New comedy drama Rain Dogs starring West Country screen talent Daisy May Cooper begins on BBC One on 4 April, after filming almost entirely in Bristol last year.
Rain Dogs is made by award-winning production company Sid Gentle Films (Killing Eve) from its new development and production arm, Sid Wild, based at The Bottle Yard Studios. It was filmed at The Bottle Yard Studios and across the city with assistance from Bristol Film Office.
Producer Ciara McIlvenny (Sid Wild) says: “Making Rain Dogs in Bristol has been a great experience – it’s an incredibly film friendly city, it felt like everyone really wanted us to be here. We were lucky to have a brilliant, talented and hard-working crew, around 70% of whom were based in Bristol and the West. The Film Office were accommodating and very helpful and The Bottle Yard Studios were a fantastic partner. The shoot had 78 locations in total, which is an extraordinary amount. We did just two days in London, everything else was filmed in Bristol and the South West. It was an exciting place to film and we are looking forward to making many more shows here.”
Senior Film Manager Laura Aviles (Bristol City Council) says: “Bristol continues to punch well above its weight as a filming destination for High End TV drama. The fact that a company of Sid Gentle’s calibre established their first out-of-London arm in Bristol is a ringing endorsement for the filming infrastructure the city offers, supported by our Film Office and Bottle Yard teams. The release of Rain Dogs, the first title made under the Sid Wild arm, on HBO and the BBC marks yet another primetime drama made in Bristol and enjoyed the world over.”
Production headquarters were based at The Bottle Yard Studios, where sets for a Peep Show and apartment interiors were built. The city’s Film Office supported the shoot at a wide range of Bristol locations which doubled for London where much of the storyline is set.
Rain Dogs stars Daisy May Cooper (This Country, Am I Being Unreasonable), Jack Farthing (Spencer, The Lost Daughter), Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo (Alex Rider, Chevalier), Adrian Edmondson (A Spy Among Friends, The Trick) and Fleur Tashjian in her debut role.
The eight-part series chronicles the life of Costello Jones (Daisy May Cooper), a devoted mother who wants more for her young daughter, Iris (Fleur Tashjian). As she hustles to survive, Costello leans on Selby (Jack Farthing), Iris’ pseudo father (and Costello’s pseudo soulmate), and Gloria (Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo), the duo’s loyal yet chaotic godmother/best friend. Together they form a makeshift swaggerous family bound by a complex but deep-rooted love and defiance towards a system built against them.
Rain Dogs launched in the US on HBO on 6 March 2023, and has been described by Rolling Stone magazine as: “Fascinating, poignant, and at times darkly funny.”
Rain Dogs will air weekly from Tuesday 4th April at 10.40pm on BBC One. All episodes will be available as a box set from 4th April on BBCiPlayer.