The Nest breaks BBC drama record

20 May 2020

'The Nest' has broken the BBC record for its biggest new drama launch of 2020.

Martin Compston

The BBC One thriller - which stars Sophie Rundle and Martin Compston - tells the story of a married couple who are unable to conceive, with the show attracting as many as nine million viewers.

Reflecting on the programme's success, Piers Wenger, the Controller of BBC Drama, said: "We are so proud that Nicole Taylor's brilliant BBC One thriller gripped the nation with its powerful and provocative storytelling, attracting such a wide and diverse audience.

"The characters at the heart of the drama were brilliantly acted by Sophie Rundle, Martin Compston and newcomer Mirren Mack - and we can't thank them enough alongside producers Studio Lambert, for making such a memorable series."

Executive producer Susan Hogg is "thrilled" it's been watched by so many viewers, and thanked the team behind the series for their efforts.

She said: "All of us at Studio Lambert are thrilled that 'The Nest' has been viewed by such a wide and diverse audience.

"The word of mouth has been fantastic and we hope the drama will reach many more viewers through iPlayer. Our thanks go to our superb directors, cast and crew who were all in awe of Nicole Taylor's amazing script and who worked so hard to bring her vision to life."

The drama was recently sold to the US entertainment company AMC Networks, and is now set to be made available for viewers in the US and Canada through the Acorn TV streaming service.

'The Nest' has also been sold to pay-TV channel C More in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland, while BBC Global Channels have acquired the five-part series in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.