The BBC and ZDF have commissioned Honey – a tender and flirty, slick and dangerous darkly comedic Cold War thriller from Sid Gentle Films Ltd (Killing Eve, Extraordinary). Written by Emma Moran (Extraordinary) the series goes deep undercover in 1980s East Berlin to explore a shadowy world of counter espionage and risky but irresistible relations. The six-part series, for BBC iPlayer, BBC One and ZDF, is made in association with FIFTH SEASON which is handling global distribution.
East Berlin, 1982. Marta, 24, is a deep cover agent for MI6. Surrounded by enemies and constantly under threat of her cover being blown, she tries her hardest to avoid detection by Friedrich Bauman, the new Head of Counter Espionage for the Stasi.
Finding herself caught between Friedrich and the reckless, arrogant (and incredibly attractive…) CIA operative Aaron Neeland, she is blind-sided by desire in this Cold War menage-a-trois.
The risk of being garrotted or incarcerated is nothing compared to the horrifying ordeal of falling in love. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable and bearing your heart and soul? She’d rather have her fingernails ripped off.
Emma Moran says: “I’m excited to dig into the sexy madness of our version of Cold War East Berlin. Romantic comedy plus espionage is a dream combination for me.”
Sally Woodward Gentle says: “Set against the stark brutalism of East Germany, the characters and storylines in Honey are smart, violent and highly sexually charged. Emma’s scripts are characteristically take-no-prisoners witty, sophisticated and pacy while quietly and desperately romantic. We are delighted to be working with the partnership of the BBC and ZDF and thrilled to once more join forces with FIFTH SEASON.”
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says: “Honey is a smart, playful and irresistible tale of an MI6 agent drawn into a deadly and dysfunctional love triangle. Set against the backdrop of Berlin in the early 80s, this brilliant new series from Emma and the team at Sid Gentle Films Ltd subverts genre conventions in the best possible way and we’re very proud to have it on the BBC.”
Arvand Khosravi, SVP, Scripted Television Strategy at FIFTH SEASON, adds: “We’re thrilled to be partnering again with the talented team at Sid Gentle and the BBC, we have a long history of making iconic shows a reality together. Honey is as ground-breaking and elevated as our previous collaborations, and it’s great to already be seeing strong international interest in the title.”
Honey was commissioned by Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, for BBC iPlayer and BBC One and Frank Seyberth, Head of Coproduction, International Fiction, for ZDF. It is made by Sid Gentle Films Ltd, a BBC Studios’ owned production label, for the BBC and ZDF. Emma Moran is the lead writer and executive producer. Emme Hoy (Renegade Nell) is also a writer on the series. It is executive produced by Sally Woodward Gentle and Lee Morris for Sid Gentle Films Ltd and the producer is Christopher Hall.
