The Project -
written by Leigh Jackson and directed by Peter Kosminsky
A drama for BBC ONE about New Labour's rise to power
Peter
Kosminsky and Leigh Jackson's major new two-part drama, about the
lives and careers of four young Labour activists and the party's
rise to power, is currently filming in London for BBC ONE, it was
announced today by Jane Tranter, BBC Controller of Drama Commissioning.
The
Project charts New Labour's rise to power and the landslide victory
of 1997.
It
stars Matthew Macfadyen (Spooks, Perfect Strangers), Naomi Harris
(White Teeth), Paloma Baeza (The Way We Live Now), Shaun Evans (Teachers)
and James Frain (Armadillo), is directed by the award-wining director
Peter Kosminsky (Warriors, Shoot To Kill and No Child of Mine) and
is written by Leigh Jackson (Warriors and Other People's Children
).
Director
Peter Kosminsky says: "The Project is a fictional drama set
within a factual framework, and provides an insight into New Labour's
political coup d'etat within the Labour Party, based on exhaustive
research.
"This
film is about idealistic young people who want to help Labour get
into power and, ultimately, change things. It is a realistic portrayal
of how we got to May 1, 1997 and what happened afterwards."
Set
against the backdrop of real events, The Project follows the lives
of four young Labour party activists from their final days of university
to Westminster's corridors of power.
Their
journey takes us deep into the world of New Labour's headquarters
in Millbank, and later Downing Street, exposing the machinations
behind the party's transformation into the sharp, media-aware voice
of professional, middle-England.
At
the heart of The Project are Paul (Matthew Macfadyen) and Maggie
(Naomi Harris), whose deep rooted passion for politics is matched
by their intense rivalry and passion for each other.
As
their respective stars begin to rise within New Labour, it's not
just their friendship that's at risk but the very beliefs that inspired
them to politics.
Writer
Leigh Jackson says: "Most of us want what is best for ourselves
and our families so we look to a government to be fair.
"There
was great anticipation when New Labour came to power in 1997 but
it quickly became difficult to tell where Tory rule ended and New
Labour began.
"Decisions
were being made, not in cabinet but by a tight circle of people,
some of whom had not been elected."
BBC
Controller of Drama Commissioning, Jane Tranter says: "The
Project is a hugely ambitious drama that looks into the very heart
of our country's governance and beyond.
"The
drama explores how New Labour transformed the party from an organisation
incapable of capturing the popular vote into a fighting machine
that won the election landslide of 1997, the nation's hopes for
lasting change that followed, and the party's dedicated determination
to win a second term, whatever the cost."
Peter
Kosminsky and Leigh Jackson's last collaboration for the BBC, Warriors,
the two-part film about British peacekeepers in Bosnia starring
Ioan Gruffudd, Damian Lewis, Matthew Macfadyen and Branka Katic,
won the Prix Italia, an RTS and a BAFTA award.
Peter
Kosminsky's credits include Shoot To Kill about the John Stalker
affair, and No Child of Mine, about a child abused at home and in
care who became a prostitute at the age of 11.
He
recently completed directing Michelle Pfeiffer and Renee Zellweger
in White Oleander.
Leigh
Jackson's credits include Other People's Children starring Lesley
Manville, Emma Fielding and Denis Lawson; and his film The Rose
Grower is currently in development with the Film Council and Pearl
Pictures.
The
Project is written by Leigh Jackson, directed by Peter Kosminsky
and produced by Matthew Bird (Linda Green, Anna Karenina). The executive
producer is Jessica Pope and the BBC Head of Drama Serials is Laura
Mackie.
The
Project is part of a raft of BBC dramas with a political edge which
are currently in or approaching production.
Paul
Abbott's State of Play is a thriller set in Whitehall and journalism
about the death of a young political intern who is having an affair
with a high-flying New Labour minister.
Jeffrey
Archer - The Truth is a satire by Drop The Dead Donkey's Guy Jenkin,
which presents the world as seen through the eyes of the disgraced
Tory peer; and Donna Franceschild's The Key is a dramatic take on
100 years of the unions and socialism in Scotland, told from an
emotional and human point of view.
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