Channel 4 has commissioned a new series written by Sherlock co-creator Steven Moffat, The Hollywood Reporter can reveal.
Number 10, a political drama about the most famous address in the world, 10 Downing Street in London — where the British prime minister lives and works — will be produced by Hartswood Films, part of ITV Studios.
“There’s a Prime Minister in the attic, a coffee bar in the basement, and a wallpapered labyrinth of romance, crisis and heartbreak in-between,” a Number 10 plot synopsis provided to THR reads. “Set in the only terrace house in history with mice and a nuclear deterrent, it’s the only knock-through in the world where a hangover can start a war. The government will be fictional, but the problems will be real. We’ll never know which party is in power, because once the whole world hits the fan it barely matters.”
“This is a show about the building and everyone inside. Not just the Prime Minister upstairs, but the conspiracy theorist who runs the cafe three floors below, the man who repairs the lift that never works, the madly ambitious ‘advisors’ fighting for office space in cupboards. Oh, and of course, the cat… Number 10 is all of Britain in a house: it’s British history under one roof. It’s how we all got into the mess we’re in. It’s also our only hope of getting out of it.”
Moffat will be best known to audiences as a co-creator and showrunner of the wildly popular BBC hit Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. His portfolio also boasts a writing stint on Russell T. Davies’ Doctor Who, as well as Dracula, Inside Man and HBO’s sci-fi romance miniseries The Time Traveler’s Wife, among others.
Sue Vertue, executive producer for Hartswood Films, describes Number 10 as a “passion project” for Moffat: “He says there are three famous doors in the world; he’s done 221B Baker Street and the TARDIS — now he’s going to do the real one.”
Gwawr Lloyd, acting head of drama Channel 4, adds: “We’re thrilled to be bringing Number 10 to Channel 4 — a bold, brilliant and witty new drama from the exceptional mind of Steven Moffat and the powerhouse team at Hartswood Films. Number 10 will offer a rare glimpse behind the doors of the world’s most iconic political residences which will take viewers from the high-stakes decisions of leadership to the lives of the staff who keep the house running. An insightful and entertaining twist on a state of the nation drama.”
Commissioned for Channel 4 by Lloyd, the show’s EPs for Hartswood Films are Moffat and Vertue with Lawrence Till (The Devil’s Hour, The Young Offenders) as producer. Ben Palmer (Douglas Is Cancelled, The Inbetweeners) is set to direct.
Number 10 is produced in association with and will be distributed by ITV Studios. Casting and transmission details will follow in due course.