Written by on Apr 4, 2014. Posted in On Location

Tom Hardy and Ridley Scott to film period TV drama Taboo in the UK for BBC

Actor Tom Hardy will partner with filmmaker Ridley Scott on Steven Knight’s new eight-part period miniseries Taboo, which will film in the UK. Scott will be an executive producer on the drama set in 1813 that will star Hardy as a rogue adventurer building a shipping empire.

“This man, James Delaney, is a deeply flawed and deeply troubled human being,” said Knight: “His greatest struggle will be against the East India Company which, throughout the 19th Century, was the equivalent of [modern intelligence agencies] the CIA, the NSA and the biggest, baddest multi-national corporation on earth, all rolled into one self righteous, religiously motivated monolith.”

Added Hardy: “We’re creating a flagship British drama for this generation. A hybrid of orthodox and unconventional storytelling, packed with darkness and spirited characters.”

Taboo further develops the working relationship between Knight and Hardy. The actor is co-starring in the second series of Knight’s Birmingham-set period gangster series Peaky Blinders, which is filming on location in northern England for the BBC. He also stars in Knight’s upcoming feature film Locke (above).

We’re creating a flagship British drama for this generation. A hybrid of orthodox and unconventional storytelling, packed with darkness and spirited characters.

Tom Hardy, Actor/Executive Producer

High-end television production is much more viable in the UK since the launch of a TV tax credit in mid-2013. Kiefer Sutherland’s new Jack Bauer TV drama 24: Live Another Day has been among the high-profile international shoots coming to London in recent months and Disney Channel has also announced plans to film its four-part TV movie Evermoor on location in Cheshire.

The European Commission recently approved sweeping improvements to the UK’s broader filming incentive programme, which include a 5% tax credit boost for big-budget feature productions.