Dancing Ledge Preps Platform 7 for ITV

ITV has commissioned the four-part psychological thriller Platform 7 from Dancing Ledge Productions (The Responder, The Salisbury Poisonings).

The series will be adapted by Paula Milne (Him, The Politician’s Husband, White Heat) from the best-selling novel of the same title by Louise Doughty. Platform 7 will be an ITVX premiere, exclusive to the new free streaming service months ahead of the linear broadcast on the ITV main channel.

The thriller follows the central character Lisa, who, after witnessing a cataclysmic event on platform 7 of a railway station, finds her own fragmented memory jogged to reveal a connection between her own life and that of the event she has just witnessed. It combines supernatural elements with contemporary realism.

Fremantle will handle the international distribution of the drama.

Polly Hill, ITV’s head of drama, said: “I’m thrilled to be working with Dancing Ledge Productions on the haunting thriller Platform 7, an adaptation of Louise Doughty’s brilliant novel. It’s edgy, fresh and engaging and is unlike anything we’ve commissioned before, as ITVX gives us the scope to break new ground with drama. Paula Milne’s scripts perfectly capture the novel’s vibrant storytelling whilst addressing some important contemporary issues.”

Milne said: “This is no traditional ‘spooky’ ghost story.  It’s the tale of a ghost on a quest to discover who she was and the events that led to her untimely death.  Her story is a celebration of indignation versus passivity and truth versus lies.  While writing it from Louise Doughty’s astute and emotionally intelligent novel, I began to feel she’s the ghost in all of us; the unseen part of us when we find ourselves reflecting on the wisdom of our past decisions. Sometimes with regret, occasionally with rancor but more often with the complicated relish of what it means to be human.”

Chris Carey, executive producer and managing director of Dancing Ledge Productions,  commented: “We’re thrilled to be adapting Louise Doughty’s celebrated novel Platform 7 for television. The story weaves together themes of love and control in a truly original way. Part revenge story, part love story, part murder mystery, this nail-biting drama forces us to consider whether we can truly know the people closest to us. With Paula Milne adapting and Sarah Walker directing, this is going to offer something truly unique.”