Kit Harington brings A Tale of Two Cities to BBC1 and MGM+

Kit Harington is bringing Charles Dickens’ classic novel A Tale of Two Cities to the BBC, Broadcast can reveal.

The four-part adaptation hails from Miss Austen outfit Federation Stories and Harington’s label Thriker Films and is to air on BBC1 in the UK and US streamer MGM+.

The historical, London and Paris-set drama will feature Game of Thrones and Gunpowder star Harington alongside François Civil (Call My Agent!, The Three Musketeers) as the lookalikes at the heart of Dickens’ tale of sacrifice and redemption, set amidst the turbulence of the French Revolution.

A Tale of Two Cities begins in 1782, with relations between France and Britain at breaking point. A young woman, Lucie Manette (Miss Austen’s Mirren Mack) has her life upended when she receives a message from Paris – her father, assumed dead for almost 20 years, may be alive.

Idealistic French emigré messenger Charles Darnay (Civil) is arrested and charged with treason. Lucie enlists the help of a brilliant if erratic young lawyer, Sydney Carton (Harington), to free Darnay in the hope he will lead her to Paris to track down her father.

Lucie’s collision with Darnay and Carton leads to complex and potent love triangle, with both men striving to be worthy of her love, and Lucie torn between them.

Neither man, physically so similar but spiritually opposite, find themselves bound together in life and death, through triumphs, tragedies, marriage, and murder.

The BBC acquired the series through head of programme acquisition Sue Deeks.

A Tale of Two Cities is created and written by Daniel West (Gunpowder, Top Boy), Harington’s Thriker partner.

The series is exec produced by Polly Williams and Sarah Best for Federation Stories, Léo Becker for Federation Studio France, Harington and West for Thriker Films and Michael Wright for MGM+. Simon Meyers (I May Destroy You, No Offence) is producing.

Hong Khaou, who recently directed BBC1’s sibling adaptation Mr Loverman, will helm the series, which will be distributed by Federation Studios.

Federation Stories managing director Williams said: “In an era of worldwide turbulence, confusion and uncertainty, A Tale of Two Cities is a very timely story.

“We hope Dan’s wonderful adaptation will surprise new audiences whilst delighting classic Dickens fans. Kit and Dan are a dynamic team who have a long-held passion for this amazing story, and it has been a joy to work with them and the brilliant Hong to realise it for TV. We are so excited that Kit, François and Mirren will lead this piece and play out a very modern and intriguing love story.”

Harington and West added: “We could not be more thrilled to be working with Polly, Sarah, Leo and the team at Federation to bring Dickens’ revolutionary epic to the screen. A Tale of Two Cities is the original historical blockbuster - a heartbreaking romance and a brutal revenge mystery, all set against the iconic backdrop of the French Revolution.

“Our adaptation will be a twisting period thriller; one with a contemporary, volatile love triangle at its heart. We can’t wait to share it with audiences in 2026.”

Deeks said: “It has been many years since the last television adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities, and we couldn’t have a more perfect creative team ready to bring a new audience to one of the most intense, romantic and thrilling stories of all time.”

MGM+ head Wright: “We’re truly thrilled at the opportunity to bring A Tale of Two Cities to our viewers. With its exceptional cast led by Kit Harington, François Civil, and Mirren Mack, combined with Hong Khaou’s visionary direction, this collaboration with Federation Stories, Thriker Films, and Federation Studio France perfectly aligns with our commitment to deliver entertaining, cinematic, classic Hollywood storytelling for a contemporary audience.”

Long-standing interest

The BBC last aired a Dickens tale in 2023, with Steven Knight’s adaptation of Great Expectations, which was also for the US’s FX/Hulu.

Dickens’ novel is a long-standing passion project for Harington, West and Thriker, having developed scripts since 2016. The duo previously created the 2017 BBC1 historical mini-series Gunpowder with Top Boy showrunner Ronan Bennett.

Speaking to Vogue Italia in 2016, Harington likened the adaptation to then upcoming Gunpowder, saying “the relevance is absolutely contemporary: a world where the richest 1% owns the equivalent of what the remaining 99% owns is a world on the brink of the precipice, where conflict is bound to explode dramatically”.