The Night Manager star confirmed for all-new crime drama "full of fun, action and emotion"
The new drama is based on the French television drama Cheyenne and Lola.
The Night Manager star Hayley Squires has landed her next big role in brand-new BBC drama Shy & Lola.
The new series, which has been written by award-winning screenwriter and novelist Amanda Coe (Apple Tree Yard, The Trial of Christine Keeler), follows Shy and Lola, "two very different women who are forced to become allies when a murder entangles them in the criminal underworld operating in Shy’s small coastal town in the North of England".
The official synopsis continues: "Beginning as exploited novices, the unlikely duo turn out to have a talent for crime. As they build an operation that threatens to blow the local bad guys out of the water, opposing futures beckon – using their earnings to fund a fresh start, or becoming the new bosses in town."
Squires stars as Shy, a cleaner scraping by, while Bel Powley (The Diary of a Teenage Girl) co-stars as Lola, an ex-model-turned-grifter with a troubled past who arrives in town.
The new series is based on the French television drama Cheyenne and Lola.
Coe said in a statement that "with such a rich and spiky central relationship at its core, Shy & Lola is a dream of a show to write, full of fun, action and emotion", adding: "I can’t wait to see our hugely exciting cast and director bring it to life."
Rachelle Constant, executive producer for Clerkenwell Films - the production team behind Netflix’s Baby Reindeers - teased: "a brilliantly bold series centred on a dynamic female duo, which blends dark comedy with propulsive storytelling."
Meanwhile, Lindsay Salt, director of BBC drama, teased "superb scripts will surprise and amuse viewers in equal measure, and with Clerkenwell producing and Hayley and Bel leading the cast, BBC viewers are in for a real treat."
Squires - who portrays MI6 officer Sally Price-Jones in The Night Manager - is also known for her roles in TV dramas such as The Essex Serpent and Adult Material, while on the big screen, she is known for indie movies I, Daniel Blake, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain and Beau Is Afraid.
Further cast members will be announced in due course.
Filming is set to kick off on the new series this spring in and around Hull and Leeds.
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Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
