ITV, ITVX announce the cast and commencement of filming for You & Me

ITV, ITVX and Happy Prince announce the cast and commencement of filming for You & Me starring Harry Lawtey, Jessica Barden and Sophia Brown 

The drama will premiere on ITV’s new, free streaming service ITVX

You & Me is a fresh, evocative​ and surprising new 3-part contemporary drama packed with compelling twists and turns

Julie Hesmondhalgh, Andi Osho, Lily Newmark and Janie Dee also star in this beautifully lyrical and captivating contemporary love story

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[Photo: L-R: Jess (SOPHIA BROWN), Ben (HARRY LAWTEY)]

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[Photo: Emma (JESSICA BARDEN)]

Casting has been announced for screenwriter Jamie Davis’ brand new London-set 3-part drama for ITV and ITVX, You & Me, commissioned by ITV’s Head of Drama, Polly Hill.

The drama will premiere on ITV’s brand new, free streaming service ITVX in 2023, before transferring to linear transmission months later.

Produced by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios, and executive produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins (A Very English Scandal, Holding, Eastenders) and Alexander Lamb (We Hunt Together, The Bay, Ackley Bridge), with Russell T Davies (It’s A Sin, Doctor Who, Years and Years, Queer As Folk, A Very English Scandal) also serving as executive producer, the series has begun filming on location in South East London, with a first glimpse of the cast revealed today.

Harry Lawtey (Industry, The Pale Blue Eye) plays Ben, a young northerner in London who finds his life changed forever when catastrophe strikes on the happiest day of his life. Jessica Barden (The End of the F***ing World, Pieces of Her, Far From The Madding Crowd) plays Emma, a rising theatre star who hides tragedy behind her success. And Sophia Brown (The Witcher: Blood Origin, Giri/Haji and Borderland) plays Jess, a young woman whose life takes an unexpected turn when she’s running for a bus…

Harry Lawtey says:

“It’s a real privilege to be trusted with Ben’s story. You & Me is a brilliant, contemporary look at what it means to love. It’s about hope, heartache and that tendency for life to move a little faster than you’re able to keep up. Working alongside Sophia, Jess and this great crew is a joy – I can’t wait to share what we’ve made.”

Jessica Barden says:

“I feel so lucky to be working with so many talented and iconic people. The type of story we are telling is what the British film and TV industry does best, and I can’t wait for people to see the show!”

Sophia Brown says:

“I’m thrilled to be working alongside the brilliant Jess and Harry to help bring Jamie’s beautiful scripts to life. I fell in love with the characters so quickly – at every turn they made me laugh, then made me cry. What makes the project so special is how swiftly we capture the intricacy of life - how delicate love, loss, friendship and parenthood are in the modern world.” 

You & Me is a quintessentially modern relationship drama exploring what it means to find love, what it means to lose love, and what it takes to try and love once again.

Warm, lyrical, engaging and enchanting, but also profoundly moving and unabashed in confronting the very real struggles that can be faced in the modern world, You & Me is Davis’s unique and uncompromising vision of modern love and relationships.  

Told over two separate timelines across the three episodes, You & Me reveals, chapter by chapter, the tragedies that have shaped Ben, Emma and Jess. And as the “then” gives way to the “now”, a chance encounter leads their lives (and their loved ones) to collide. As they find themselves offered a second chance at love, will they take it or will the past hold them back?

Also featured in the cast are Julie Hesmondhalgh (Coronation Street, Broadchurch, The A Word) as Ben’s mum Linda, Andi Osho (Stay Close, The Sandman, Breeders) as Jess’s mum Pam, award-winning stage star Janie Dee (Crashing, Me and Orson Welles) as Emma’s mum Hannah, with Lily Newmark (Sex Education, Temple) playing Joey, Emma’s sister.

You & Me is more than just a love story. It is also a story about love…about finding love when you least expect it, about losing it, about parental and sibling love, about sex and friendship, about the difficult decisions we must all make in the name of love, and the often searingly painful cost of love. 

BAFTA-winning director Tom Vaughan (Doctor Foster, Press, Screw) directs the 3 x 60’ drama, which will be executive produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins and Alexander Lamb for Happy Prince. Russell T Davies also serves as Executive Producer. Michael Ray is producing the series.

ITV’s Head of Drama Polly Hill will oversee production of the series from the channel’s perspective. 

The series is produced in association with, and distributed by, ITV Studios.

Dominic Treadwell-Collins and Russell T Davies previously worked together on A Very English Scandal, starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw, which garnered critical acclaim as well as being recognised at the Baftas, Rose D’Or, Golden Globes and Emmy Awards.

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