BBC Announces New Dramas: ‘Shy & Lola,’ ‘D-Notice,’ and ‘1536’

The BBC has greenlit three new drama series for BBC iPlayer and BBC One: the darkly comic thriller Shy & Lola, the political intrigue of D-Notice, and the historical drama 1536. Production is underway or imminent for all three projects, promising a diverse range of storytelling for audiences.

‘Shy & Lola’: A Coastal Crime Story

Shy & Lola is a six-part contemporary drama penned by Amanda Coe, the writer behind Apple Tree Yard and The Trial of Christine Keeler. Produced by Clerkenwell Films (known for Baby Reindeer and The End of the F***ing World), the series follows Shy and Lola, two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves entangled in the criminal underworld of a small coastal town in the North of England.

Hayley Squires (The Night Manager, I, Daniel Blake) will star as Shy, a cleaner with aspirations of a new life in Portugal. Bel Powley (A Small Light, The Diary of a Teenage Girl) will play Lola, an ex-model-turned-grifter. Filming is scheduled to begin this spring in Hull and Leeds, based on the French television drama Cheyenne and Lola. Hollywood Reporter

‘D-Notice’: Investigative Journalism and National Security

D-Notice, a six-part British political thriller, comes from writers and executive producers Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn, the creators of The Salisbury Poisonings and Blue Lights. The series, developed under their new label Hot Sauce, explores the world of investigative journalism and the complexities of national security. The “D-Notice” refers to a mechanism used by the government to advise journalists on matters of national security. Deadline

BBC Drama boss Lindsay Salt has compared the series to thrillers like State of Play, emphasizing the BBC’s commitment to supporting Patterson and Lawn’s creative work.

‘1536’: Tudor England and Royal Scandal

1536, an eight-part drama for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, is based on Ava Pickett’s play of the same name. Written by Pickett and produced by Drama Republic (Riot Women, One Day), the series is set in Tudor England during the arrest of Anne Boleyn. The story centers around three young women – Anna, Mariella, and Jane – whose lives are irrevocably changed by the unfolding royal scandal.

Pickett expressed her pride in the project and its relevance to contemporary audiences, noting how decisions made in power impact everyone. Salt described the series as “visceral, funny, provocative, timely and full of courage,” and praised Pickett as an “exceptional voice.”