Gangs of London star joins Joseph Fiennes in Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe drama
Filming is currently under way in the UK and Europe, it has been reported.
Narges Rashidi and Joseph Fiennes will star in an upcoming drama about Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian charity worker who was accused of spying, it has been confirmed.
Rashidi will play Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was detained and held in prison in Iran for six years, while Fiennes will star opposite as Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband Richard Ratcliffe, who sustained a campaign for her release.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe always denied the accusations she faced and was freed in 2022.
The series was originally announced by the BBC at the beginning of the month (June 2024), and is set to adapt the events described in Zaghari-Ratcliffe's book A Yard of Sky: A Story of Love, Resistance and Hope – which chronicled her harrowing experience.
As reported by Deadline, a spokesperson from the BBC said of the drama: "Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Richard Ratcliffe’s extraordinary experiences captured everyone’s hearts; their journey is one of despair, courage and hope, spanning two countries and six years, and ultimately, it’s a story of how this family, who were forced apart by international events, were finally reunited."
The four-part drama is currently in production, with filming taking place across the UK and Europe.
Rashidi will be best known to audiences for her role in Gangs of London, in which has played Lale for two seasons. She has also had roles in Hanna, The Girlfriend Experience and Anatomy of Evil.
Fiennes, meanwhile, boasts a plethora of acting roles, though is perhaps best known for his portrayal of William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love, for which he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
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Fiennes has also starred in American Horror Story, as the corrupt Monsignor Timothy Howard, Fred Waterford in The Handmaid's Tale and Martin Luther in Luther.
The as-yet unnamed series will be produced by Dancing Ledge Productions, which also helmed 2020 factual drama The Salisbury Poisonings and The Responder, which stars Martin Freeman.
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Authors
Chezelle Bingham is a Sub-Editor for Radio Times. She previously worked on Disney magazines as a Writer, for 6 pre-school and primary titles. Alongside her prior work in writing, she possesses a BA in English Literature and Language.
