ITV has commissioned a new six part drama series about the battles fought on the home front by the wives and girlfriends of soldiers serving in war torn Afghanistan.
Entitled SWAGS (working title) – which to the initiated stands for “Service Wives And Girlfriends” – the series is produced by the ITV Studios drama team based in Manchester overseen by Creative Director Kieran Roberts who will also executive produce the drama. It will be produced by former Coronation Street producer Kim Crowther.
The drama focuses on four real and remarkable women – Debbie, Gemma, Louise and Claire – who live in Army quarters in the garrison town of Leysham. Life is far from easy for the women but the tone of the drama is upbeat with an ever present streetwise sense of humour. These women deal with fixing the boiler, filling the fridge and getting the kids off to school at the same time as coping with infidelity, insecurity, bereavement and bureaucracy.
SWAGS (working title) is created by Sue Teddern (Birds Of A Feather, Happy Together, soloparentpals.com for Radio 4) who will write the series with Jan McVerry (Coronation Street, Clocking Off, The Street, The Forsyte Saga). The drama will begin filming in the Manchester area in May.
“SWAGS is an emotional and heart-wrenching drama about the women who fight their own battles on the home front while thousands of miles away their loved ones are risking their lives every day,” said Executive Producer Kieran Roberts.
“Seeing how these remarkable women cope with survival, triumph, love and loss will make compelling viewing,” he added.
SWAGS has been commissioned by ITV’s Drama Commissioning team Laura Mackie and Sally Haynes.
“SWAGS is about real women in an all too real world,” said Director of Drama Commissioning Laura Mackie. “We’ll have an insight into the lives behind the headlines. It’ll be an emotional story brilliantly written by Jan McVerry and Sue Teddern.”
Casting for SWAGS takes place in the next few months and details of the actors taking the lead roles will be released in due course.
Press contact: Janice Troup
Tel: 0161 952 6220 janice.troup@itv.com
Note to Editors: The title of this drama, SWAGS, is a working title and the finished drama will bear another title. Thanks.