Stuff the British Stole set for international heist caper adaptation
June 25, 2024
Stuff the British Stole, the hit documentary series highlighting the controversy around cultural artefacts taken during the height of the British Empire, is being re-imagined as a major international heist drama series to be produced by award-winning production companies, Wooden Horse (The Clearing, Mother & Son) and Warner Bros International Television Production (WBITVP) Australia (The Twelve, Love Me).
A major international co-production, the 6 x 1 hour heist caper adaptation is a provocative and sharply observed deep dive into the complexity of history, and identity, in our modern world through an irreverent and wryly humorous lens.
The adaption is created and written by playwright and rising star on the international screenwriting circuit, Anchuli Felicia King who wrote on HBO series The Sympathizer and The Baby, Amazon’s Deadloch, and The Twelve for Foxtel. Ben Chessell (The Great, Giri Haji, Doctor Who, Deadloch) is attached to direct and write episodes. The stellar creative team is joined by Kacie Anning (Class of ‘07, Upload, The Other Guy) and award-winning First Nations writer and playwright, Dylan Van Den Berg. Creator of the factual series, Marc Fennell, joins the team as executive producer.
Executive Producers, Richard Finlayson and Jude Troy of Wooden Horse and Hamish Lewis and Michael Brooks of WBITVP Australia, said the heist caper drama will explore the nuanced debate around the issue of repatriation through an irreverent and sharply funny lens.
“Led by Anchuli Felicia King, the writing team, alongside attached set-up director Ben Chessell, have developed a unique cast of diverse and fascinating characters, who almost accidentally steal their way to becoming the heroes of a global repatriation movement,” said the Producers.
“If there’s one thing we learned from the brilliant Stuff the British Stole factual series, it’s that history is complex – a lesson our characters will learn the hard way.”
Tapping into the global zeitgeist around repatriation of colonial trophies, season one of the factual shows presented by Marc Fennell and based on his globally successful podcast of the same name, enjoyed huge ratings on ABC TV Australia and CBC Canada. Season 2 premiered on ABC TV (Australia) on June 17 and a third season is in development by producers Wooden Horse, WildBear Entertainment and Cream Productions.