Two Weeks In August: What Do We Know About This Upcoming BBC Drama?

There is nothing quite like the promise of two weeks in the sun… That is until it all goes wrong. Coming to the BBC later this year, Two Weeks in August is an eight-part series that promises sun, secrets, and a slow-burn spiral, written and created by Catherine Shepherd – the writer behind series like Sally4Ever (2018) and The Shrink Next Door (2021).

With stunning scenes captured in both Malta and Gozo, here is everything we know so far about Two Weeks in August – plus when we will get to see it.

Two Weeks In August: Plot, Cast, Release Date & More

Two Weeks in August was announced in early 2025 with Various Artists Limited spearheading the project. This is the production company that has brought us the likes of I May Destroy You (2020) and Such Brave Girls (2023-25) – so we are expecting similar degrees of black comedy and gut-punching drama.

Leila Farzad as Nat, Hugh Skinner as Jacob, Dylan Brady as Will, Jessica Raine as Zoe, Nicholas Pinnock as Solomon, Antonia Thomas as Jess and Maria Almeida as Avery in Two Weeks In August. (Various Artists Limited/BBC/Robert Viglasky)

The Plot

Two Weeks in August follows a group of friends who reunite for a summer holiday. We all know you learn extra tidbits about even your lifelong friends when you are holed up in a shared space on holiday – but this group ends up uncovering far more about themselves and each other than any of them bargained for.

At the centre is Zoe (Jessica Raine), a woman stretched thin in every direction, hoping that two weeks in the sun will be exactly the reset she and her family need. Joined by her husband Dan (Damien Molony), suffice to say all does not go to plan – instead, an illicit kiss sets off a chain of events that turns the dream trip steadily, irreversibly sour.

But Zoe succumbing to her deepest desires is only one part of the problem. The group soon discover they are trapped on their paradisal Greek island, and are soon faced with real life-or-death situations. The group soon turn on each other Lord of the Flies style. Is Zoe to blame? Or are there larger looming forces at play?

In Shepherd’s own words, Two Weeks in August is ‘a story about what it’s like to try and be happy in a very anxious and confusing world and at its core, about a woman struggling to play all the roles she’s been given by life’. Speaking to the BBC, she asked: ‘How do you enjoy yourself for two weeks in August when the world appears to be falling apart around you?’

Antonia Thomas as Jess in Two Weeks In August. (Various Artists Limited/BBC/Colin Hutton)

The Cast

Raine and Molony lead the cast as Zoe and her husband Dan, holidaying with their children Eve and Theo. Raine rose to fame on Call the Midwife (2012-14), but has recently received acclaim for her performance in The Devil’s Hour (2022-present). Meanwhile you many recognise Irish star Molony from series like Crashing (2016) and Brassic (2019-23), or his recent leading role as Detective Jim Bergerac in UKTV’s Bergerac reboot.

There’s a stacked ensemble cast joining Raine and Molony in front of the camera, starring as their refuse-to-grow-up university mates. Nicholas Pinnock (know for For Life and The Book of Clarence) stars as their old friend Solomon, joined by Lovesick and The Good Doctor star Antonia Thomas as his new wife Jess. Meanwhile I Hate Suzie star Leila Farzad and Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! breakout Hugh Skinner join the Greek adventure as their uni friends Nat and Jacob.

Leila Farzad as Nat & Hugh Skinner as Jacob in Two Weeks In August. (Various Artists Limited/BBC/Colin Hutton)

The full cast we know so far is as follows:

• Jessica Raine as Zoe
• Damien Molony as Dan
• Nicholas Pinnock as Solomon
• Antonia Thomas as Jess
• Leila Farzad as Nat
• Hugh Skinner as Jacob
• Dylan Brady as Will
• Maria Almeida as Avery
• Dolly Wells
• Tom Goodman-Hill
• Khalil Gharbia
• Florence Banks
• Sonny Poon Tip
• Cassius Hackforth
• Eliza Lambon as Eve
• Anthony Lambon as Theo
• Joe Dixon as Henry

‘There is no better cast to bring Catherine’s Two Weeks in August to life,’ the BBC’s director of drama Lindsay Salt teases. ‘You might not want to find yourselves on holiday with this group of characters, but watching their reunion unfold across eight sun-soaked episodes will be irresistible.’ We’re sold.

Jessica Raine as Zoe in Two Weeks In August. (Various Artists Limited/BBC/Robert Viglasky)

Where Was It Filmed?

Two Weeks in August may be set on a Greek island, but the series was actually shot on the Maltese islands of Malta and Gozo with the help of local production company Pellikola.

First-look images were unveiled in February 2026, showing the cast soaking up Mediterranean sunshine and strolling sunny paths, lounging by an infinity pool with the sea stretching to the horizon behind them, and heading together to what promises to be a party they’ll never forget…

Nicholas Pinnock as Solomon in Two Weeks In August. (Various Artists Limited/BBC/Colin Hutton)

Release Date

Two Weeks in August is set to air on BBC One and iPlayer later this year, but an exact premiere date is yet to be confirmed. Stay tuned for more.