ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
to film the untold story of Edward and Wallis Simpson
One
of the great romances of the twentieth century - between Wallis
Simpson and Edward VIII - is to be made into an ambitious film for
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ ONE, it was announced today (Wednesday 29 January 2003) by Jane
Tranter, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Controller of Drama Commissioning.
The
film, which follows the recent success of Stephen Poliakoff's The
Lost Prince on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ ONE, is to be written by Heidi Thomas, who
wrote the screenplays for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ TWO's Madame Bovary and ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Films'
forthcoming feature of Dodi Smith's I Capture The Castle.
Provisionally
titled The American Woman, it will take account of recently-released
FBI intelligence reports which shed light on the alleged Nazi sympathies
of Simpson and Edward VIII, as well as British and American government
papers which are being released by the Public Records Office on
Thursday (30 January 2003).
The
drama, which is currently in development, is to be directed by Simon
Curtis and produced by Joy Spink.
It
will also explore the alleged affair between the Nazis' foreign
minister Joachim von Ribbentrop and Wallis Simpson when he was ambassador
to Britain in 1936.
"The American Woman is an ambitious event drama which will
provide a fresh insight into the first major constitutional crisis
that the Royal Family faced in the 20th century," says Jane
Tranter.
"In
addition to the FBI papers published last year, the release of secret
government files on Thursday will provide a new perspective on what
happened in such a momentous period - both for the Royal Family
and for Britain in the lead-up to the Second World War."
Screen-writer
Heidi Thomas said: "I'm poised to read the material on Thursday,
which I'm awaiting with great interest, and revise the final draft
accordingly - it can only illuminate it.
"There
are many gaps in our understanding of Wallis Simpson and Edward
VIII, because of the secrecy surrounding them. This is the last
piece of the jigsaw."
All the
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s digital services are now available on ,
the new free-to-view digital terrestrial television service, as well
as on satellite and cable.
Freeview
offers the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s eight television channels, as well as six ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ radio
networks.
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
THREE will become available when it goes on air on 9 February 2003.
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