To say we’re a nation of crime lovers would be the understatement of the century. From ITV’s recent hit The Blame, to Guy Ritchie’s much-loved The Gentlemen and the unbeatable Broadchurch – we can never seem to get enough. Now the BBC is delivering our next crime thriller obsession – Shy & Lola. This terrific new series full of ‘fun, action and emotion’ and kicks off with a murder in a small town.
The show follows polar opposites Shy (Hayley Squires) and Lola (Bel Powley) who become tangled up in a coastal community’s criminal underworld. The murder is just the beginning of their unlikely partnership as they go from criminal novices to full-blown masterminds – and murder mystery fans will love it.
Intrigued? With Shy & Lola coming to the BBC soon, here’s everything you need to know about the plot, cast and release date.
What is Shy & Lola about?
The upcoming six-part series, based on the French TV drama Cheyenne Et Lola, which first aired in France in 2020, takes us to a coastal town in Northern England. The drama follows an unlikely female duo: struggling cleaner Shy (Hayley Squires) who’s dreaming of a new life in Portugal, and Lola (Bell Powley) an ex-model turned grifter who rocks up in town ‘with trouble at her heels’.
Despite being wildly different, the pair form an allegiance after a murder entangles them up in the town’s criminal underworld. However, it soon becomes clear they have a knack for crime and start to thrive, cultivating an operation that could throw the existing male gangsters out of the equation. As their success grows, will the pair use their newfound fortune to escape or will they climb further up the criminal ladder?
‘With such a rich and spiky central relationship at its core, Shy & Lola is a dream of a show to write, full of fun, action and emotion,’ said series writer Amanda Coe. ‘I can’t wait to see our hugely exciting cast and director bring it to life,’ she added.
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‘Amanda has written a brilliantly bold series centred on a dynamic female duo, which blends dark comedy with propulsive storytelling,’ said executive producer for Clerkenwell Films, Rachelle Constant. ‘We’re thrilled to have Hayley and Bel as our leads, alongside an exceptional cast and crew,’ she added.
Who’s in the cast of Shy & Lola?
The cast of Shy & Lola includes:
- Hayley Squires (The Night Manager, I, Daniel Blake) as Shy
- Bel Powley (A Small Light, The Diary Of A Teenage Girl) as Lola
- Amber Grappy (One Day, The Baby)
- Matthew McNulty (Deadwater Fell, Domina)
- Elizabeth Berrington (Tip Toe, Frauds)
- Edward Bluemel (Hercule, My Lady Jane)
- Jordan Bolger (The Witness, This Town)
- Thomas Turgoose (Mickey 17, Swimming With Men)
- Joseph Ayre (Hijack, Urchin)
- Melanie-Joyce Bermudez
How can I watch Shy & Lola?
Shy & Lola will arrive on the BBC and BBC iPlayer next year. We will keep you updated here as soon as we have an official premiere date.
What other crime dramas can I watch now?
Love a classic murder mystery series? We’d suggest Campion, which follows Gentleman sleuth Albert Campion (Peter Davison) and his ex-criminal manservant Magersfontein Lugg (Brian Glover) as they unravel a series of weird and wonderful murder mysteries across England’s high society. Campion is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer. For another cosy watch with brilliantly baffling murder cases, we’d recommend My Life Is Murder. The series takes us into the world of Alexa Crowe (Lucy Lawless), a fearless investigator for whom there’s no case too tricky (quite literally). And when she’s not solving crime? She’s baking bread, which helps her keep her cool. You can watch My Life Is Murder on Acorn TV via Prime Video.
