4 series from Jack Thorne, who co-created Netflix global hit 'Adolescence' alongside actor Stephen Graham, will see Keeley Hawes (The Durrells and Bodyguard) portray a nun (Sister Anna), who falls in love with a Catholic Priest named David, played by The Lazarus Project actor, Paapa Essiedu.


Thorne said: “I never thought I’d write a love story, but I am very excited to be making one with the brilliant (director) Peter Hoar.


“We feel so lucky we have persuaded the mighty (and lovely) Keeley Hawes, the brilliant (and also lovely) Paapa Essiedu and the most amazing company of (lovely) actors to come make this with us.”

The show, which is filming in Wales and Bristol and is titled 'Falling', will follow the reluctant lovers who are devoted to the church and its community.

They will be “forced to wrestle with what it means for them, their vows and their relationship with God”.

Article continues below

Also in the cast is 'Coma' actor Jason Watkins, 'Heartbeat' actress Niamh Cusack, 'Gavin And Stacey’s Adrian Scarborough, Susan Brown from 'Mr Bates vs The Post Office', and Vera Drake actress Sandra Voe.

Hawes, 49, said: “I’m thrilled to be taking on the role of Anna and so looking forward to working alongside the brilliant Paapa Essiedu to bring Jack Thorne’s beautiful scripts to life.”

Essiedu, 34, said: “Falling is a story that has Jack Thorne’s singular talent of mining the sublime out of the ordinary running all the way through. I can’t wait to work with Keeley, Peter and the rest of the team to bring this world to life.”


Thorne is also an executive producer on the six-part show alongside George Ormond and George Faber.

Joe Donaldson, who has worked on 'Cobra', 'Ripper Street' and 'Peaky Blinders', is the producer, and Peter Hoar, known for 'It’s A Sin', 'The Last of Us' and 'Umbrella Academy', will direct.

Thorne recently co-created the Netflix global hit 'Adolescence', which was at the top of worldwide viewing on the streaming platform for weeks, and has sparked national conversations about violence against girls.

Article continues below

The limited series, about a boy accused of killing a girl in his class, examines so-called incel (involuntary celibate) culture involving misogyny and bullying on social media.

Thorne and co-creator Stephen Graham spoke last month to Sir Keir Starmer at Downing Street about the issues and Netflix said it would make the series free to stream for all secondary schools in the UK.

Essiedu, known for 'Gangs Of London' and 'I Will Destroy You', is set to play Severus Snape in the upcoming Harry Potter TV show.

Follow Bristol Live:


TVChannel 4
reach logo

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.