BBC & Sky NZ prep psychological thriller ‘The Ridge’ with Great Southern & Oble

The Ridge

The BBC and Sky in New Zealand have boarded a psychological thriller from Great Southern Television, the Auckland-based producer behind One Lane Bridge.

The Ridge is being produced with Sinner Films in Scotland and will be distributed by France’s Oble, which is joining the project as co-producer.

The 6 x 52-minute show, which has been selected for the Drama Co-Production Market & Pitching Forum at MIA in Rome, has been created by Sinner Films’ David Murdoch and Nora Chassler, with Alan Campbell and Jess Sayer co-writing.

The story tracks a woman who flees to her sister’s wedding in New Zealand to avoid facing charges of professional misconduct caused by her fentanyl addiction. However, her sister is then found dead on a mountain prompting an exploration into what caused the accident.

Philip Smith, CEO of Great Southern Television, described the show as “a singular, character-driven series that sits in the sub-genre of thrillers like Sharp Objects, Top of the Lake and The Undoing, gradually turning the screw of gnawing suspense.”

Philip Smith and Katia Sol are pitching the project in Rome during MIA Market, which takes place 9-13 October.