Channel 5 orders ‘The Hardacres’, adaptation of CL Skelton period novels, from Playground

Paramount-owned UK broadcaster Channel 5 has ordered The Hardacres, a period drama based on The Hardacre Saga novels by CL Skelton.

Produced by All Creatures Great And Small firm Playground, the six-part series chronicles the sweeping rags to riches story of a working class family in 1890s Yorkshire. A sprawling family saga, the series follows the lives, loves and fortunes of the Hardacre family as they move from a grimy fish dock to a vast country estate.

When an accident at work on the docks lands Sam and Mary Hardacre – along with their three kids Joe, Liza and Harry, and Mary’s inimitable mother Ma – unemployed and destitute, they have to think fast. In a bid to avoid the workhouse, the driven and determined Hardacres put their last penny into a radical business venture they hope will free them from their harsh existence on the quays of the North Yorkshire coast.

The Hardacres has been created for television by Amy Roberts and Loren McLaughlan, who will serve as lead writers and executive producers. They are joined by Emma who will write episode 3, and Liz Lake who will write episode 4. Rachel Carey is lead director.

The series is produced by Playground in association with Screen Ireland, Red Berry Productions, and Newgrange Pictures. Banijay Rights will handle international distribution.

The Hardacres will be produced by Alex Jones and co-produced by Jackie Larkin, while executive producers are Colin Callender and David Stern for Playground, Lesley McKimm for Red Berry Productions, Cathy Payne and Simon Cox for Banijay Rights and Andrew Byrne for Screen Ireland.

Sebastian Cardwell, deputy chief content officer, Paramount UK, who commissioned the series, said: “Playground have a stellar reputation for bringing wonderful stories to life on Channel 5 and we are sure that The Hardacres will continue that success.

“Our viewers will love being transported back to 1890s Yorkshire, for this gutsy, heartwarming tale following the family through stories of love, ambition and the quest for happiness.”