Channel 4 Buys Eagle Eye Detective Series ‘Patience’ Starring ‘Breaking Bad’s Laura Fraser
Channel 4 has picked up the detective series starring Breaking Bad’s Laura Fraser about a neurodivergent self-taught criminologist.
Patience has just wrapped filming and was made by Couple Next Door producer Eagle Eye drama for PBS Distribution and Beta Film, as part of Eagle Eye’s long-running partnership with the German major.
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Fraser is Detective Bea Metcalf, the first person to spot the talents of Patience Evans (Ella Maisy Purvis), who works in the criminal records department of Yorkshire Police, cataloguing and filing the evidence produced during major cases. A young autistic woman, she craves routine and order, relishing the solitude and structure her job provides, but she yearns for more.
Neurodiversity will play a thematic role in the series, with all neurodivergent characters within the series played by neurodiverse actors — including Purvis.
“Patience is a captivating crime drama that not only delivers gripping mysteries, but also offers a unique and authentic perspective on neurodiversity,” said Ben Wadey, Drama Commissioning Executive, Channel 4. “Channel 4 is incredibly proud to champion this ground-breaking series, which celebrates the power of difference, offering viewers a fresh take on the crime genre.”
The series was announced in February and cameras then rolled in Belgium and England. PBS Distribution holds all North American rights and the show will launch on PBS, as well as streaming on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel and branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App.
The series was acquired by Channel 4’s Polly Scates and is adapted from the original French show Astrid and Raphaelle. It marks the latest collaboration between UK producer Eagle Eye and Germany-based producer-distributor Beta, following ITV’s Professor T, the Natascha McElhone-starrer Hotel Portofino and The Couple Next Door, which stars Sam Heughan (Outlander, Suspect) and Eleanor Tomlinson (The Outlaws, Poldark), and recently became Channel 4’s biggest scripted streaming launch ever. The show is being co-produced by JLA Productions in association with Belgium’s Happy Duck Films and has support from the Belgian Tax Shelter.
Last week, Deadline revealed Channel 4’s first drama commission under new film and TV drama boss Ollie Madden, a Margaret Thatcher series starring Harriet Walter and Steve Coogan.
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