BBC announces new dark comedy drama

A new BBC drama will star Bel Powley and Hayley Squires as an “odd couple who get caught up in a murder”.

Filming on the dark comedy, named Shy & Lola, is set to begin this spring in and around Hull and Leeds, a BBC spokeswoman said.

The six part series will feature Everything I Know About Love star Powley opposite Squires, who can currently be seen in the second season of The Night Manager.

It is written by award-winning screenwriter and novelist Amanda Coe and produced by Clerkenwell Films, which is part of BBC Studios and was also behind Baby Reindeer.

The story follows Shy and Lola, described as “two very different women who are forced to become allies when a murder entangles them in the criminal underworld operating in Shy’s small coastal town in the North of England”.

As the series unfolds, it emerges that the “unlikely duo turn out to have a talent for crime”.

Further casting will be announced in due course.

Coe, who previously wrote the script for the BBC’s The Trial Of Christine Keeler, said: “With such a rich and spiky central relationship at its core, Shy & Lola is a dream of a show to write, full of fun, action and emotion.

“I can’t wait to see our hugely exciting cast and director bring it to life.”

Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, said: “Shy and Lola are an unlikely duo, the classic odd couple, who get caught up in a murder – and that’s just the start of it.

“Amanda Coe’s superb scripts will surprise and amuse viewers in equal measure, and with Clerkenwell producing and Hayley and Bel leading the cast, BBC viewers are in for a real treat.”

The series is based on the French TV drama Cheyenne and Lola and will be shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.