The Film Office supported filming for this exciting new series in Tower Hamlets and Newham throughout the months of November 2015 through to March 2016. Standout sequences involved stunt & SFX scenes in North Woolwich while collaborating with with the Civil Avitation Authority, The MET Police, RODMA and the Greater London Authority.
We facilitated filming at our locations in our client boroughs including estate scenes as the Will Crooks Estate in Poplar, our Coach Yard doubling as a taxi bsuiness in Bethnal Green, funeral scenes at All Saints Church in Poplar, driving scenes in Newham and many more.
Produced by Buccaneer Media and co-created by Hans Rosenfeldt and Nicola Larder (Sky’s development executive on The Tunnel, Lawless, Psychopath Next Door), Marcella is Hans Rosenfeldt’s first exclusively created drama for the UK audience following the global success of The Bridge, a Danish-Swedish co-production which achieved critical acclaim when it began broadcasting in the UK in 2014.
Set in contemporary London with a British Metropolitan Police Officer at its heart, Marcella is Scandinavian noir on the streets of Britain. Told with Rosenfeldt’s unflinchingly clear Nordic style, full of hooks and action, Marcella’s 8 x 60′ episodes will lead the audience through a narrative maze until the final moments of the drama. Marcella will also delve into the psychology of a single female detective working solo on a serial murder case with many potential suspects and victims.
The Film Office were delighted to support the filming at our locations and look forward to seeing Rosenfeld’s vision of East London starring as the colourful and cinematic backdrop to the series. Our anticipation was wetted with Rosenfeld telling the Evening Standard recently he “jumped at the chance to work in London”.
“It has been a dream to work here because London and British drama is what we compare ourselves to in Sweden. For me, London is a huge city, very vibrant and colourful. There are as many people living in London as there are in the whole of Sweden. We just can’t get those big city feelings in Sweden so that gives the drama a completely different edge. A big part of that difference are the visuals.
“I didn’t want to create something that was a translation of a Swedish show so the places, people and colours of London are vital. I want it to feel like this story couldn’t be set anywhere else but London.”
“Every time I come to London, the landmarks change and the very vivid image to a foreigner is all the construction work,” added 51-year-old Rosenfeldt.
“One of the families we follow in Marcella is in construction and I thought it would be fun to have something that is contemporary London at the heart of the drama.”
Marcella has been executive produced by Rosenfeldt, Nicola Larder and Buccaneer Media’s founder Tony Wood who created the joint venture production company in partnership with global entertainment company, Cineflix Media.
“I’m delighted to be working together with ITV again. To be doing so together with a writer of Hans Rosenfeldt’s calibre on his first crime drama written for a UK audience makes it particularly special” said Buccaneer Media CEO Tony Wood.
The drama has been commissioned for ITV by Director of Drama Steve November and Controller of Drama Victoria Fea.
“We’re thrilled to be working with Tony Wood at Buccaneer Media on this unique drama production” said Steve. “Hans has created a compelling central character driven by rejection and intuition who is at crisis point in her personal life. The narrative is so unpredictable with suspicion falling on nearly all of the characters. We’re very much looking forward to the ITV audience’s reaction to Marcella,” he added.
Marcella begins tonight, Monday 4th April 2016 on ITV1 at 21:00.
