Sir Tom Stoppard & David Parfitt to Present Parade’s End in Cannes

LONDON: BBC Worldwide and Lookout Point are bringing Sir Tom Stoppard and David Parfitt to Cannes to unveil the new epic drama Parade’s End.

Parade’s End is a flagship five-part drama for BBC and HBO, adapted by playwright and screenwriter Sir Tom Stoppard (Brazil, Shakespeare in Love, Empire of the Sun) from novels by Ford Madox Ford. It’s produced by David Parfitt (My Week with Marilyn, Shakespeare in Love) and Selwyn Roberts (Longitude, Shackleton) and directed by filmmaker Susanna White (Bleak House, Jane Eyre, Generation Kill, Nanny McPhee). Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, War Horse, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) and Rebecca Hall (The Town, The Awakening) star in the series.

BBC Worldwide holds the international distribution rights for Parade’s End; Lookout Point and BBC Worldwide are co-producers. Sir Tom Stoppard and David Parfitt will be joined in Cannes by Ben Donald, BBC Worldwide’s executive producer for international drama, and Simon Vaughan, executive producer at Lookout Point.

Steve Macallister, the president and managing director for sales and distribution at BBC Worldwide, said: “We are thrilled to be involved in a project with such high calibre on and off screen talent. Parade’s End will, without question, be one of the most striking and talked about dramas on our screens in 2012 and we are privileged to be a part of this landmark production.”

Parfitt added: “I’m very much looking forward to coming to Mipcom and meeting buyers face to face. I’m tremendously proud of Parade’s End, Sir Tom Stoppard has written an extraordinary screenplay and Susanna White is undoubtedly one of the best directors in the business.”