The Way: All We Know About Michael Sheen’s Powerful New BBC Drama
The BBC has been making some great miniseries recently with shows including The Gallows Pole and Best Interests – and the star of the latter, Michael Sheen, is branching into directing new series The Way.
Set in the Welsh actor’s hometown of Port Talbot, it’s set to be a socially and politically relevant story about a family, the Driscolls (one of which is also played by Sheen), living in a small industrial town on the verge of an uprising. It’s described as a “darkly humorous” tale of division and chaos, and we’re certainly intrigued to see what Sheen, who’s soon to appear in Season 2 of Good Omens, does in the director’s chair.
Who is set to star in the BBC’s The Way?
While the Staged star is the headline name, The Way also has two other impressive talents working behind the scenes. James Graham, who’s written shows like Sherwood, Brexit: The Uncivil War plus Quiz, is lending his writing talents, and acclaimed documentarian Adam Curtis (HyperNormalisation, Can’t Get You Out of My Head) is co-creating the series.
What’s The Way About?
It’s set in a small but significant industrial town that begins to experience serious civil unrest. One family caught up in this growing discontent is the Driscolls, played by Callum Scott Howells (It’s A Sin), Steffan Rhodri (Gavin & Stacey), Sophie Melville (The Pact), Mali Harries (Keeping Faith) and Michael Sheen.
The family, like the rest of the town, is split on the sense of anger reverberating around their small town, but when things start to get truly serious and frustration turns into the beginnings of a civil uprising, they’re faced with a difficult choice. They may love their home, but they now have to grapple with the possibility of leaving the country and seeking refuge from violence. Another key player in the story is a mercenary, played by Luke Evans (The Hobbit, Pinocchio), who has his sights on the family and follows them.
The Way is chiefly about the current issues that we face as a country and in our society; as co-creator Curtis puts it: “[it examines] one of the great puzzles of this moment – why is it so hard to imagine a better, or even just different, kind of future for this country? What is holding us back?” These dilemmas will be explored throughout the series’ three, hour-long episodes, and The Way is Michael Sheen’s debut TV directing effort. The show is currently filming, and we’re excited to see where the series takes us when it releases on BBC One and iPlayer.
