Introduction by Danny Brocklehurst

The success of the first series took me by surprise. Not that people came to the show, but how much they embraced it. Lies it seems, make for enticing viewing. It soon became clear to me that some of the themes we were presenting tapped into very recognisable feelings within the audience.

Published: 5 October 2016
Ordinary Lies was conceived as an antidote to police drama on TV. I wanted to write a show that wasn’t about death and murder, it was about life.
— Danny Brocklehurst

But the stories we told – each a massive play for today – were about secrets and lies that blew the characters’ lives apart. They were massive life changing moments.

So when the BBC said they wanted to make a second series, underneath our delight was a slight anxiety – how do we tell six more massive stories that blow people’s lives apart, without it becoming farcical that this group of people would be so deceitful? The answer, we felt, was boldness.

Much as we loved the original cast, the original workplace, we felt the show would have more integrity and longevity, if we moved workplace each season. The stories I wanted to tell in season two were massive statements about aspects of contemporary society and we felt they need a fresh canvas, unencumbered by the lies of last series.

As with shows such as Fargo, True Detective and American Horror Story, we decided that the show could be the brand. And that the story telling would be stronger for constant renewal.

The workplace was an easy decision – a call centre attached to a distribution warehouse – firstly because it offered up an office, which is where the majority of us work nowadays, and secondly it gave us two locations and a natural hierarchy. In short, it felt modern and relatable.

The hardest part was populating this new world with a new bunch of exciting, funny, complex characters that the audience would embrace like they embraced our first lot. But the more I thought about my new gang - their complicated personal lives; their tangled histories; the reasons for the deception - the more excited I became that we had made the right decision.

The stories this year are bold, challenging, and relevant. I wanted to write about the corrosive effects of social media, surveillance culture, parental abandonment, mental illness and much else, but without ever feeling like a show that was dealing with ‘issues’. So, like last year, each episode had to be funny, thrilling, unexpected and characterful. We also had to subvert expectations. So the lies this time aren’t always what they appear to be – or even told by the main character. One lie is a lie told for all the right reasons, but still, the consequences are profound.

There is a strong theme running through the series about characters adopting alternate personas, or masking their true selves. This struck me as enormously timely. In a world where we are endlessly presenting a ‘public’ image via Facebook, Instagram and so on, the question of identity is everywhere we turn. ‘Does who people think we are matter more than who we really are?’ ‘Does technology distance us from each other’, ‘Does it make us jealous, dissatisfied, depressed?’

Another strong theme running through the series is parental love. What are the extremes we will go to to protect our children; how damaging is a bad childhood; what happens when danger arrives in a home…

Ordinary Lies was conceived as an antidote to police drama on TV. I wanted to write a show that wasn’t about death and murder, it was about life. A drama about the problems we make for ourselves and the problems we have imposed upon us. The problems of family and relationships, money and work. I believe the second series embraces this even more than the first. There are stories this year which people will find emotional truthful and painfully real. But no matter how much we put our characters through, how bad their lives get, this is a show which is always about hope and love. And right now, that feels quite radical.

Danny Brocklehurst
Writer, Director and Producer 

Cast

  • Joe - Con O’Neill
  • Jenna - Angela Griffin
  • Holly- Kimberley Nixon
  • Toke - Joel Fry
  • Wendy - Rebekah Staton
  • Fletch - Matt Di Angelo
  • Ally - Jennifer Nicholas
  • Ray - Ian Davies
  • Karl - Gareth Pierce
  • Caz - Elen Rhys
  • Ash - Luke Bailey
  • Kim - Rachel Isaac
  • Neil - Noel Sullivan
  • Ruth - Kezrena James
  • Belinda - Jill Halfpenny
  • Patrick - Griff Rhys Jones
  • Tommy - Aled Herbert
  • Carly - Catherine Ayers
  • Jag - Simon Trinder
  • Adam - John Macmillan
  • Sal - Adelle Leonce
  • Chrissy - Ella Peel
  • Lenny - Aled Pugh
  • Sarah Jane - Elinor Crawley
  • Nina’s Sister - Ruth Lloyd
  • Nina - Karen Paullada

Crew

  • Writer - Danny Brocklehurst
  • Executive Producer - Nicola Shindler
  • Executive Producer for BBC - Elizabeth Kilgarriff
  • Line Producer - Emily Feller
  • Director (EP 1, 2, 4) - Misha Manson Smith
  • Director (EP 3, 5, 6) - Jon Wright

Press contacts

Amy Whittow - [email protected] / 0207 292 7389

Sophie Spirit - [email protected] / 0207 292 7373