The Outlaws: Start date, time, cast and latest news on Stephen Merchant drama
Stephen Merchant directs and stars in the upcoming series.
Stephen Merchant's brand new series The Outlaws kicks off on BBC One tonight, following a diverse group of people carrying out community service, who find themselves united by a common threat.
The drama features moments of comedy, which is to be expected from the co-creator of The Office and Extras, as well as some quite thrilling scenes as our unlikely gang finds themselves in way over their head.
Merchant himself appears in a supporting role alongside rising star Rhianne Barreto, Hollywood legend Christopher Walken and a number of other familiar faces.
The BBC must be very happy with The Outlaws as the brand new show secured a second series long before the first had even wrapped filming, which is a strong vote of confidence if ever there was one.
Read on for everything you need to know Stephen Merchant's The Outlaws on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, including start date, cast and trailer.
The Outlaws release date
CONFIRMED: The Outlaws premieres tonight, Monday 25th October, at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
The series was filmed in Bristol (Merchant's hometown), and is a co-production between the BBC and Amazon Studios, which means it will be distributed on Prime Video in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The shoot got underway in March 2020, but had to be halted after just 12 days of production due to the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which shut down much of the entertainment industry for several months.
On the bright side, during the hiatus, Merchant was approached by the BBC to write a second series which has since been officially ordered by the broadcaster.
The Outlaws series one and two were ultimately filmed back-to-back, with production resuming in late November 2020 and continuing for just shy of a year.
As the cast and crew returned to work, Merchant said: "Like so many other productions, we’d just begun filming when COVID-19 struck and we had to shut down. I’m delighted that we’re now finally able to resume filming with this incredible cast and finish this long-standing passion project.
"This is the first series I’ve made in my hometown of Bristol and I’m so excited to showcase the city and utilise the amazing local talent.”
There's no word yet on when the second outing will debut, but we'll keep this page updated with the latest information as it comes in, so keep checking back for more.
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The Outlaws cast
Rhianne Barreto (Honour) leads The Outlaws cast as gifted A-Level student Rani, who puts her promising future at risk when she is caught shoplifting from a mall in her hometown of Bristol.
She is placed in a community service programme with an all-star cast of fellow offenders, each of whom is there for a different reason and has their own unique problems to deal with.
Rani quickly strikes up a rapport with Christian (Hanna's Gamba Cole), a young man who is attempting to keep himself and his sister out of the city's local gangs.
The Outlaws creator Stephen Merchant also appears on-screen, playing awkward lawyer Greg, who is struggling with loneliness as he goes through a painful divorce.
Meanwhile, Hollywood legend Christopher Walken also has a key role, playing charismatic but untrustworthy scoundrel Frank, who is trying to reconnect with his family following his latest stint in the slammer.
A number of viewers might well be wondering how someone as world-renowned as Walken ended up starring in a comedy-drama about community service in Bristol.
"Chris Walken does not have a mobile phone or a computer so it’s quite hard to get in touch with him," Merchant explained to the PA. “So I think we dusted off an old fax machine at the BBC and we managed to fax him the script – I’m not even joking – and he read the script and he liked it.
"And he called, would I come to Connecticut, where he lives in America? So I flew all the way to Connecticut and I sat with him and he had a lot of questions, and I was sat with him for about four hours and he made me an omelette."
Merchant continued: "It was very nice and we talked about the show, and he said to me ‘what’s Bristol like?’ and I said it was a bit like San Francisco. Because it’s exactly the same, with the bridge and the hilly-ness and everything. And he said ‘yes, I’m up for it’. And so he came over.”
Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark) plays Gabby, a reality star and social media influencer who finds herself doing community service after a recent scandal, while Darren Boyd (Killing Eve) plays John, a businessman whose family-run company is in trouble.
Clare Perkins (The Wheel of Time) completes the criminal clique as Myrna, while Jessica Gunning (Back) plays their eccentric supervising officer, Diana.
The supporting cast is full of familiar faces, with Dolly Wells (The Pursuit of Love), Richard E Grant (Loki), Julia Davis (Gavin & Stacey) all set to appear, while Dracula actor Claes Bang will play "a mysterious and terrifying London gang boss".
What is The Outlaws about?
The series follows seven people performing community service. Initially it may seem that the group is made up of easy-to-pigeonhole archetypes, but we soon see their hidden depths. We're told: "The show is part crime thriller, character study, and a state-of-the-nation commentary – with humour and heart."
The offenders, who are all from different walks of life, form unlikely friendships and we gradually see their private lives intersect. The group is then forced to unite in order to protect one of their own from Bristol's most dangerous criminal gang.
The Outlaws trailer
The BBC gave us our first The Outlaws trailer earlier this month, which introduces the memorable characters in this stellar ensemble. Watch below:
While you're waiting to watch The Outlaws, take a look at more of our Drama coverage, or check out our TV Guide to find out what's on telly tonight.
