Paul Abbott takes aim at Sky Atlantic HD with HIT & MISS

6 x 60’ exclusively for Sky Atlantic HD

HIT & MISS is an original drama created by one of the country’s most respected screenwriters, Paul Abbott for transmission in summer 2012. The series was commissioned by Elaine Pyke, Head of Drama, and is a co-production with AbbottVision and Red Production Company.

Multi-award winning writer and producer Paul Abbott is responsible for some of the most diverse and genre-defining dramas to appear on British television, from Shameless to conspiracy thriller State of Play. HIT & MISS marks Abbott’s first foray outside of terrestrial TV and possibly his most excitingly unconventional offering to date. HIT & MISS will be written by film writer Sean Conway (Brilliant Love, Kings Of London).

Meet Mia, a contract killer with a big secret: she’s a pre-op transsexual. Mia’s life is sent into a tailspin when she receives a letter from her ex, Wendy, who reveals that she’s dying from cancer and that Mia has a son, ten-year-old Ryan. Travelling to a tiny village in West Yorkshire to see the boy, the assassin then discovers the rest of Wendy’s brood…

Ambitious and high concept, HIT & MISS follows Mia’s attempts to mix her killer instincts with maternal ones as she helps her new family, and indeed herself, mend and move on from a life-changing loss.

Huw Kennair-Jones, Acting Head of Drama, commented: “We’re delighted to have secured Paul for the first original scripted drama on Sky Atlantic HD, especially with a project as sensational as HIT & MISS. We are already in talks with a host of other well known on and off screen British talent to follow Paul’s lead for future projects.”

Stuart Murphy, Director of Programmes, added: “Sky Atlantic is about bringing the most iconic, epic and creatively surprising content to Sky customers. Most of this will be from America, but every year there will be one or two big British pieces in there. HIT & MISS will be the first of the huge, and exciting, British dramas specially commissioned for it.”

HIT & MISS is created by Paul Abbott, who is also Executive Producer alongside Nicola Shindler. The series is written by Sean Conway for AbbottVision. The series will exclusively air on Sky Atlantic HD and Sky Atlantic in 2012.