BAFTA and RTS award winning screenwriter Sarah Phelps writes original drama commission, Daughter

May 29, 2024 – ITV today confirmed acclaimed screenwriter, playwright and television producer Sarah Phelps will write an original drama commission entitled Daughter for the broadcaster, produced by leading independent production company Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios.

BAFTA and RTS award-winning Sarah Phelps will be working with ITV and Happy Prince, reunited with Executive Producers Dominic Treadwell-Collins (Rivals, You & Me, Holding, A Very English Scandal, EastEnders) and Alexander Lamb (Rivals, You & Me, Ackley Bridge, The Bay, EastEnders) on the domestic, psychological thriller.

Commented Sarah Phelps:
“I’ve been thinking about these tricky, complex characters for such a long time and I’m thrilled to get the opportunity to tell this story of the lies we tell ourselves about the people we love the most. And I couldn’t be happier to be working with Happy Prince and ITV to bring the world of Daughter to the screen.”

The drama series has been commissioned for ITV and ITVX by Head of Drama Polly Hill and Senior Drama Commissioning Editor, Helen Ziegler, who will oversee the commission on behalf of the broadcaster.

A dark contemporary tale, Daughter asks how far you would go to protect your children – and how well do you really know them?

Daughter focuses on two mothers from very different backgrounds and their teenage daughters whose friendship turns toxic after an accusation of bullying. In trying to defend their daughters, the two mothers go to war, a war that lays bare screaming tensions and tears families apart, with repercussions rocketing through the community.

In a world where we are frightened for our children, what happens if we become frightened of them?

Commented Senior Drama Commissioning Editor Helen Ziegler:
“I am thrilled to be working with Sarah and Happy Prince on Sarah’s original, deliciously dark and twisted family thriller, Daughter. Sarah is an extraordinary voice of our times, whose tale about how well we can ever really know those who live in our very own homes, shocks and thrills in equal measure.”

Commented Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Chief Creative Officer for Happy Prince:
“We’re so excited to be reunited with Sarah to make Daughter. Sarah’s one of our greatest contemporary screenwriters and so brilliant both on and off screen – and to be working on something original from her genius mind makes this a very special project for us.”

Sarah Phelps is known for her work on the BAFTA and RTS award-winning drama, The Sixth Commandment. Sarah’s work also includes the critically acclaimed dramas A Very British Scandal, Dublin Murders, The Pale Horse, Ordeal by Innocence, The Witness for the Prosecution, And Then There Were None and EastEnders.

Daughter will be produced in association with and distributed internationally by ITV Studios.