Mad Dogs - Filming begins in Majorca, Spain

May 2010.

Filming has begun on location in Majorca on Mad Dogs, a new 4 X 60” drama serial for Sky1 HD starring Philip, John Simm, Marc Warren and Max Beesley. Mad Dogs is produced by BAFTA award winning production company Left Bank Pictures (Wallander, Strike Back) and is written by Chris Cole.

MAD DOGS centres around the reunion of a group of old friends. Woody (Max), Quinn (Philip), Baxter (John) and Rick (Marc) have been mates since sixth form. The fifth member of the gang, Alvo, lives in Majorca, having made his fortune in property. Now in their 40s; a mix of single, married and divorced; they’ve been invited out to Alvo’s villa to celebrate his retirement. However, their trip does not work out as planned and takes a dark turn when the holiday becomes a labyrinthine nightmare of lies, deception and murder. MAD DOGS is a darkly comic twisted tale of friendship put to the ultimate test as an inconceivable chain of events unfolds. Four ordinary blokes faced with a set of extraordinary circumstances and not handling it!

Elaine Pyke, Head of Drama, Sky1 HD, Sky1, Sky2, Sky 3, who greenlit MAD DOGS, says: “Cris Cole’s MAD DOGS is a fantastically well constructed psychological thriller. When I first read the script I was immediately grabbed by how thrilling, scary and funny it is. This is a hugely exciting, ambitious project and it’s the perfect show for Sky1.”

Writer Cris Cole added: “As well as enjoying writing for such a fantastic cast, I was also delighted to be able to attempt such an ambitious and cinematic thriller drawing on influences like David Lynch and the Coen Brothers as inspiration for the kind of storytelling that is never quite what you think it is going to be.”

Suzanne Mackie, Executive Producer, was instrumental in pulling together the project. She says: “In many ways the idea for MAD DOGS was born out of friendship: it was both the long-term friendships of Phil, John, Marc and Max, who had decided they wanted to work together and my own friendship with Phil and writer Cris Cole that pulled us all together. We are all roughly the same age, and at the same phase of life, and so it seemed fitting for us to place themes of ‘growing older’ and friendship at the heart of MAD DOGS, and to create a drama that would allow us to explore the darker recesses of both.” Andy Harries,Chief Executive, Left Bank Pictures, additionally commented: “Who let the dogs out? We did. Four fantastic and highly competitive guys going head to head in a brilliant new drama – its going to be a real treat on Sky1.”

MAD DOGS’ Executive Producers are Andy Harries, Suzanne Mackie and Elaine Pyke. Spencer Campbell will produce with Adrian Shergold directing. Marigo Kehoe is the Head of Production for Left Bank Pictures. The four part piece is an original script written by Cris Cole.