Lookout Point, the production company behind BBC/HBO hit Gentleman Jack, today announced a new commission from Disney. The Ballad of Renegade Nell, a swashbuckling 18th Century family adventure series written by multi-BAFTA Award-winning writer Sally Wainwright (Gentleman Jack, Happy Valley) leads the slate of UK originals announced for the entertainment giant’s hugely successful global SVOD platform, Disney+.
When she’s framed for murder, Nell Jackson is forced into a life of highway robbery, along with her two orphaned sisters Roxanne and George. Aided by a plucky little spirit called Billy Blind, Nell realises that fate has put her on the wrong side of the law for a reason, a reason much bigger than she could’ve ever imagined, a reason that goes right up to Queen Anne and beyond, to the struggle for power raging across the battlefields of Europe.
Executive produced by Sally Wainwright, and Faith Penhale and Will Johnston from BBC Studios-backed Lookout Point, this 8 x 45min series will be a stylish, witty and surprising romp from one of the UK’s most acclaimed series creators.
Writer and Executive Producer Sally Wainwright says: “I can’t wait to bring swashbuckling highwaywoman Nell Jackson to the screen. Nell’s a ball of irreverent, blustering energy, fighting against the privileged gatekeepers of English society in 1705, battling to contain mysterious forces within her and her enemies as she goes on the run with her two sisters. It’s a thrill once again to work with Faith Penhale and the super-talented team at Lookout Point. I’m so excited to partner with Disney Plus for this series, with their supportive approach and magnificent commitment to bringing this three-hundred-year-old story to the biggest possible global audience.”
Lookout Point CEO and Executive Producer Faith Penhale adds: “In Nell Jackson Sally has conjured up yet another instantly iconic female lead. Her wit, warmth and boundless capacity for invention will make our journey through Nell’s riotous imagined life a very special ride indeed and viewers of all ages around the world will love the way Sally blends history and magic to create an utterly original, endlessly entertaining world. I’m delighted to be working on this series with Disney Plus. It’s a cutting-edge platform built on a great history, with enormous reach and class, and a dream home for our highwaywoman.”
About Lookout Point
Lookout Point, which is owned by BBC Studios, is one of the UK’s leading television producers, known for delivering highly authored scripted series with scale, ambition, and global impact. Their Bafta-nominated show Gentleman Jack, created by Sally Wainwright for BBC One and HBO, recently started shooting its second series having won the RTS Award for Best Drama Series. 2020 also saw their ground-breaking adaptation of A Suitable Boy from Andrew Davies and renowned film director Mira Nair air on BBC and Netflix. Alongside Les Misérables starring Dominic West, David Oyelowo and Lily Collins (2019) and the hugely acclaimed production of Tolstoy’s masterpiece War & Peace (2016) this completes a trilogy of world classics from Andrew Davies for the BBC. Earlier this year Lookout Point also produced Series 5 of Sally Wainwright’s award-winning and much loved BBC series Last Tango in Halifax, starring Anne Reid MBE and Sir Derek Jacobi.
About BBC Studios
BBC Studios, a global content company with bold British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group. Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, its activities span content financing, development, production, sales, branded services, and ancillaries across both its own productions, and programmes and formats made by high-quality UK independents. Award-winning British programmes made by the business are internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, with brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, Top Gear, Doctor Who and Bluey. BBC Studios has offices in 22 markets globally, including ten production bases in the UK and production bases or partnerships in a further nine countries around the world. The company, which ordinarily makes around 2500 hours of content a year for both the BBC and third parties including Apple, Amazon and China Mobile, is a champion for British creativity around the world. It is also a committed partner for the UK’s independent sector through a mix of equity partnerships, content investment and international distribution for programme titles. To the BBC, BBC Studios contributes both cash dividends and funds for programme-making, supporting the licence fee and enhancing programmes for UK audiences.