The Gallows Pole is a three-part television series made for the BBC by Element Pictures, Big Arty Productions, and A24. It is a Shane Meadows adaptation of the novel of the same name by Benjamin Myers.[1] According to Meadows, the series is a prequel to Myers's novel.[2] It premiered on 31 May 2023.
| The Gallows Pole | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Based on | The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers |
| Written by | Shane Meadows |
| Directed by | Shane Meadows |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin |
|
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Two |
| Release | 31 May – 14 June 2023 |
Synopsis
editThe series tells the fictionalised story of David Hartley and the Cragg Vale Coiners at the onset of the Industrial Revolution in 18th-century Yorkshire. Hartley (Socha) assembles a gang of weavers and land-workers to embark upon a revolutionary criminal enterprise that will capsize the economy and become the biggest fraud in British history.[1]
Cast
edit- Michael Socha as David Hartley
- Sophie McShera as Grace Sutcliffe (later Hartley)
- Thomas Turgoose as William Hartley
- Ralph Ineson as The Clothier
- Samuel Edward-Cook as Isaac Hartley
- Nicole Barber-Lane as Susie
- Anthony Welsh as Abe Oldfield
- Adam Fogerty as James Broadbent
- Fine Time Fontayne as Joseph Broadbent
- Rob Galloway as Sid the Snake
- Stevie Binns as Mand
- Soraya Jane Nabipour as Darya Hartley
- Charlotte Ockelton as Gwen Hartley
- Olivia Pentelow as Hannah Oldfield
- Dave Perkins as Tom Hartley
- Jennifer Reid as Barb
- Joe Sproulle as Joe the Pickpocket
- Jordan Preston as Stagman
- Yusra Warsama as Bethsheba
- Stuart Zubrzycki as Billy Vardy
Production
editThe project was announced for Meadows in May 2021 as his first television series with executive producers Piers Wenger and Tom Lazenby for the BBC.[3] The series is being produced for the BBC by Element Pictures with A24.[4]
Casting
editIn September 2021, Socha, Tom Burke, Turgoose and George MacKay were announced to be cast. Meadows described going on an "open casting odyssey, watching over 6,500 self-tapes from unrepresented actors and actresses".[5] Burke and MacKay did not ultimately appear in the series.
Filming
editPrincipal photography was revealed to have started in September 2021.[6] Filming locations included the village of Heptonstall, near Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire.[7]
Music
editMusic on the series comes from Swedish psychedelic band Goat.[8]
Additional traditional music from the period was researched and performed by cast member Jennifer Reid and fiddler Tom Kitching.[9]
The opening theme is "What Happens When You Turn the Devil Down" by The Mystery Lights.
Broadcast
editThe opening episode was broadcast on BBC Two on 31 May 2023, with all episodes released on BBC iPlayer the same day.[2][10]
Reception
editCritical reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The Gallows Pole holds an approval rating of 82% based on 11 reviews.[11]
Accolades
editFor their work on the series Paul Harrison & Owen Hulme won in the Picture Enhancement category and Ed Kevill-Davies and Lucas Roche were nominated in the Best Design - Titles category at the 2023 Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "Cast announced for Shane Meadows' new BBC drama The Gallows Pole". BBC Media Centre. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ a b "First-look images released of Shane Meadows' The Gallows Pole, coming soon to BBC Two and iPlayer". BBC Media Centre. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ "Shane Meadows to make first BBC series with period drama 'The Gallows Pole' (exclusive)". Screen Daily. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ "A24 Boards Shane Meadows' BBC Drama 'The Gallows Pole,' George MacKay Among Cast". Hollywood Reporter. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ "Shane Meadows Adds Tom Burke, Thomas Turgoose, George MacKay And More To New Series The Gallows Pole". Empire Online. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ "Cast Revealed for Shane Meadows' BBC drama 'The Gallows Pole': Michael Socha, Sophie McShera, Anthony Welsh Amid Line-Up". Variety. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ "Yorkshire village of Heptonstall transformed for filming of new BBC period drama The Gallows Pole adapted by Shane Meadows". Yorkshire Post. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ Jessop, Vicky (26 May 2023). "Pagans, folk rock and no script: the making of The Gallows Pole, the BBC's wacky new historical drama". Evening Standard. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ Wilks, Jon (1 June 2023). "Which traditional songs and tunes were used in The Gallows Pole?". Tradfolk. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ Cormack, Morgan (18 May 2023). "Shane Meadows's new drama The Gallows Pole confirms air date on BBC". Radio Times. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ^ "The Gallows Pole". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "RTS CRAFT & DESIGN AWARDS 2023". RTS. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.