Cast Includes Helen Hunt, Sean Bean, Jonah Hauer-King, Lesley Manville Los Angeles, CA; July 29, 2019: MASTERPIECE announced today that it will broadcast World on Fire, an adrenalized, emotionally gripping and resonant World War
II drama that follows the intertwining fates of ordinary people in five countries as they grapple with the effects of the war on their everyday lives.
Speaking at the Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles, MASTERPIECE Executive Producer Rebecca Eaton said, “At the very heart of any war are the families affected by it. World on Fire follows the fates of five characters -from England, France, Germany, Poland, and America – as their stories weave in and
out of each other’s. Love, death, heroism, and forgiveness bind them together as the world changes around them. Our colleagues at Mammoth Screen and the BBC are just the right people to tell this story.” MASTERPIECE is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston.
Set in Britain, Poland, France, Germany and the United States, the events of the seven-hour series take place during the first year of the war. The stellar cast includes Academy Award®-winner Helen Hunt (As Good As it Gets, Mad About You), Sean
Bean (Game of Thrones), Academy Award®-nominee Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread), Jonah Hauer-King (Little Women on MASTERPIECE, Howard’s End) and Blake Harrison (A Very English Scandal).
Damien Timmer, Mammoth Screen Managing Director, says: “We’re thrilled by the talent and breadth of the incredible cast and production team that have come together to tell this extraordinary story. A drama that pieces together World War II with Pete Bowker’s characteristic irreverence and humanity, tracing the connections between allies and enemies, and the huge battles we thought we knew. From the siege of Warsaw, to Dunkirk, the fall of Paris and the battle of Britain, here is an epic story told on a human scale, with a truly international cast.”
World On Fire is a Mammoth Screen (part of ITV Studios) production for the BBC and MASTERPIECE. It is written by Peter Bowker, developed by Mammoth’s Creative Director Rebecca Keane and executive produced by Peter Bowker, Damien Timmer,
and Helen Ziegler for Mammoth Screen, Lucy Richer for the BBC, and Rebecca Eaton for MASTERPIECE. The Series Producer is Chris Clough. Adam Smith (Trespass Against Us) is directing episodes one and two, Thomas Napper (Jawbone) is directing
episode three, Chanya Button (Burn Burn Burn) is is directing episodes five and six, and Andy Wilson (Unforgotten) is directing episodes four and seven.
ITV Studios Global Entertainment handles global distribution for World on Fire.
FUNDING FOR MASTERPIECE PROVIDED BY About MASTERPIECE
Winner of 83 Primetime Emmys® and 16 Peabody Awards, MASTERPIECE has been essential Sunday night viewing for millions of fans since 1971. Rebecca Eaton is the executive producer of the series. Funding for MASTERPIECE is provided by Viking and Raymond James with additional support from public television viewers and contributors to The MASTERPIECE Trust. Presented on PBS by WGBH Boston, MASTERPIECE is known for recent hits such as Sherlock, Downton Abbey and Victoria, and beloved classics such as Upstairs Downstairs, Prime Suspect, The Forsyte Saga and Poldark.
About Mammoth Screen
Mammoth Screen is one of the UK’s leading production companies. Current and forthcoming shows include Poldark Series 5, World on Fire, The War of the Worlds, The Pale Horse, Noughts and Crosses and The Serpent for BBC One and Netflix, Endeavour Series 7, Victoria and Singapore Grip for ITV.
Mammoth Screen is an ITV Studios Company. pbs.org/masterpiece
