SET in Aberdeen and starring rising talents, Romario Simpson (Small Axe, Noughts and Crosses) and Hannah Donaldson (Murder Island, Annika), Granite Harbour is a new three-part drama series for BBC Scotland, BBC One and iPlayer, made by LA Productions, which recently started filming in Scotland.
Alongside Dundee-born actress, Hannah Donaldson, other leading Scottish acting talent joining the cast include Dawn Steele (Holby City, Liar), Gary Lewis (Vigil, Rig 45) and Fiona Bell (The Nest, Shetland).
Granite Harbour centres on the story of Lance Corporal Davis Lindo (Romario Simpson) who arrives in Aberdeen as a new recruit to Police Scotland.
Having completed his final tour with the Royal Military Police, Lindo dreams of being a detective at New Scotland Yard. However, he finds himself being sent to train as a Detective Constable in the north-east of Scotland, he must quickly adapt to his new life in Aberdeen, a world away from anything this soldier has known before.
Lindo finds an ally in his mentor, DCI Tara ‘Bart’ Bartlett (Hannah Donaldson), a razor-sharp, streetwise Aberdonian who is used to going solo. Together, this unlikely partnership must navigate the choppy waters of their first case – the murder of one of Aberdeen’s most recognisable faces from the oil industry. Suddenly, Lindo and Bartlett find themselves thrust into a corporate battle between old and new energy.
Filming on the three-part series started at the end of April in locations throughout Aberdeenshire and Glasgow, with Granite Harbour premiering on the BBC Scotland channel, followed by BBC One and iPlayer.
Co-commissioned by Louise Thornton, head of Commissioning, BBC Scotland, and Dan McGolpin, director, BBC iPlayer & Channels, this new BBC drama is executive produced by Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland, Gaynor Holmes for BBC One and Colin McKeown for LA Productions whose BBC drama credits include Anthony and Broken.
Louise Thornton, head of Commissioning at BBC Scotland, says: “We are thrilled to have commissioned this new drama for the BBC Scotland channel and BBC One. Audiences will be treated to an intriguing and captivating story with strong characters that will play out against the dramatic city scape of Aberdeen and the North East. We are delighted to be working with our colleagues in BBC iPlayer to bring high quality content based in Scotland to audiences across the UK as part of our co-commissioning strategy.”
Gaynor Holmes, executive producer, BBC Drama, adds: “We’re delighted to be working with LA Productions on this exciting new show. I can’t wait to see the story brought to life in its stunning Aberdeen setting by this brilliantly talented cast and crew.”
Colin McKeown, LA Productions, says: “As LA Productions is based in Liverpool we relish the opportunity of working in both Aberdeen and Glasgow as we feel it’s such a cultural match for us as a regional company.”
Granite Harbour will be produced by Donna Molloy (Compulsion, Anthony) and directed by Gary Williams (Malory Towers, Moving On). The series is written by Sarah Deane (Compulsion, Clink), Adriel Leff (Moving On) and Tara Hepburn (All Killer, No Filler) who hails from Aberdeen.
Granite Harbour joins a growing list of BBC dramas from Scotland, which include Guilt, Shetland, Vigil and forthcoming new series, The Control Room.
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