Truelove
Created by
Screenplay by
  • Iain Weatherby
  • Cherish Shirley
Directed by
  • Chloë Wicks
  • Carl Tibbetts
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Emily Harrison
  • Andy Baker
  • Petra Fried
  • Charlie Covell
  • Iain Weatherby
ProducerAlex Walsh-Taylor
Production company
Original release
NetworkChannel 4

Truelove is a six-part British comedy-drama series for Channel 4 starring Lindsay Duncan and Clarke Peters. The series asks the question: "is it ever right to help end a life?" and was created by Charlie Covell and Iain Weatherby for Clerkenwell Films. It premiered on 3 January 2024.

Synopsis

Phil (Duncan) and Ken (Peters) were teenage sweethearts, now in their vintage, who never quite managed to forget each other, and are reunited in their 70s at a nostalgia-filled drunken wake in which they and fellow mourners agree to help each other avoid the slow decline into death in favour of engineering dignified deaths.[1][2]

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.K. viewers
(millions)
1TBAChloë WicksIain Weatherby3 January 2024 (2024-01-03)TBD
2TBAChloë WicksIain Weatherby4 January 2024 (2024-01-04)TBD
3TBAChloë WicksIain Weatherby10 January 2024 (2024-01-10)TBD
4TBACarl TibbettsCherish Shirley11 January 2024 (2024-01-11)TBD
5TBACarl TibbettsIain Weatherby17 January 2024 (2024-01-17)TBD
6TBACarl TibbettsIain Weatherby18 January 2024 (2024-01-18)TBD

Production

The series was announced by Channel 4 in May 2022 from a script written by Iain Weatherby and produced by Charlie Covell and Weatherby for Clerkenwell Films.[4] The producer is Alex Walsh-Taylor with Emily Harrison, Andy Baker, Petra Fried, Covell and Weatherby as executive producers.[5]

Casting

Julie Walters was attached to the project. However, after production was paused for Walters to consult with doctors over severe back pain she ultimately had to pull out due to health problems. She was replaced in the cast by Lindsay Duncan and all other cast members were able to return for filming to reconvene.[6]

Filming

Filming got underway in Clevedon, Burnham-on-Sea, and Bristol in the summer of 2022.[7][8][9] After a hiatus filming had resumed in Bristol and Clevedon by May 2023 with Chloë Wicks and Carl Tibbetts directing.[10][11]

Broadcast

The series was broadcast in the UK on Channel 4 from 3 January 2024.[12]

Reception

Lucy Mangan in The Guardian praised the performances calling Lindsay Duncan "magnificent” and "perfect". She also praised Iain Weatherby’s script as "Full of great lines, but also deft, dense and….deeply moving."[13] Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph said it was "glorious” and praised the "witty" script.[14] Carol Midgeley in The Times described it as "compelling” but the subject matter was "brutal stuff".[15]

References

  1. ↑ Harrison, Ellie (2 March 2023). "Julie Walters quits Channel 4 drama Truelove due to ill health". The Independent. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  2. ↑ Farber, Alex (1 March 2023). "Julie Walters pulls out of Channel 4 drama Truelove due to ill health". The Times. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "Truelove". Comedy.Co.Uk. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  4. ↑ "Channel 4 commissions brand new gripping drama, Truelove, starring Lindsay Duncan and Clarke Peters". Channel 4. 16 May 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  5. ↑ "Channel 4 commissions, Truelove from BBC Studios indie partner Clerkenwell Films". BBC.com. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  6. ↑ Goldbart, Max (28 February 2023). "Julie Walters Pulls Out Of Channel 4 Drama 'Truelove' Due To Ill Health, Replaced By Lindsay Duncan". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  7. ↑ Kendall, Ellie (1 June 2022). "Julie Walters spotted having cup of tea at UWE during filming for Truelove". Bristol Post. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  8. ↑ Jenkins, Cameron (14 May 2022). "Dame Julie Walters spotted filming drama on Clevedon seafront". Bristol Post. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  9. ↑ Jenkins, Cameron (10 May 2022). "Film crews set up in Burnham-on-Sea for new Channel 4 drama". Somerset Live. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  10. ↑ Streeting, Louise (9 May 2023). "Film crew takes over Bristol city centre restaurant as stars spotted on set". Bristol Post. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  11. ↑ Stavrou, Athena (23 May 2023). "Film crews for new Channel 4 drama spotted on Somerset coast". Somerset Live. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  12. ↑ Cormack, Morgan (6 December 2023). "Lindsay Duncan, Clarke Peters, Sue Johnston in thrilling Truelove trailer". Radio Times. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  13. ↑ Mangan, Lucy (3 January 2024). "Truelove review – an exquisite drama about bumping off your best mates". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  14. ↑ Singh, Anita (3 January 2024). "Truelove, Channel 4 review: assisted dying drama gleefully skewers old-age clichés". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  15. ↑ Midgeley, Carol (3 January 2024). "Truelove review — brutal euthanasia drama is not an easy watch". The Times. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
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