The U.K.’s Channel 4 has commissioned an eight-part coming-of-age drama series — working title “Dance School” — from Theresa Ikoko (“Rocks”) and Lisa Holdsworth (“A Discovery of Witches”). According to Deadline, the series will follow a group of eclectic dance students trying to “navigate the intense highs and lows of coming-of-age in today’s complex world.”
As with the inclusive, collaborative approach to authentic storytelling that Ikoko and director Sarah Gavron employed on their London-set film “Rocks,” street casting for the series will start this summer. Inspired by true stories from inner-city Leeds — a city in the north of England — and set there, recruitment will focus on that area. The project will also provide industry training placements to 10 individuals with no previous TV experience.
Production is set to begin in the fall. Joining writer Holdsworth are Phoebe Okeowo (“First Time For Everything”), Zodwa Nyoni (“The Ancestors”), Dipo Baruwa-Etti, and Kamal Kaan, while Ikoko and Holdsworth are both set to executive produce along with Rebekah Wray-Rogers (“Utopia”), Jessica Brown Meek (“This Is England ’90”), Libby Durdy (“This Is England ’88”), Kathryn O’Connor (“Cold Feet”), and Jessica Straker (“Rocks,” “Small Axe”).
Lisa-Marie Russo (“Nothing Compares,” “Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché”) will produce, while Sara Dunlop (“Dreamlands”) is on board to direct.
Of the series, Channel 4 Head of Drama Caroline Hollick said, “’Dance School’ is a heart-warming portrayal of the hardships young people are increasingly exposed to, but it’s equally a celebration of inspiring and authentic stories that will resonate with our viewers.”
A previous Women and Hollywood Writer to Watch, playwright and screenwriter Ikoko is the scribe of the award-winning play “Girls,” and wrote an episode of the BBC series of shorts “Snatches: Moments from Women’s Lives.” She is also adapting “Wahala” for the small screen. She earned three BAFTA nominations for “Rocks,” including for Best Screenplay.
A writer and exec producer on “A Discovery of Witches,” Holdsworth’s other screenwriting credits include the series “Call the Midwife,” “Ackley Bridge,” and “Midsomer Murders.” She was nominated for a shared Writers’ Guild of Great Britain award for “New Tricks.”
