"You have to remember what a partisan of the novel I am… and that it had long been one of my ambitions to have my novels defeat all attempts to put them on screen"
-Interview with Jonathan Franzen, New York Times, 26 June 2018
The series is a collaboration between BBC One, AMC and The Ink Factory, who previously worked together on 2016's award-winning spy drama, The Night Manager.
Set amidst rising tensions in the Middle East during the 1970s, the show will star Florence Pugh as a young brilliant actress named Charlie, who is preparing for her ultimate role.
BBC Two's Channel Editor Patrick Holland expressed his vision for BBC Two, which will focus on themes of reasserting the role of authorship, engaging with and becoming more relevant to the audience, and embracing all the specialisms on the channel from science, history and arts to current affairs, history, documentaries.
The new titles include a series of new documentary titles including an exploration of families living on the poverty line, a behind the headlines look at the sequence of events that caused Brexit, and the story of the horrific murder of Jo Cox MP.
The Night Manager was the first television adaptation of one of John Le Carré's novels in 20 years.
The result was a roaring success. It has been one of the most talked about series of the year, was nominated for 12 Primetime Emmys and close to 10m viewers watched the finale on the BBC.
The novel was Le Carre’s breakout novel and tells the story of Alec Leamas, a veteran British spy who is ordered to bring down one of East Germany’s most high ranking intelligence officers.
The rumours come a week after The Night Manager, which aired on BBC One earlier this year, scooped 12 Emmy Awards nominations.
This is the first time a broadcaster in the UK has done this, with the show being made available in 61 countries across Europe and Africa, as well as in the US.
“By partnering with Facebook, we are giving the fans the chance to watch the new show at the same time across Europe and Africa," said Fox Networks Group, Europe and Africa chief operating officer Diego Londono.
"We are proud to be partnering with Facebook to create a real TV event on such a huge scale.”
