Rhys Ifans and Laura Linney to star in emotional new drama

Welsh star Rhys Ifans and Hollywood actress Laura Linney are to star in a moving new drama from the BBC.

A first-look picture has been released for Onwards and Sideways – coming soon to cinemas, BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning Laura Linney (Ozark, Love Actually, John Adams) and BAFTA award-winning Rhys Ifans (Inheritance, Venom: The Last Dance, House of the Dragon) star in an emotional story about two people with lots in common – a great sense of humour, a love of dance, and Parkinson’s.

Joining Laura and Rhys are Monica Dolan, Rory Kinnear and Paul Mayhew-Archer, with more cast to be announced.

Set and filmed in North Norfolk, Rhys plays Tony Evans, the deputy head of a local primary school. Laura stars as Emma Dretzin, a pianist, composer and single mother of two daughters. Neither knows the other until a startling encounter changes the course of their lives: on the same morning, they are both confronted with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s.

The feature-length drama is written by Mayhew-Archer (The Vicar of Dibley, Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot, and co-host of award-winning Parkinson’s podcast Movers and Shakers), directed by Academy Award-nominee John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Operation Mincemeat, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), and produced by Hilltop Screen for the BBC and John Gore Studios. Kaleidoscope Film Distribution is representing worldwide sales.

Director John Madden says: “I am really looking forward to telling the story of Tony and Emma – a friendship which unfolds unexpectedly. A story of humour and emotion, of challenge and bravado, of music and dance – transcending the assumptions of a little understood condition, and triumphing over the odds to find joy, release and love.”

Writer Paul Mayhew-Archer comments: “In 2011 when I was 58 years old, I was told I had Parkinson’s. It’s incurable and it makes many of the things I do – walking, talking, smiling – increasingly difficult. But though I have reasons to hate Parkinson’s it has also brought me opportunities I wouldn’t have missed for the world. The latest of these is the chance to work with the brilliant director John Madden and wonderful actors on bringing this story to life. So, thank you Parkinson’s. My fingers may fumble, my mouth may mumble and each step I take may result in a stumble. But I cannot grumble.”

Hilary Bevan Jones, producer for Hilltop Screen, adds: “Paul’s wonderful script has made me laugh, cry, and think about all that life has to offer. I hope this film will strike a chord with everyone, and I am thrilled that the peerless John Madden has brought together such an exceptional cast. Rhys and Laura will make a Tony and Emma who will touch the hearts of us all.”

Lindsay Salt, BBC Director of Drama says: “Paul Mayhew-Archer has written a glorious, important film with a huge heart, a wonderful sense of humour, and a deep sense of purpose. It shines a light on living with Parkinson’s and we are so proud to be making this film. With such a stunning cast and world-class director John Madden at the helm, BBC viewers are in for a treat.”

John Gore, producer for John Gore Studios, comments: “It is a true privilege to bring such a beautiful, life-affirming story to the screen, with talents of the calibre of Laura Linney, Rhys Ifans, and an extraordinary creative team. Onward and Sideways celebrates humour, courage, and love in the face of adversity, and embodies exactly the kind of uplifting, deeply human storytelling that John Gore Studios is proud to champion.”

Parkinson’s UK estimates that someone is diagnosed with Parkinson’s every 20 minutes in the UK and around 166,000 people have Parkinson’s in the UK alone.

No release date has yet been announced for the drama.