Convoy of stars lined up for ‘Truckers’

The BBC has released more casting information for new 5-part drama ‘Truckers’.

Stars joining the cast, lead by Stephen Tompkinson (Wild At Heart, DCI Banks) will be: Harry Treadaway (Fish Tank, Control), Ashley Walters (Bullet Boy, Inside Men), John Dagleish (Lark Rise To Candleford, Beaver Falls), Sian Breckin (Tyrannosaur, Donkey Punch) and Jenn Murray (The Fades, Dorothy Mills).

Truckers, by acclaimed writer William Ivory, is a series about modern Britain told through the lives of truck drivers working for a haulage yard in Nottingham.

Funny, moving, painful and raucous, Truckers tells stories of real life, and ordinary people pushed to extremes. In each episode one character undergoes a life changing journey and we are along for the ride. In an age when technology would make us seem ever more connected, the series uses the truck driver, alone in his cab, as a way to explore how isolated we can become within modern society and the importance of real human connection. These are powerful, moving stories, but the tone is always joyous and each story is one of redemption.

In episode one Malachi (Tompkinson) is still living with his wife and grown-up son Glen (Treadaway), 18 months after their divorce. Kidding himself that the relationship can still be fixed, he is stunned when his wife Sue announces she is to marry her boyfriend – that she does not love him anymore. This forces Malachi to look deep within himself and the life he is leading. He does not like what he sees. The resulting tailspin involves tears, laughter, fake tan, Viagra, a thong and attempted sex with a letter box as Malachi just tries to get a handle on where his life has been, where it went wrong and how he can maybe put it right…

Steven (Walters) is a selfish man hooked on self-gratification, filling a void in his life with casual sex and easy duplicity. The one shining light in his life are his kids, and when his actions mean he might lose contact with them, Steven goes on a painful and funny journey that shows him real happiness can only be found when you share it with others.

Wendy (Breckin) is an outwardly tough and confident female trucker, giving as good as she gets in a male world. When she falls into an unlikely relationship with Steven, her frailties are revealed, and Wendy will realise that before you can let someone else love you, you’ve got to learn to love yourself.

Martin (Dagleish) is tasked with trying to manage this eclectic bunch, having inherited the haulage firm after his father died. Martin always idolised his father and finds his boots tough to fill as the other drivers refuse to accept his modernising methods. He is helped by Transport Manager Michelle (Murray), who is his eyes and ears on the yard. However, he will learn that his idol had feet of clay and go on a painful journey as he learns that rather than trying to be someone to make his Dad proud, Martin just needs to be himself.

Steve Lightfoot, Executive Producer, Company Pictures, says: “William Ivory has written a group of wonderful blue collar characters who leap off the page, with lives we can all relate to – and this cast of exciting actors inhabit them brilliantly to bring these funny and moving stories to life.”

Polly Hill, Head of Independent Drama, BBC, adds: “It’s great to see Billy’s scripts attract such a terrific cast. This is a beautifully written series that is bold, funny and moving and we have a fantastic cast to pull this off.”

The executive producers are Steve Lightfoot, John Yorke and William Ivory for Company Pictures, and Polly Hill is the Head of Independent Drama for the BBC. The producer for Company Pictures is Faye Dorn and the directors are Sheree Folkson and Sue Tully.

Truckers has already begun filming in Nottingham.