Liz Hurley British Royal family show is E!’s first scripted original

US pop culture channel E! Entertainment has ordered an original drama starring Elizabeth Hurley as the queen of a fictional British Royal family.

The Royals is a one-hour drama set for premiere in 2015 and represents NBCUniversal-owned E!’s first scripted effort.

Mark Schwahn (One Tree Hill) is executive producer, writer and director of the show, which will tell the story of a fictional British Royal family struggling the protect their image. Hurley will play Queen Helena, who is married to a King named Simon.

E! says the show, filmed and set in modern day London, will pit “public perception of the royal family against the reality of life inside the castle walls, from the lavish parties and high stakes political summits, to the private family gatherings and secret romances”.

US studio Lionsgate will produce the show, which Schwaun exec producers along with Brian Robbins and Joe Davola (One Tree Hill, Smallville).

“The Royals will offer a fictional look behind the very public gilded facade of the palace gates to imagine the private, lush, fun, sexy world of the most-watched celebrity family on the planet,” said Jeff Olde, executive VP, original programming and development. “It’s a perfect series to introduce E! viewers to scripted pop culture programming on the network.”