Media Release

HBO Max To Be Exclusive US Streaming Home for Powerful 1980s Period Drama Series Boys (wt)

Five-Part Television Event from Award-Winning Writer/Producer Russell T Davies is a Co-Production with Britain’s Channel 4

Olly Alexander, Stephen Fry, Neil Patrick Harris, Keeley Hawes, Tracy Ann Oberman, Shaun Dooley, Omari Douglas, Callum Scott Howells, Nathaniel Curtis, and Lydia West Star in RED Production Company Produced Drama Set in London

LOS ANGELES – December 3, 2019 – HBO Max, the upcoming direct-to-consumer offering from WarnerMedia, will be the exclusive U.S. home of the period drama, Boys (working title), in partnership with Britain’s Channel 4. Principal photography on the project began in October and is scheduled to air in the UK in 2020.

The five-part series charts the emotional journey of five friends during the 1980s, a decade in which everything changed, most notably with the rise of AIDS. The star-studded cast includes Olly Alexander, Nathaniel Curtis, Shaun Dooley, Omari Douglas, Stephen Fry, Neil Patrick Harris, Keeley Hawes, Callum Scott Howells, Tracy Ann Oberman,and Lydia West.

“It is our delight to be collaborating with the talented Russell T Davies” said Jeniffer Kim, senior vice president of international originals, HBO Max. “He has crafted a beautiful coming of age story, exploring the excitement of new friendships and self-discovery during a period when there were so many unknowns. Russell’s mastery is so evident throughout and with Nicola’s producing expertise and Ch4’s collaboration, we at HBO Max are thrilled to partner in sharing this moving story.”
 
Russell T Davies commented; “This was an astonishing decade, when a sudden new virus meant life became more stark, vivid and precious than ever before.  I’ve carried these stories with me for years, and it’s an honour to find them a home with HBO Max.” 
 
Nicola Shindlerexecutive producer and CEO of RED Production Company added; “We’re delighted that Boys has found its US home on HBO Max, and we look forward to sharing this extraordinary story with viewers next year.”
 
Produced by RED Production Company, a STUDIOCANAL company, the project is written and executive produced by multi-BAFTA Award-winning writer Russell T Davies (A Very English ScandalYears and Years, Queer as Folk, Doctor Who).  The project is directed byPeter Hoar (Umbrella Academy, The Last Kingdom, Da Vinci’s Demons), produced by Phil Collinson (Gentleman Jack, Good Omens, Doctor Who), and executive produced by Davies and RED Production Company’s Nicola Shindler (Years and Years, Safe, Happy Valley, Queer As Folk, Cucumber). Boys marks the 10th collaboration between Davies and RED in the wake of such previous timely and emotionally charged dramas as Queer as FolkBananaCucumberCasanovaThe Second Coming, and Bob & Rose. all3media International is the global partner marking the second deal with HBO Max after the recently announced White House Farm acquisition.


ABOUT HBO Max 
HBO Max 
is WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer offering debuting in spring 2020. With 10,000 hours of curated premium content anticipated at launch, HBO Max will offer powerhouse programming for everyone in the home, bringing together HBO, a robust slate of new original series, key third-party licensed programs and movies, and fan favorites
from WarnerMedia’s rich library including Warner Bros., New Line, DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Looney Tunes and more. Sign up for updates at HBOMax.com.

ABOUT RED PRODUCTION COMPANY
RED Production Company was set up by Nicola Shindler in 1998 to work with the best writers on modern, innovative and entertaining programming. The Manchester-based indie has since produced some of the UK’s most popular drama series working with critically acclaimed writers including Russell T Davies, Bill Gallagher, Sally Wainwright, Danny Brocklehurst, Dan Sefton and Sean Conway. RED Production Company has produced some of the UK’s most successful and award-winning dramas, including Russell T Davies’Cucumber and Queer As Folk, Sally Wainwright’s Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax, Danny Brocklehurst’s Come Home and Ordinary Lies, Lenny Henry’s Danny and the Human Zoo, Dan Sefton’s Trust Me, Tony Marchant’s ButterflyHarlan Coben’s Safe written by Danny Brocklehurst and Russell T Davies’ Years and Years for BBC One.  Forthcoming series include Sarah Solemani’s Ridley Road for BBC One, Harlan Coben’s The Stranger for Netflix and Traces written by Amelia Bullmore for UKTV. RED Production Company is part of STUDIOCANAL’s international production network, which includes TANDEM Productions in Germany, STUDIOCANAL Original in France and BAMBÚ PRODUCCIONES in Spain.
 
ABOUT RUSSELL T DAVIES 
Russell T Davies was awarded the 2006 Dennis Potter Award at BAFTA for his writing services to television and an OBE in the Queen’s 2008 Birthday Honours list for services to drama. He has created several award-winning series including Bob & RoseThe Second Coming, the revival of the classic British science fiction series Doctor Who, and the trilogy Cucumber, Banana and Tofu for which he won the BAFTA for Best Drama Writer. In 2016 Russell was awarded the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Award for his Outstanding Contribution to Writing and the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Edinburgh TV Festival in 2017.
Russell T Davies cREDits include; Years and Years, A Very English Scandal, Cucumber, Banana, Tofu, Doctor Who, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Casanova, Mine All Mine, The Second Coming, Bob & Rose, Queer As Folk, The Grand, Century Falls, Dark Season. 

ABOUT all3media INTERNATIONAL
all3media international distributes popular, award-winning TV programmes to over 1,000 broadcasters and media platforms around the world. The company has been celebrated for producing, marketing and distributing quality, ground-breaking and pioneering shows to global audience – consistently topping the Broadcast and Televisual annual Indies Surveys and we have been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of our growth – twice. Our catalogue contains over 11,500 hours of content across all genres, with a focus on drama, comedy, factual, entertainment and formats. As well as Britain’s top-selling series Midsomer Murders, our lead dramas include National TreasureThe Missing,
CliqueSafe HouseIndian SummersLiar and Hinterland.Our contemporary comedy slate features Fleabag and GameFace. Factual, entertainment and format bestsellers include
Gogglebox, Undercover Boss, Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, The Gadget Show
and The Cube. As part of the UK’s leading multi-label studio we partner with UK and international producers – including our own studios – in developing, financing and delivering content and formats.
 
ABOUT WarnerMedia
Warner Media is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, HBO Now, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others. Warner Media is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T).


HBO MAX PUBLICITY CONTACTS

Raina Falcon
818-559-7920
raina.falcon@turner.com
 
Scott Radloff
818-729-7469
scott.radloff@turner.com