91Èȱ¬

Following the success at the BAFTAs where the 91Èȱ¬ scooped five of the eight drama awards, Danny Cohen, Controller, 91Èȱ¬ One, and Ben Stephenson, Controller, 91Èȱ¬ Drama Commissioning, announce a raft of new commissions.

Ben Stephenson says: "I'm very proud of all the 91Èȱ¬ Drama BAFTA winners, I'm especially thrilled that Sherlock picked up the much coveted best series award."

"Series Two of Sherlock will kick off a big year for drama on 91Èȱ¬ One. 2012 will be a year of huge cultural significance and 91Èȱ¬ One Drama promises to match that ambition by bringing audiences stories with real scale that connect with the hearts and lives of British people.

"Danny Cohen and I have just commissioned 25 hours of new drama for 91Èȱ¬ One at 9pm in 2012, this includes two series (Anthony And Cleopatra and Savage), three serials (Inside Men, May Day, Restless) and two singles (Noah and Bert And Dickie).

"I believe this demonstrates a bigger commitment to Original British Drama than any other broadcaster in this country. Following the recent rebirth of drama on 91Èȱ¬ Two, the drama story continues to grow as we challenge what popular mainstream drama is on 91Èȱ¬ One.

Danny Cohen, Controller, 91Èȱ¬ One, adds: "Drama is a defining genre for 91Èȱ¬ One, and these new commissions reflect the quality, range and ambition we have for our programmes."

New commissions as follows:

Anthony And Cleopatra, 6x60 series, written by Sally Wainwright and made by Red Production Company

New series for 91Èȱ¬ One about love and second chances, set in the autumn years of two old school friends. Alan and Celia, both widowed and in their 70s, unexpectedly fall for each other when they meet again after nearly 50 years. Their relationship is a celebratory tale of the uplifting power of love at any age. But this is also a story about family, and about history. Both Alan and Celia have families, and with family comes baggage.

Savage, new series, written by Stephen Butchard, made by 91Èȱ¬ Drama Production

A young, honest, Liverpool beat cop witnesses the brutal murder of his closest friend and is torn between his desire to protect his family, his sense of duty to the public and a sudden, intoxicating, compulsion for revenge.

May Day, 5x60 serial, written by Ben Court and Caroline Ip, made by Kudos Film and Television

When a young girl goes missing, feared dead, the community in which she lives looks to one another for answers. Four of the girls neighbours fear someone within their family may be involved. A sophisticated thriller about suspecting those closest to you of committing an appalling crime.

Inside Men, 4x60 serial, written by Tony Basgallop, made by 91Èȱ¬ Drama Production

Inside Men is the story of three employees of a security depot who plan and execute a £15 million cash heist. Told entirely from their perspective, our protagonists are not seasoned criminals – just honest, hard working men who see an opportunity, weigh up the risks and take a leap.

Restless, 2x90 serial, written by William Boyd, made by Endor Productions

Adaptation of William Boyd's award-winning book about a young woman who discovers her mother was a British spy in theSecond World War, specialising in espionage in America

Bert And Dickie, 1x90 single, written by William Ivory, made by 91Èȱ¬ Drama Production

Just six weeks before the final of the 1948 London Olympics, Bert Bushnell and Dickie Burnell are teamed together to race for Olympic gold in the double sculls. This is the uplifting story of their achievement and how London managed to pull off a brilliant, if make do and mend Olympic Games at a challenging time for the city and the nation

Noah, 1x90 single, written by Tony Jordan, made by Red Planet Pictures

The retelling of the classic Noah's Ark story, told from a very human perspective.

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