BBC Three Orders Horror Series Red Rose

Red Rose, an original horror series written by twins Michael and Paul Clarkson, has been commissioned by BBC Three.

The eight-part series follows a group of teenagers the summer following their GCSEs as they hang out on the Bolton moors. When one of the friends downloads the mysterious Red Rose app that encourages teens to undertake a series of increasingly dangerous challenges, she sets in motion a chain of events that take the town by storm and bring the friends together to battle a seemingly supernatural entity.

A co-production from Eleven (Sex Education, The Enfield Haunting) and Entertainment One (eOne), Red Rose will premiere on BBC Three and air on BBC One. eOne controls the series’ international rights.

The Clarkson twins said: “We’re thrilled that our first show will be with the BBC. We’ve been working in Los Angeles for a while now, so the opportunity to return to the U.K. for our own show is incredible. Red Rose is a love letter to our hometown and childhood. We get to explore what challenges face the bright but opportunity-starved teenagers of today. Working on The Haunting of Hill House has prepared us well to undertake this genre-driven challenge. We can’t think of a better home for it than the BBC. It’s gonna be well good!”

Piers Wenger, controller of BBC Drama, said: “In Red Rose, the rude, crude and utterly outspoken nature of Michael and Paul’s characters collides brilliantly with the chills and thrills of a very contemporary horror story. The result is a seductive mashup with a point of view and tone all of its own. We are delighted to be working with the Clarksons on their series that marks their return to British TV.”

Joel Wilson of Eleven said: “We fell in love with Paul and Michael’s idea immediately and are deeply excited to be producing Red Rose for BBC Three and BBC One. We share Michael and Paul’s ambition to create a series with the same wit, intelligence and storytelling chutzpah of American genre movies like It Follows, Get Out and Scream—particularly given that we’re playing out our story in Paul and Michael’s beloved Bolton.”

Polly Williams, eOne’s head of scripted development for U.K. television, said: “Red Rose manages to combine thrilling genre with engaging characters and humor that make it very special. As we continue to build our U.K. business, we couldn’t be more thrilled to team up with wonderful partners in the BBC, Eleven and the Clarksons to bring such a unique piece to life.”