«California Avenue is the new series from Hugo Blick, the creator of some of the most compelling dramas on television today, including The Englishman starring Emily Blunt, A Woman of Quality starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Black Earth Rising starring Michaela Coel.
Unsurprisingly, California Avenue features an equally stellar cast, including Bill Nighy (Love Actually), Helena Bonham Carter (Fight Club), Erin Doherty (Adolescence), and Tom Burke (who is currently filming Alex Garland's The Ring of the Ancients).
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The series, produced by Blick's production company Eight Rooks and Drama Republic for the BBC, follows the events of an English mobile home park in the summer of 1975, when Doherty's character, Lela, returns home after a long absence with her 11-year-old daughter. The series was partly inspired by Blick's own experiences living with his beloved grandparents in a mobile home park.
«"The film is set in an idyllic British summer in 1975, and the gorgeous soundtrack befits the era. It's a warm and witty story about a family fleeing their past and themselves, who end up in a community of outcasts," says Blick. Variety . "Whether these people live in trailers, caravans, or motorhomes, their (mis)status as outcasts and losers is universal. But, as in The Darling Buds of May or Schitt's Creek, sometimes it's those who have nothing who have the most to give.".
The series will air in the UK on the BBC, with Mediawan Rights and Entourage Media handling international distribution for the six-part drama.
Following a warm reception at the Cannes Film Festival preview of the first episode last month, Greg Brenman, the series' producer and co-founder of Drama Republic, gave an interview Variety , in which he talked about how the series "California Avenue" came about and whether it could return after the first season.
How did the idea for California Avenue come about?
Development of this series started at the BBC a few years ago, and I remember pitching it to [former BBC Head of Content] Charlotte Moore, who really liked the idea of a community of people living in mobile homes in the mid-70s who are somehow trying to escape the world.
It's a love letter to 1970s television, because [as a child, Bleek] spent a lot of time in a van with two people he loved very much, especially his grandfather - who is somewhat, but not entirely, personified by Bill Nighy's character - and watched a lot of television.
And I think for him, it became a kind of window into the entertainment industry that would stay with him and flourish for many, many years to come.
What is this series about?
The story begins with Erin's character, Lela, escaping from the mansion where she lives with her husband, who we later learn is very abusive. We hear only his screams and shouts in the background. She flees with her 11-year-old daughter, travels through the night, and ends up in a mobile home community in the middle of the British countryside, where we learn she's actually returning home. She ran away to live with the man from the mansion, had a child with him, and now she's returning home to where her mom and dad—the characters Bill and Helena—live, and she'll introduce them to her daughter, her granddaughter, for the first time.
So, it's about a broken family coming together and healing from her departure, Erin's character's departure, and also the place where she meets Tom Burke's character. He's there for his own reasons, escaping from some of the events in his life, and they fall in love. And, of course, it's the love story of Erin reuniting with her mom and dad, and the love story of Helena and Bill, their strong relationship. And for an 11-year-old, which I think is roughly Hugo's age in 1975, to be with this family and to enjoy the warmth of this community, even though it's considered out of touch, a bunch of outcasts.
How did you manage to assemble such an impressive cast?
Helena and Bill joined the project very early on. They absolutely fell in love with the material. I think one of the benefits of working with Hugo is that he attracts so many talented people—think Maggie, Emily Blunt, and Michaela—because he writes scripts that are unlike anyone else. I think when actors of that caliber read these scripts, as they have done with other shows before, they discover a world, a level of craft, and a depth of character that they might not always get in other projects.
To be honest, you know, there are plenty of TV shows out there of all sorts, right? Dead bodies and car chases, but this isn't our world. This is a world of great love, great humor, great emotional experiences for all four characters, and I think that speaks volumes about their dedication, and also about the fact that the writers saw it through.
Why do you think they all signed up for this?
Well, they're not doing it for the money! And if you take that away, what's left? Experience working with other actors, scripts, Hugo Blick, reading something unusual, unique, special. Is that all you can hope for when you set big goals with modest resources?
When you're working on a project set in a certain period and place, do you have to think about how the show will be received internationally?
That's a tough question. I mean, I produced "Billy Elliot" many years ago, and all these questions could be asked of that project. And I think the answer is simple: you just have to tell a story that's important to you, that evokes universal emotions, that's told with the best cast, the best direction, the best writing, the best design, and hope that it will mean something to a broad, global audience. Obviously, with "Billy Elliot," we had no idea back then, but it worked, and you realize, of course, as with this show, who doesn't have conflicts with their parents? Who doesn't want those wounds to heal? Who doesn't want to better understand the imperfections of the people who raised them? Who doesn't want to fall in love? So it's all universal.
Does California Avenue have potential for a sequel?
It could definitely come back. It wasn't necessarily meant to come back, but ultimately, it's about a group of people who end up better off than they were at the beginning, so they all survive and get to tell their story.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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