Inspired by the creator’s experience of working and volunteering in prisons, Screw follows the staff of C Wing in the busy men’s prison Long Marsh, a place brimming with humour, emotional high stakes and danger for prisoners and officers alike.

Leading the group of prisoner officers, also known as ‘screws’, is Leigh (Nina Sosanya, His Dark Materials), a woman who has devoted her life to the prison and its population.

Keeping inmates in line while having their backs when they need it, Leigh is well respected in Long Marsh. Yet despite her many years at the prison, she remains an enigma to her team and has her own secrets that could cost her more than her job if they come to light.

At just 21 years old, the new trainee officer Rose (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, Derry Girls) is by far the youngest in her team, joining fellow screws Ali (Faraz Ayub, Line of Duty), Gary (Stephen Wight, I May Destroy You), and Jackie (Laura Checkley, King Gary). The newcomer finds that, despite her street smarts, working in the prison’s pressure-cooker environment is a baptism of fire she wasn’t quite prepared for.   

Screw will air on Channel 4 in early 2022.