‘The Syndicate’: BBC & BritBox North America Bring Back Kay Mellor Lottery Drama After Five Year Break

Peter White
·3 min read

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The BBC and BritBox North America are bringing back Kay Mellor’s lottery drama The Syndicate, which was briefly remade by ABC, five years after its last season.

The British public broadcaster and the U.S. streamer have ordered a fourth season, set between Leeds and Las Vegas, of the drama, whose third season aired in 2015.

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The stand-alone series, which is written by Mellor, is set in a dog kennel, after the first season was set in a supermarket in Leeds, the second in a hospital in Bradford and the third in a stately home in Scarborough.

It will air on BBC One in the UK with BritBox, a joint venture between the BBC and ITV, airing it exclusively in the U.S and Canada. It is produced by Mellor’s Rollem Productions.

The new season follows the staff of the Woodvale Kennels, who are devastated to realise they may well be out of a job after the owners reveal that they are selling the business to a larger company. As the team’s future is thrown into question the weekly lottery looks like their only lifeline. So, when the friends check the ticket and the machine goes off they are ecstatic. But is everything as it seems and will our syndicate get what’s rightfully theirs? Set between Leeds and Las Vegas, we see our kennel workers spend every last penny they own to see justice done.

The six-part series is exec produced by Kay Mellor, who will direct the first two episodes, and Yvonne Francas (Death in Paradise) for Rollem and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC. Josh Dynevor (Get Even) series produces.

Season three of The Syndicate aired in 2015. ABC aired a U.S. remake, Lucky 7, developed by David Zabel and Jason Richman, in October 2013 but it was pulled after two episodes.

Mellor said, “I’m thrilled to be working with the BBC again. As ever, it’s a brand-new Syndicate and has a fresh and unique transatlantic story. I couldn’t resist setting this series in a dog kennels either. I have a Shih-tzu myself and love animals – they say you should never work with kids or animals but I’m a sucker for a challenge and can’t wait to get started.”

Soumya Sriraman, President and Founder for BritBox added, “How do you improve one of Kay’s compelling cat-and-mouse stories? Simple, add dogs. I can’t wait for the BritBox community to experience this new world of Kay’s, grappling with contemporary concerns through the lens of her taut, thrilling plots.”

Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, said, “We are so happy to have The Syndicate coming back for a fourth series on BBC One. Kay’s gripping, intriguing and heart-warming scripts will take viewers on a rollercoaster of emotions as a brand-new set of characters from a Leeds dog kennels win the lottery and set their sights on Vegas.”

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