‘Death and Nightingales’: first look

The BBC has revealed the first look at its forthcoming period drama Death and Nightingales, starring The Fall’s Jamie Dornan and The Americans’ Matthew Rhys.

The pair are starring alongside Irish up-and-comer Ann Skelly (Kissing Candice, Red Rock) in the three-part drama, based on Eugene McCable’s modern Irish classic. It will air later this year on BBC Two. Written by The Fall creator Allan Cubitt, the series is produced by Imaginarium Productions and Soho Moon and was filmed this summer in Northern Ireland.

A story of love, betrayal, deception and revenge, Death And Nightingales is set in the haunting countryside of Fermanagh in 1885. It’s a world of spies, confessions and double dealings where neighbors observe each other and inform. The tale takes place over a desperately tense 24-hour period. It’s Beth Winters’ (Skelly) 23rd birthday and also the day she has decided to join the charming Liam Ward (Dornan) to escape from her limited life and complex relationship with her Protestant landowner stepfather Billy (Matthew Rhys). As decades of pain and betrayal finally build to a devastating climax, Death And Nightingales sees a woman struggling to control her own destiny and will ultimately illuminate tensions that tear both families and nations apart.