Lookout Point continues to expand and strengthen its drama production business, putting in place its core creative team and following this week’s announcement of the greenlight of Andrew Davies’ adaptation of Les Misérables for BBC.
Following the appointment of former BBC executive, Faith Penhale as joint CEO in February this year, Lookout Point has boosted the creative team further and hired Laura Lankester as Head of Development. Lankester is joined by Will Johnston as Development Executive and together with Penhale they are building a slate of writer driven projects. The creative team, who produced the BBC’s landmark adaptation of War and Peace, are excited to be reunited to produce Les Misérables. Another recent addition to the Lookout Point team is Cahal Bannon as Head of Production.
Current and upcoming productions include Press, a bold new contemporary series set in the world of newspapers created and written by Mike Bartlett (Doctor Foster), being produced for the BBC as a co-production with Nigel Stafford Clark’s Deep Indigo and BBC Studios. To Walk Invisible, a single BBC drama written and directed by Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax), telling the story of the lives of the Brontë sisters. As well as Andrew Davies’ adaptation of Victor Hugo’s epic and searingly relevant Les Misérables for the BBC in partnership with the Weinstein Company. All three major productions are co-produced with BBC Studios and distributed by BBC Worldwide under the terms of its partnership with Lookout Point.
Faith Penhale, Joint CEO of Lookout Point, says:
“This is a really exciting new chapter for Lookout Point. I’m lucky enough to be working with a first rate creative team who all have a shared talent and passion for drama and together to be growing a slate of brilliant and innovative authored projects. To already be working with Andrew Davies, Mike Bartlett and Sally Wainwright on these three BBC commissions in my first few months with the company is a huge privilege and, alongside nurturing some new drama voices, it points to the kind of work we are looking to be doing in this exciting new era of the company.”
The company is also in production on The Collection, from US showrunner Oliver Goldstick (Pretty Little Liars, Ugly Betty). The hugely ambitious series is set in a post war Parisian fashion house and is being produced by Lookout Point for Amazon Prime and France Television. In addition, series 5 of Ripper Street is underway in partnership with Tiger Aspect for BBC and Amazon.
Simon Vaughan, Joint CEO says:
“We have taken a quantum leap in terms of our creative and production capacity and are significantly building on our proven reputation in global drama financing. Faith is assembling a world class team and a writer driven slate that has taken us to the next level.”
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Penhale lifts lid on Lookout Point