ITV teams up with Hulu for drama production

Samantha Morton in The Last Panthers

UK broadcaster ITV and US streaming service Hulu are joining forces to make Harlots, a period drama following Samantha Morton (The Last Panthers) as a brothel owner.

The series will follow Morton’s character, Margaret Wells, as she struggles to reconcile her roles as mother and brothel owner.

The project was written and created by Moira Buffini (Tamara Drewe) and marks the first commission for Monumental Pictures, the drama indie founded by Oscar nominated producers Alison Owen (Suffragette) and Debra Hayward (Bridget Jones’s Baby).

Filming starts in London next month. ITV Studios Global Entertainment will sell the show internationally.

In the US, Harlots will be a Hulu Original. ITV will play the series on its Encore channel in the UK.

It was commissioned for ITV by controller of drama Victoria Fea, who said: “Harlots is an exploration of family, power and brutal economics in a vibrant booming world full of colour and noise.  We’re delighted to be commissioning the series for ITV Encore.”

Maria Kyriacou, president of international for ITV Studios, said: “This is a world class drama which is sure to appeal to audiences across the globe as strongly as it will to ITV Encore and Hulu’s viewers in the UK and US.”