BBC Beyond Paradise star in new period drama as first look released
Felicity Montagu is starring in the new series (Image: BBC)
A brand-new period drama is heading to screens, with freshly released photographs offering audiences a tantalising glimpse of what lies in store.The six-part series, entitled The Cadburys, is set to broadcast next year on UandOriginal and is based in 1980s Birmingham, charting the story of the family behind the iconic confectionery empire.
One of the images features actor Ben Hardy, who portrayed Peter Beale in EastEnders back in 2013, taking on the role of Francis Fry. Francis, the principal rival to the Cadbury business, is pictured sporting a black coat and bowler hat with his hand tucked in his pocket, cutting a distinctly suspicious figure.
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A further image captures him outside a shop, engaging with another gentleman who appears to be passing something to him, both men wearing grave expressions, reports Birmingham Live.
Ben is amongst a host of well-known names confirmed for the new production, with audiences also set to see the likes of The Last Kingdom’s Harry Gilby, A Woman of Substance actor Toby Regbo and Dune: Prophecy’s Jessica Barden.
Further familiar faces include Pearce Quigley from The Gentlemen, Missed Call’s Joanna Scanlan and The Other Bennett Sisters’ Poppy Gilbert.
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The official synopsis for the show reads: “The Cadburys is a warm-hearted family drama following the visionary Cadbury family, the underdogs of the cocoa world, on their journey towards creating the world-famous Cadbury’s chocolate bar.
Ben stars in the upcoming series as Francis Fry (Image: MCPIX)
“In the 1860s, Birmingham, when chocolate as we know it didn’t yet exist, two very different brothers, Richard (Regbo) and George Cadbury (Gilby), find themselves in charge of their family’s failing cocoa business.
“Together, they have the radical genius and burning ambition to turn Cadbury into one of the world’s most beloved confectioners – if they can only learn to trust and rely on each other.
“Their sister Maria (Barden) is navigating her own role within the family and the business, but things become even more complicated when she falls in love with Cadbury’s biggest rival, Francis Fry (Hardy) and is forced to question where her true loyalties really lie.
The six-part series will air on U next year (Image: MCPIX)
“Infused with historical delights and magical invention, The Cadburys is about how we build, break and rebuild the bonds of family – and how the sweetest things in life are rarely simple.”
Joining the ensemble cast are Beyond Paradise favourite Felicity Montagu, Bridgerton’s Adam Hashmi and Ghosts’ Mathew Baynton.
The drama is a UKTV commission alongside BritBox and Sony Pictures Television, produced by Fable Pictures. It draws its inspiration from Deborah Cadbury’s acclaimed book, Chocolate Wars.
