Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Tiger Aspect and Bafta award-winning writer Abi Morgan (White Girl, Sex Traffic) re-unite to produce Royal Wedding, a 90-minute single drama for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two.

Jodie Whittaker (St Trinian's, Cranford) and Darren Boyd (Little Dorrit, Kiss Me Kate) head up the cast in a story set against the backdrop of 1981's much-celebrated marriage of the then Lady Diana Spencer to Charles, Prince of Wales.

Rich in cultural references and humour, Abi Morgan says: "The Eighties was my decade. It spanned from the start of my teenage years to my leaving home. A maelstrom of disastrous haircuts, awkward fumblings, teenage rebellion, heartbreak and pop.

"The world was in turmoil and the long hot summer of '76 seemed well and truly over. Britain was rioting. Maggie had taken on the miners and initially lost. We knew worse was to come. Royal Wedding feels like the final party before everything went wrong. It is the decade from which we have yet to recover and yet it is veiled in a warm nostalgia, an innocence that still haunts. For that one day in July it felt like fairytales and happy endings were possible."

The drama's action is set in a small Welsh village where locals are beginning to feel the negative effects of Margaret Thatcher's free market policies. The Royal Wedding gives the community and the Caddock family a chance to forget their problems and unite. During the course of their celebrations, events unfold which will change their lives forever.

Also starring alongside Boyd and Whittaker are Kevin Bishop (The Kevin Bishop Show), Rebekah Staton (Pulling, Tess Of The D'Ubervilles), Alun Raglan, Sarah Hadlan and newcomer Gwyneth Keyworth.

Tiger Aspect's Head of Drama, Greg Brenman, said: "It is such a great privilege to be working with Abi again. She has delivered a script which beautifully captures this iconic event in 1981 while resonating so poignantly with today. As ever, it is an emotionally-charged piece infused with Abi's unerring ability to introduce wry humour into any given situation. We know this story will enthral its audience."

Royal Wedding will be executive produced by Greg Brenman and produced by Rebecca de Souza and Roanna Benn. James Griffiths directs. Juliette Howell is executive producer at the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ.

Filming begins this week in Wales for transmission in 2010.

Royal Wedding was commissioned by Janice Hadlow, Controller Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two, and Ben Stephenson, Controller, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Drama Commissioning.

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