EXCLUSIVE: Comcast-owned Sky is working on its first series with Shameless creator Paul Abbott — a crime drama titled Wolfe, which will feature Guerrilla and Rogue One actor Babou Ceesay as a brilliant but flawed forensic pathologist.
The six-part AbbottVision series, which will be officially announced on Monday as part of a slate of Sky originals, is written by a team led by Abbott and will co-star Amanda Abbington (Sherlock), Natalia Tena (Harry Potter), Naomi Yang (Poisonings), Adam Long (Vera), and Shaniqua Okwok (Small Axe).
Ceesay leads the crime-of-the-week series as Professor Wolfe Kinteh, the finest crime scene investigator in the north of England. He is a mercurial genius when it comes to piecing together evidence, but is prone to being a liability and has been kicked out of his family home by his wife, Val (Tena).
Wolfe is propped up by a team that includes child prodigy Maggy (Yang), middle-aged single mom Dot (Abbington), team entomologist Steve (Long), and new recruit Dominique (Okwok), who has a dark past that brings her into conflict with Wolfe.
Writing Wolfe alongside Abbott is Cat Jones, Georgia Lester, Furquan Akhtar, and Freddy Syborn. The series is directed by Adrian Shergold (Mag Dogs) and Sean Spencer (Panic). Executive producers are Abbott, Martin Carr, and Paul Coe. Emma Burge is the producer.
Zai Bennett, Sky’s managing director of content in the UK and Ireland, said he has been looking for a procedural series for Sky One for some time having been inspired by ITV’s iconic Robbie Coltrane detective series, Cracker. “It’s a heightened witty version [of Cracker] and that’s what really impressed us about it,” he told Deadline.
Abbott added that the series will deliver “energy and insight with wit and attitude.” He added: “I’ve loved creating the character of Wolfe. I dredged a lot of my own flaws to get him onto the page. I can’t think of anyone better than Babou to breathe life into the guy.”
Wolfe will premiere on Sky One and streamer Now TV in the fall.