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EXCLUSIVE_: Black Mirror _and_ Peterloo_ star Maxine Peake is attached to front a British drama about the murder of a young woman and her mother’s fight to get the 800-year-old double
jeopardy law revoked. Peake, who recently starred in Hulu and Channel 4 comedy drama _The Bisexual,_ is attached to star in _Reasonable Doubt_ from Duchess Street Productions, the scripted
production company run by former Fremantle worldwide drama chief Donna Wiffen. _Reasonable Doubt_ is the story of Ann Ming’s battle to change the double jeopardy law in the UK after her
daughter Julie Hogg was killed by Billy Dunlop in 1989. She subsequently wrote a book, _For The Love Of Julie_, about the experience. Peake is set to star as Ming in the project, which is in
development with Duchess Street. Susan Everett, who has previously written for BBC Welsh crime drama _Hinterland_, has penned a script. The project is one of a number of dramas being
developed by the indie, which is backed by Anthology Group, the production group set up by investment firm Bob & Co. last year. WATCH ON DEADLINE It is also adapting _The Murdstone
Trilogy_ and Jonathan Coe’s _The House of Sleep._ Playwright Mike Poulton is behind the adaptation of Mal Peet’s cult classic _The Murdstone Trilogy,_ a comedy about book prizes, chat shows,
literary festivals and the fantasy industry inspired by _Lord of the Rings _and_ Game of Thrones._ Poulton said that the chance to adapt the black comedy was an “offer I couldn’t refuse”.
“Much darker and funnier than my previous _Wolf Hall_ – even more anarchic than my stage adaptation of Robert Harris’s _Imperium_, the series defies categorisation,” he added. Meanwhile,
Coe’s _The House of Sleep_ is being remade as a six-part series by _The Split_ and _Fortitude_ writer Jane Eden. _The House of Sleep _uses the notion of sleep to re-invent the relationship
drama with all the intrigue of a compelling psychological thriller. Coe called the TV remake a “brilliant re-imagining” of his novel. “[Jane] has taken its original themes – ambiguities
around sleep and gender – and infused them with new relevance and new energy, weaving them into a compelling narrative tapestry. I can’t wait to see her unique vision of _The House of Sleep_
brought to the screen,” he said. Duchess Street is currently in discussion with broadcasters on these projects. Duchess Street Productions CEO Donna Wiffen added, “It is a privilege to be
working on projects of such high calibre and with two of the most unique and vibrant voices writing today. To be working with Mike Poulton on his first adaptation for television demonstrates
Duchess Streets’ commitment to work with the very best writers to create these authored drama series. We could not be more excited to bring these extraordinary stories to the screen.”