If you’ve ever played the "who would be your dream dinner party guests?" game, we’re pretty sure the duo of Bill Nighy and Helena Bonham Carter would rank pretty high. And while we can't confirm them for a spot at the dinner table, we can share that the two acting legends are set to unite on screen in a new, 1970s-set BBC drama, California Avenue.
Described as a "fractured family drama", the six-part series - written and directed by The Honourable Woman’s Hugo Blick – will also star Adolescence’s Erin Doherty as Bill and Helena’s on-screen daughter, Lela, who arrives at a caravan park with her young daughter, on the run from a dire situation.
While the series due to arrive on our screens this year, here’s everything we know about what looks set to be a flagship BBC drama, including the plot, cast and potential release date.
What is California Avenue about?
The series, which has a charmingly quaint backdrop of rural England in the 1970s, is set within a canal-side caravan park. Peaceful it seems, but the calm is soon disrupted when a woman named Lela (Erin Doherty) turns up with her 11-year-old daughter. The pair are on the run from something - or someone - and are seeking refuge in the caravan park.
Bill Nighy and Helena Bonham Carter star as Jerry and Eddie, Lela’s parents, who are also ballroom champions of the 1930s turned wartime runaways - and still hiding three decades on. Tom Burke also co-stars as fairground outcast, Cooper, whose turbulent past will explode into California Avenue.
According to the BBC, over the course of the six-part series, a "fractured family" comes together, ghosts of the past are firmly put to rest and an unexpected love is forged. Cryptic but intriguing.
What to read next
Executive producer, Greg Brenman, says of the drama: ‘In California Avenue, Hugo [Blick, writer and director] has conjured a world of precious relationships and unexpected revelations, all delivered with a big, big heart and generous humour. If you ever needed reminding of Hugo’s incredible range as a storyteller, look no further."
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, added: "Hugo Blick has given us some of the finest television of the past three decades and it’s an honour to join forces with him alongside Bill, Helena, Erin, Tom and Drama Republic to take BBC viewers on the journey of a lifetime to 1970s California Avenue."
Who's in the cast of California Avenue?
The cast of California Avenue includes:
- Bill Nighy (Living, About Time)
- Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown, Nolly)
- Erin Doherty (The Crown, Adolescence)
- Tom Burke (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, The Souvenir)
- Kate Robbins (After Life, Unforgotten)
- Paul Kaye (Small Prophets, Shardlake)
- Cammie Liebreich
How can I watch California Avenue?
California Avenue will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at some point in 2026. As soon as we have a confirmed date, we'll share it here.
