The BBC and Fremantle’s Dancing Ledge Productions have released behind-the-scenes images from Prisoner 951, a new drama series based on Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s real-life imprisonment in Iran.
Starring Narges Rashidi (Gangs of London, Under the Shadow) and Joseph Fiennes (Dear England, The Handmaid’s Tale), Prisoner 951 tells the story of Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was separated from her baby daughter in 2016, accused of spying in Iran, and facing a lengthy prison sentence.
The show’s synopsis reads: “Thousands of miles away in London, her husband Richard refuses to give up hope.” “When Nazanin proves to be a pawn in a decades-long political conflict, Richard is forced to battle tyranny abroad and seeming indifference at home. This powerful true story, spanning six harrowing years, depicts one family’s extraordinary courage and resilience: a mother’s nightmares, a husband’s mission, and a family’s unbreakable bonds.”
The four-part series, which premieres on BBC One and iPlayer on November 23, is written by Stephen Butchard (This City Is Ours, Five Daughters) and directed by three-time BAFTA winner Philippa Lowthorpe (Three Girls, The Crown). This work is based on the upcoming book A Yard in the Sky by Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Richard Ratcliffe.
Joseph Fiennes stands behind the scenes of “Prisoner 951”.
BBC/Dancing Ledge
Butchard said in a statement that the series “shows how great we can sometimes be under pressure.”
“Somehow, we can summon the strength to keep moving forward, to keep hoping, to keep fighting. I think a lot of people will relate to that. We all have varying degrees of conflict. That’s our job, to find a way to move forward and to look to the light,” he added. “Some of the women in prison[Evin Prison in Tehran]are still in prison, but they’re still looking to the light. It’s a story about finding hope in the everyday, and I think that’s important. Despite the subject matter, it can be a really uplifting story.”
Butchard continued: “It’s a very human story, but it also brings a thriller element to it. It’s gripping in places, traumatic in places, uplifting in others. Hopefully it’s something that sticks with the viewer and makes them talk about it the next day. I think that’s what drama does.”
Director Lowthorpe described Prisoner 951 as “a devastating story, but also a story of love and hope. That’s what makes it so compelling.”
“I thought this was a very important story to tell, not only to highlight what Nazanin went through, but also the plight of all other hostages held for political reasons around the world.” “People don’t really know what it’s like to be in solitary confinement, to have endless fake trials, to be used as a political pawn. I think this story reveals what it’s like.” Richard and Nazanin go through this terrible experience. ”
‘Prisoner 951’ is produced by Fremantle’s Dancing Ledge Productions for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Fremantle is in charge of overseas sales.
