‘The Long Song’ Writer Sarah Williams Pens ITV Drama ‘Flesh & Blood’

The Long Song writer Sarah Williams has penned family drama Flesh and Blood for British commercial broadcaster ITV.

Williams, who also wrote 2007 Anne Hathaway feature Becoming Jane, penned the story of three adult siblings – Helen, Jake and Natalie – who are thrown into disarray when their recently widowed mother Vivien declares she’s in love with a new man.

The series is produced by Silverprint Pictures, the ITV-backed producer responsible for series including Dark Heart and Vera (pictured).

Flesh and Blood starts when their mother, nearing her 70^th birthday, is swept off her feet by retired doctor Mark. Years of secrets, lies, rivalries and betrayals then come to the surface and threaten to blow apart everything they’ve held dear. With their large family home overlooking the Kent coast, their inheritance and the happy memories of their childhood all suddenly threatened by the arrival of Mark, the siblings attempt to find out more about him. But will their long-buried grudges and complicated personal lives allow them to pull together?

Commissioned by ITV Head of Drama Polly Hill, Williams executive produces alongside Silverprint Pictures Creative Director Kate Bartlett. Letitia Knight produces. The series will begin filming in June in London and on the Kent coast. ITV Studios Global Entertainment will distribute internationally.

Williams said, “Coming from a big family myself, I’ve always been fascinated by sibling dynamics. Our brothers and sisters can be our closest allies or our sworn enemies – often in the space of a heartbeat. There’s a bond between siblings that was formed before we were fully conscious beings – something bone-deep and instinctual. No one can make us laugh as hard or wound us as deeply as our family – and that seemed to me incredibly rich territory for a drama.”

Hill said, “Sarah Williams perfectly captures the messy personal lives of the three siblings, and all is not what it seems. This is no ordinary relationship drama, as someone in the family will be dead by the end of the story – but the question of who dies and who is the killer keeps us guessing right up to the last moment. It’s a very original story, and we are delighted to have it on ITV.”

Bartlett added, “Flesh and Blood is an original contemporary drama exploring family and romantic relationships in a way which is both darkly sharp and witty as well as deeply touching. Sarah Williams has written compelling and atmospheric scripts, which we are thrilled to be bringing to the screen for ITV.”