The new BBC Three horror Red Rose is to premiere is at Bolton’s Light Cinema on August 9 at a red carpet event attended by the show’s creators Michael and Paul Clarkson, aka the Clarkson Twins, alongside actors Amelia Clarkson, Isis Hainsworth, Ellis Howard, Natalie Blair, Natalie Gavin and Ali Kahn.
Writers the Clarkson Twins, have previously described the Bolton-set and filmed show as “a love letter to our hometown and childhood.”
Taking place during an uncharacteristically long, hot Bolton summer after our protagonists have taken their GCSEs, the show finds our heroes’ friendships infiltrated by the Red Rose app, which “blooms on their smartphones, threatening them with dangerous consequences if they don’t meet its demands.” The app exposes the group to a seemingly supernatural entity and the seductive, terrifying power of the dark web.
The Bolton premiere will feature a feature-length screening of the show’s first episode, followed by a Q and A session with the Clarksons and the cast.
The Clarksons will also offer budding script writers an insight into the making of Red Rose hosted by BBC Radio One’s Katie Thistleton. The masterclass will offer a unique opportunity to hear from Michael and Paul about their careers and how to get started in script writing.
Michael and Paul Clarkson said: “We’ve had the amazing opportunity to work in LA, but Bolton is our childhood home. We wanted to showcase the town that made us and explore the key issues facing young people today. Working with the BBC to bring this genre-led story back home to Bolton, and using our experience from The Haunting of Bly Manor, has been well good!”
Nawfal Faizullah, Executive Producer for the BBC, added: “This show was crafted with its people and location in mind, so it’s an honour to be able to showcase the amazing talent of the Clarkson twins in their home town, and to present the brilliant horror of Red Rose in Bolton first.”
Red Rose is a co-production between Eleven and Entertainment One (eOne) for BBC Three and Netflix. The eight-part series is due to air on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer on 15 August.
