Tom Burke and Thomas Turgoose join cast of The Gallows Pole

9 September 2021

Tom Burke and Thomas Turgoose have joined the cast of Shane Meadows' new BBC period drama 'The Gallows Pole'.

Shane Meadows

'Mank' star Burke and 'This Is England' actor Turgoose will form part of a stellar cast for Meadows' first-ever period drama, which is already in production and due to hit the small screen next year.

Based on Benjamin Myers' book of the same name, the series, which is set around the time of the industrial revolution, fictionalises the true story of David Hartley, played by another 'This is England' star, Michael Socha, and the Cragg Vale Coiners.

They were the 18th century gang who forged coins and returned them into circulation, which almost caused the Georgian British economy to collapse and became the biggest fraud in British history.

Meadows says he hasn't been this "passionate about shooting a project in years".

The 48-year-old director said: “Putting this cast together, with the undying support of (casting director) Shaheen Baig and her amazing team, has been an absolute joy.

"To be working with actors I’ve grown up with and/or have been desperate to work with, alongside oodles of incredible ‘as yet’ undiscovered Yorkshire-based talent, is an absolute honour and I’ve not been this passionate about shooting a project in years!

"After some initial rehearsals back in spring, me and the team went on an open-casting odyssey, watching over 6,500 self-tapes from unrepresented actors and actresses, and were blown away by the quality of tapes that were submitted.

"We went from hoping to find one or two new faces, to making up half of the entire cast from those tapes and I believe it’s going to create a series quite unlike anything else I’ve ever worked on.

"This is the 18th century yes, but viewed through a slightly more anarchic lens and will - like my previous work - have a soundtrack that fits the mood like a psychedelic glove, rather than historical expectations."

Other cast members include 'Downton Abbey' actresses Sophie McShera and Cara Theobold, 'Peaky Blinders' star Samuel Edward-Cook, as well as '1917' actor George MacKay.