Father & Son, a major new four part drama by Frank Deasy, the Emmy award-winning writer of Prime Suspect: The Final Act and The Passion, has been commissioned by ITV and RTÉ, Ireland’s Public Service Broadcaster.

Starring Dougray Scott, Sophie Okonedo, Stephen Rea and Ian Hart, Father & Son is produced by Left Bank Pictures, and is the first drama to be commissioned by ITV in association with RTÉ. Filming is currently underway (October 2008) on location in Ireland and Manchester. Directed by Brian Kirk (My Boy Jack) and produced by Michael Casey (My Boy Jack), Father & Son is a sophisticated and deftly plotted thriller.

Set against the backdrop of Ireland’s once rapid economic resurgence, Father & Son depicts the complexity of modern inner city life where crime is now a global business, and where gun culture is an ever more entrenched part of everyday life. Ex-criminal Michael O’Connor (Dougray Scott) returns to Manchester from a quiet life in Ireland to save his teenage son from prison, but also to redeem his own troubled past.

ITV’s Director of Drama Commissioning, Laura Mackie, is delighted with the project: “Father & Son is a compelling, multi-layered thriller that will engage and entertain with every plot twist and turn. The scripts are undeniably gripping and Left Bank have assembled a very impressive cast.”

Jane Gogan, Commissioning Editor for RTÉ Drama, said: “This is a ground-breaking moment in the relationship between RTÉ and ITV, it being our first drama co-production venture. With an exceptional gathering of talent from Ireland and the UK, this is an exciting opportunity and lays down a good marker for the future. Frank Deasy, Brian Kirk, Michael Casey and Andy Harries across one project is an audacious and impressive gathering. With the Irish Film Board and Section 481 joining RTÉ we have been able bring together a package of Irish finance to make RTÉ and Ireland a competitive presence in the television co-production world.”

Executive Producer Andy Harries (The Queen, Prime Suspect), said: “Frank Deasy has created an amazing portrait of urban life which is researched meticulously. It’s a surprising and stunningly original piece of writing – exactly what I hoped it would be. Brian Kirk is a director I have admired for a long time and he has a really brilliant partnership with producer, Michael Casey. It’s a unique collaboration between ITV and RTE and will be the first production for ITV to be shot on the Red Camera.”