BBC Unveils Cast for Two Weeks in August, a Sun-Soaked Drama with a Dark Twist

Damien Molony (Image: Nick James), Jessica Raine (Image: Pip), Nicholas Pinnock (Image: Joseph Sinclair), Antonia Thomas (Image: Manfred Baumann), Hugh Skinner (Image: Rankin) and Leila Farzad (Image: Pip Bourdillon) - Images courtesy of BBC Press

By Jon Donnis

The BBC has confirmed the cast for Two Weeks in August, an eight-part drama for BBC One and BBC iPlayer that follows a group of friends reuniting for a summer holiday. Written and created by Catherine Shepherd (Sally4Ever, The Shrink Next Door), the series is produced by Various Artists Limited (I May Destroy You, Such Brave Girls), with filming now underway in Malta.

The story centres on Zoe, played by Jessica Raine (The Devil's Hour, Patrick Melrose), who hopes a holiday with family and old friends will be the reset she desperately needs. Alongside her is Damien Molony (Bergerac, Brassic) as her husband Dan, Nicholas Pinnock (For Life, The Book of Clarence) as old friend Solomon, and Antonia Thomas (The Good Doctor, Still Up) as his new wife Jess. The group is completed by Leila Farzad (Kaos, I Hate Suzie) and Hugh Skinner (Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!, Fleabag) as their former university friends Nat and Jacob.

Additional cast includes Dolly Wells (Dracula), Tom Goodman-Hill (Baby Reindeer), Dylan Brady (Mary & George), Maria Almeida (The Strays), Khalil Gharbia (The Lost Boys), Florence Banks (The New Look), Sonny Poon Tip (Industry), Cassius Hackforth (Doctor Who), and introducing Eliza and Anthony Lambon as Zoe's children Eve and Theo, along with Joe Dixon as Solomon and Jess' son Henry.

Set in Greece, the story takes a sharp turn when an innocent kiss unravels deep-seated tensions. What begins as a dream holiday soon turns into something much darker, as long-buried emotions, betrayals, and unexpected dangers leave the group questioning everything. As paradise shifts into turmoil, they soon find themselves trapped on the island, forced to confront both their pasts and an uncertain future.

Jessica Raine says: "Catherine's scripts reeled me in from the first page. Epic and nuanced. Funny and tragic. I'm honoured to be playing Zoe in this simply brilliant story."

Executive producers Roberto Troni and Kat Reynolds from Various Artists Limited, along with Shepherd, added: "Individually, these actors have such range and brilliance in everything they do. We feel so lucky to have them with us in the Med as they are dynamite together."

BBC Drama Director Lindsay Salt says: "There is no better cast to bring Two Weeks in August to life. You might not want to find yourselves on holiday with this group of characters, but watching their reunion unfold across eight sun-soaked episodes will be irresistible."

The series' lead director is Tom George (This Country, Sherwood), who will direct episodes 1-4, while Matthew Moore (The Great, Colin from Accounts) will direct episodes 5-8. The show is being filmed in Malta and Gozo with the help of local production company Pellikola.