Fremantle has relaunched its Euston North drama operation as Castlefield.
Based in Manchester, it’s led by Managing Director, Hilary Martin who was previously head of BBC Drama in the North of England. She’s working alongside Creative Director, Simon Judd.
Castlefield will focus on developing a “dynamic development slate”, primarily looking at “edgy and emotionally compelling contemporary drama series.”
“We would love Castlefield to be a home for creatively brave and emotionally truthful story tellers. We are passionate about the authentic and distinctive slate we are growing and believe that the stories we tell will deeply connect with audiences around the world,” explained Martin.
Martin and Judd joined Fremantle from the BBC in 2017 to set up a Northern branch of Euston Films. Previously they’ve developed and produced shows including In the Flesh, James Herbert’s The Secret of Crickley Hall and In the Dark.
They explained that Castlefield has enabled them to evolve this into their own independent drama label with a mission to make “globally impactful and zeitgeist defining drama from the North of England.”
“Our aim is to create a slate that stands out from the crowd. We don’t just want to tell good stories well – we want to tell great stories brilliantly and in ways that have never been seen before,” added Judd.
The Euston Films brand was resurrected in 2014. In its heyday in the 70s and 80s it produced the likes of Minder, The Sweeney and Reilly, Ace of Spies.
“Our focus at Fremantle is to support and work with the best talent to create bold original stories that aspire to be global,” said Andrea Scrosati, Group COO, Fremantle.
“The launch of Castlefield is a perfect example of this strategy. Hilary and Simon have an impressive slate of courageous and impactful projects that I have no doubt will make Fremantle scripted portfolio even more unique”.
