BritBox announced today the cast for the new period drama The Cadburys (former working title: Chocolate Wars), as production begins in Birmingham.
Inspired by Deborah Cadbury’s book Chocolate Wars: The 150-Year Rivalry Between the World’s Greatest Chocolate Makers, and the true story of the Cadbury family, The Cadburys is a warmhearted period drama following the visionary Cadbury clan, the underdogs of the cocoa world, on their journey towards creating the world-famous Cadbury’s chocolate bar.
The six-part drama series will be led by Harry Gilby (Boarders, The Last Kingdom) as George Cadbury, Toby Regbo (Outrageous, A Woman of Substance) as Richard Cadbury, Jessica Barden (Dune: Prophecy, You & Me) as Maria Cadbury, Pearce Quigley (Small Prophets,The Gentlemen) as John Cadbury, Ben Hardy (The Conjuring: Last Rites, Unicorns) as Francis Fry, Joanna Scanlan (Riot Women, Missed Call), and Poppy Gilbert (The Other Bennett Sister, My Oxford Year) as Elizabeth Adlington.
Set in 1860s Birmingham, when chocolate as we know it wasn’t in existence yet, the story follows two very different brothers, Richard (Regbo) and George Cadbury (Gilby), who find themselves in charge of their family’s failing cocoa business. Between them, they have the radical genius and burning ambition to turn Cadbury’s into one of the world’s most beloved confectioners. But first, they must stop bickering and learn to trust and rely on each other.
Meanwhile, their sister, Maria (Barden) , is navigating her own role within the family and the business. But things become even more complicated when she falls in love with Cadbury’s biggest rival, Francis Fry (Hardy), and is forced to question where her true loyalties really lie.
Infused with historical delights and magical invention, The Cadburys is about how we build, break, and rebuild the bonds of family, and how the sweetest things in life are rarely simple.
Additional cast include Felicity Montagu (Beyond Paradise, I’m Alan Partridge) as Mary Brown, Mathew Baynton (Ghosts, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder) as Joseph Rowntree, Adam Hashmi (Joseph of Egypt, Bridgerton) as William Singh, Oli Green (The Gray House, Lift) as Howard Lloyd, and Alexander Butler (Fackham Hall, Piglet) as Frank Sheldon. The series also introduces Leah Swain-Heath as Mabel Froggatt, Maisie Britton as Aoife Fitzpatrick, and Emma Montrochet as Winnie Smith.
A production of Fable Pictures in association with Alfresco Pictures, The Cadburys is a commission with UKTV and Sony Pictures Television, written by Chloë Mi Lin Ewart (Curfew, All Creatures Great and Small, Beyond Paradise). The series is executive produced by Faye Ward, Freddie Highmore, Hannah Price, and Claire Londy, with Helen Perry for UKTV and Jess O’Riordan and Jon Farrar for BritBox. It will be directed by Tom McKay (After the Flood, Ten Pound Poms, There She Goes) and Jill Robertson (The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Ludwig, Dalgleish), with Hannah Farrell, co-creative director from Fable Pictures, as series producer, and Jo Farrugia as casting director. Chloë Mi Lin Ewart leads the writing team, alongside Eve Hedderwick Turner and Karim Khan.
Stay tuned for updates about the premiere date.
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Chocolate Wars by Deborah Cadbury
