Kay Mellor’s The Syndicate Returning After Five-Year Break

A new stand-alone season of the BBC One drama The Syndicate is in the works from the BAFTA award-winning writer Kay Mellor (Band of Gold, Fat Friends, In the Club and Girlfriends).

The cat-and-mouse thriller has been commissioned for six new one-hour episodes, to air on BBC One for a fourth season. Following the U.K. premiere, the series will debut exclusively as a BritBox Original in the U.S. and Canada.

The drama explores how winning the lottery transforms the lives of ordinary people. The new installment will focus on the staff of Woodvale Kennels and is set between Leeds and Las Vegas.

Mellor commented: “I’m thrilled to be working with the BBC again. As ever, it’s a brand-new Syndicate and has a fresh and unique transatlantic story. I couldn’t resist setting this series in a dog kennels either. I have a Shih-tzu myself and love animals—they say you should never work with kids or animals but I’m a sucker for a challenge and can’t wait to get started.”

Piers Wenger, controller of BBC Drama, said: “We are so happy to have The Syndicate coming back for a fourth series on BBC One. Kay’s gripping, intriguing and heartwarming scripts will take viewers on a rollercoaster of emotions as a brand new set of characters from a Leeds dog kennels win the lottery and set their sights on Vegas.”

Soumya Sriraman, president and founder for BritBox, added: “How do you improve one of Kay’s compelling cat-and-mouse stories? Simple, add dogs. I can’t wait for the BritBox community to experience this new world of Kay’s, grappling with contemporary concerns through the lens of her taut, thrilling plots.”