BBC AMERICA ANNOUNCES NEW ORIGINAL CO-PRODUCTION "LONDON SPY" STARRING BEN WHISHAW, ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING JIM BROADBENT AND CHARLOTTE RAMPLING OBE

New York - October 17, 2014 - BBC AMERICA today announced a new original co-production, the five-part miniseries London Spy, created by acclaimed best-selling author Tom Rob Smith (Child 44), co-produced with BBC Two and produced by Working Title Television.

The gripping, contemporary, emotional thriller stars Ben Whishaw (The Hour, Skyfall, Bright Star) as Danny, an innocent, young romantic drawn into a dangerous world of espionage. He is joined by Academy Award-winning Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge!, Bridget Jones' Diary, Harry Potter), British actress Charlotte Rampling OBE, whose recent role in Restless in 2012 saw her receive an Emmy Award nomination, and newcomer Edward Holcroft (Wolf Hall).

London Spy is directed by Jakob Verbruggen, whose credits include The Fall and the US version of The Bridge. Filming on the miniseries started in London this week.

On his first television drama, creator and writer Tom Rob Smith says: "London Spy has gathered an exceptional cast and a visionary director. I couldn't be more excited, or proud."

Juliette Howell, Head of Television at Working Title Television, says: "Working Title couldn't be more proud to be producing this captivating drama. Incredible scripts, a hugely gifted director and a world-class cast; London Spy exudes quality through and through."

Richard De Croce, SVP Programming BBC AMERICA, says: "BBC AMERICA is thrilled to bring this gripping, first-class miniseries to our audience. London Spy is an utterly compelling contemporary story which has attracted a stellar cast and we couldn't be more excited to be co-producing Tom's compelling script with BBC Two and Working Title Television."

London Spy is the story of a chance romance between two people from very different worlds, one from the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service, the other from a world of clubbing and youthful excess.

Danny (Whishaw) - gregarious, hedonistic, romantic and adrift, falls for the anti-social enigmatic and brilliant Alex (Holcroft). Just as the two of them realize that they're perfect for each other, Alex disappears. Danny, utterly ill-equipped to take on the complex and codified world of British espionage, must decide whether he's prepared to fight for the truth.

Tom Rob Smith's award-winning Child 44 trilogy was an international publishing sensation and has been turned into a movie with Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman and Noomi Rapace, produced by Ridley Scott, scheduled for release in April 2015.

London Spy is produced by Guy Heeley, and executive producers are Tom Rob Smith, Juliette Howell, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner for Working Title Television, and Head of Independent Drama Commissioning, Polly Hill, for BBC Two. The miniseries will be distributed by NBCUniversal and BBC Worldwide. The 5x60-minute miniseries will premiere in the US on BBC AMERICA in 2015.

BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including four Emmy(R) Awards, five Golden Globes(R) and 12 Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on cable and satellite TV in 80 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.BBCAmerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.