(From left to right: Rosamund Pike, Daniella Isaacs, and Hugh Laurie)

WHAT: “People Who Knew Me” tells the story of a woman, Emily Morris, voiced by Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe & Emmy winner Rosamund Pike, who uses 9/11 to fake her own death and run away to start a new life in California as Connie Prynne.

Fourteen years later, Connie Prynne is diagnosed with breast cancer. Now, with her thirteen-year-old daughter Claire by her side, voiced by Isabella Sermon, Connie must confront her past so that her daughter will not be alone if she does not survive.

She must decide how to explain her lies, her secrets, her selfish decisions – and ultimately her ‘widowed’ husband. Everything she thought she had fled from when she pretended to die in New York.

The first audio drama from the makers of Bad Sisters, People Who Knew Me is a 10-part series, written and directed by Daniella Isaacs, adapted from the book by Kim Hooper.

WHO: “People Who Knew Me” stars Academy Award-nominated actress Rosamund Pike (Die Another Day, Gone Girl) and Emmy-nominated actor Hugh Laurie (House, Avenue 5) as well as Isabella Sermon (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), Kyle Soller (Andor, Poldark), Alfred Enoch (Harry Potter), Daniella Isaacs (Fleabag, Ladhood) and Jessica Darrow (Encanto).

WHEN: Episode 1 of “People Who Knew Me” will premiere on May 23, new episodes will drop twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

WHERE: New “People Who Knew Me” episodes will be released twice weekly on-demand across all major podcast platforms. BBC Podcast Premium subscribers will have early access to episodes and listen freely without ads, BBC Podcast Premium is available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.

Episode 0 is available now here.

QUOTES:

Rosamund Pike said: “Daniella’s scripts knocked me sideways – like everything Sharon Horgan works on, the story is surprising, timely, funny and moving; it’s got it all really.  The chance to voice a fantastic character and play her in her early twenties and in her early forties was seductive – and with a cast like this, too good to refuse. There’s evidence to suggest that some people likely used the tragedy of 9/11 to fake their own deaths….and the idea of it is haunting.  I am excited for people to hear what we’ve made- the wonderful thing about audio drama is that, when done well, it can feel like eavesdropping on very very private conversations…”

Sharon Horgan (Executive Producer at Merman) said: “It has been so great to bring Kim Hooper’s emotionally and morally complex novel to life via a drama podcast. Daniella’s adaptation and direction, along with a brilliant cast led by Rosamund and Hugh, bring you right into the mind of Connie and her battle with truth and lies. This is a series that will challenge your prejudices and invite you to ask, what would you do if you had the opportunity to run away?”

Daniella Isaacs (Writer and Director) said: “I was excited by the challenge of bringing new listeners, people that might usually reach for a tv show or a non-fiction podcast, to an audio drama. I wanted to adapt the book into something that played into the inherent confessional quality of the audio medium. There’s something thrilling about being privy to a character’s innermost secrets, their confessions and their selfish desires. I loved making this with such a brilliant team – all of us set on reimagining the traditional radio play…  And I hope your ears enjoy it too.”

Dylan Haskins (Commissioning Editor) said: “Sharon Horgan has been the creative genius behind some of the best TV dramas of recent years – Bad Sisters, Catastrophe, Motherland – and now she, along with the Merman / Mermade team and Daniella, are turning their hands to audio drama for the first time. People Who Knew Me is an emotionally compelling drama with a sensational cast led by Rosamund Pike. It’s fitting that this podcast will be released by the BBC, which has been pioneering in audio drama for just shy of a century.”

Notes to Editors: 

Credits: 

• People Who Knew Me was commissioned by Dylan Haskins, Commissioning Editor (Podcasts) for BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Sounds.
• Assistant Commissioner for BBC Sounds and Radio 5 Live is Lorraine Okuefuna.
• Written and directed by Daniella Isaacs.
• Adapted from the book by Kim Hooper who is also Consulting Producer.
• Produced by Joshua Buckingham for Merman and Mermade, in association with eOne Studios.
• Executive Produced by Sharon Horgan, Clelia Mountford, Faye Dorn, Kira Carstensen, Seicha Turnbull and Brenna Rae Eckerson. Jacqueline Sacerio is production executive for eOne. Carey Burch Nelson is Co-EP.

##