When Niall's estranged "brother" Ruben shows up at his wedding, it leads to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives. Spanning almost forty years from the 1980s to the present day, this ambitious series will cover the highs and lows of the brothers' relationship, from them meeting as teenagers to their falling out as adults - with all the good, bad, terrible, funny, angry, and challenging moments along the way. It will capture the wild energy of a changing city - a changing world, even - and try to get to the bottom of the difficult question... what does it mean to be a man?
Gadd will executive produce with Tally Garner, Morven Reid, Gaynor Holmes and Gavin Smith. Alexandra Brodski and Eshref Reybrouck will direct. Mam Tor Productions will produce in association with HBO and the BBC.
"Ordering a HBO boxset of The Sopranos, The Wire, or Oz and watching it from start to finish were some of the happiest moments of my childhood," said Gadd. "Since then, it has always been a dream of mine to work with HBO and be part of their iconic roster of shows. I am so grateful to Francesca Orsi, Kara Buckley and Clint LaVigne for taking this chance on the show and on Ruben and Niall too who - despite growing up in a dead-end Scottish town - would be absolutely pinching themselves at this! I cannot wait to get started."
"We are tremendously excited to partner with the BBC and Richard Gadd, whose remarkable talent continues to make waves across the globe," added Kara Buckley, Senior Vice President, HBO Drama Programming. "With this new, gripping and evocative series, we are proud to welcome Richard to the HBO family."
