The Handmaid's Tale

Hulu ups the ante

The Looming Tower (Credit: Hulu)

Sometimes, a single show can change the way a broadcaster or a platform is perceived. For the US streaming service Hulu, The Handmaid’s Tale – based on Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel – has been one such show.

The 10-part series was made for Hulu by MGM Television (Hulu does not have in-house production capabilities) and quickly became water-cooler viewing on both sides of the Atlantic. It went on to win multiple awards, including a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series and a brace of Golden Globes.

Hulu reveals first look at second series of The Handsmaid's Tale

The second installment of the dystopian drama will follow Offred’s (Elisabeth Moss) journey after she is taken from Gilead, as it was left ambiguous at the end of the first series as to whether she was being sent for punishment by The Eyes, or to safety with the Mayday revolution.

As she takes steps to protect her unborn child from the threats of Gilead, Offred is also faced with her conflicting feelings for Nick (Max Minghella) following her discovery that her husband Luke (O-T Fagbenle) is alive and safe.

RTS winners unite for new Channel 4 crime drama Kiri

Sarah Lancashire RTS Programme Awards 2013-14

Happy Valley actor Sarah Lancashire stars as social worker Miriam who is thrust into the spotlight when a child in her care, Kiri, is abducted and killed after an unsupervised visit to her biological family. The no-nonsense social worker loves and believes in her job, but has a maverick and instinctive approach to dealing with the children she looks after, which draws attention as the media buzz intensifies.

Miriam (Lancashire) and the families at the centre of the storm are forced to ask tough questions, not just of themselves, but of those they love the most.