Hugo Blick’s anticipated epic western The English starring Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer will arrive on BBC Two this November.
Set in 1890 mid-America, the series follows aristocratic Englishwoman Lady Cornelia Locke (Blunt) and a Pawnee ex-cavalry scout, Eli Whipp (Spencer), as they attempt to cross a violent landscape built on dreams and blood. According to the BBC, the powerful drama takes the core themes of identity and revenge to tell a uniquely compelling parable on race, love and power.
The six-parter is written and directed by multi-award-winning Hugo Blick, whose acclaimed TV series include The Honourable Woman, Black Earth Rising and The Shadow Line.
The BBC has also confirmed that The English will launch on BBC Two on Thursday, 10th November.
???? Save the date! An aristocratic Englishwoman (Emily Blunt) and a Pawnee ex-cavalry scout (Chaske Spencer) come together in 1890 mid-America in an epic parable on race, love and power. #TheEnglish comes to @BBCTwo and @BBCiPlayer from 10 November
— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) September 1, 2022
More ➡️ https://t.co/quQDB59yCT pic.twitter.com/vpR2DYcorl
Read on for everything we know so far about The English below.
The English release date
The English will launch on BBC Two, with all six episodes becoming available on BBC iPlayer, on 10th November. Outside of the UK, The English will then launch in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Nordics on Prime Video on 11th November.
The English: the plot
The sprawling epic western centres on aristocratic Englishwoman Lady Cornelia Locke (Emily Blunt), who is grieving the loss of her son, and Pawnee ex-cavalry scout Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer) who come together in 1890 mid-America to cross a violent landscape built on dreams and blood. Cornelia is hellbent on revenge as she sets off on her journey with Eli, who teaches her how to survive on their perilous cross-country journey.
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The BBC’s official synopsis reads: “Both of them have a clear sense of their destiny but neither is aware that it is rooted in a shared past. They must face increasingly terrifying obstacles that will test them to their cores, physically and psychologically.
“But as each obstacle is overcome it draws them closer to their ultimate destination, the new town of Hoxem, Wyoming. It is here, after an investigation by the local sheriff Robert Marshall (Stephen Rea) and young widow Martha Myers (Valerie Pachner) into a series of bizarre and macabre unsolved murders, that the full extent of their intertwined history will be truly understood, and they will come face to face with the future they must live.”
The English: who is in the cast?
Emily Blunt leads opposite Chaske Spencer, who is known for Wild Indian and Marvel’s ECHO.
The series’s acclaimed ensemble cast also includes Stephen Rea (The Shadow Line, The Honourable Woman), Valerie Pachner (The King’s Man), Rafe Spall (The Salisbury Poisonings), Tom Hughes (A Discovery of Witches), Toby Jones (Detectorists) and Ciarán Hinds (The Terror).
The English trailer
The BBC recently shared a trailer which features Emily Blunt’s character Cornelia enlisting Chaske Spencer’s Eli to help her survive an epic journey across mid-America, before seemingly falling in love.
The English launches on BBC Two on Thursday 10th November. All episodes will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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