Two Weeks In August: Everything We Know So Far

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 month, 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).

As Catherine recently told C&TH, we should: ‘Expect a thrilling ride. And to laugh, I hope. I think it’s really funny. It’s exciting, it’s emotional, but I hope really entertaining and fun.’

Starring Jessica Raine, Damien Molony and Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! breakout Hugh Skinner, and 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 centres on ‘a group of old friends who go on holiday,’ summarises Jessica Raine, who takes the lead role as Zoe. ‘They’ve had a WhatsApp group for like 10 years, and they’ve been dying to do this holiday, but no one actually hangs out very much anymore. They’re all in their 40s and have kids. A lot has changed, but the pressure on this holiday being a great holiday is huge.’

The group in question is made up of Zoe (Raine) and her husband Dan (Damien Molony), their uni mates Nat (Leila Farzad), Jacob (Hugh Skinner) and Solomon (Nicholas Pinnock), and Soloman’s new wife Jess (Antonia Thomas). Their dynamic? As Thomas puts it: ‘A fun, dramatic group dynamic that should be filled with fun and laughter and reliving youth and brilliance, but actually just starts to crumble, because people that haven’t seen each other for 10 years are all under one roof, and kind of start to grate on one another. Things go awry…’

By ‘awry’, there is a an illicit kiss that sets off a chain of events that turns the dream trip steadily, irreversibly sour. As Pinnock puts it, ‘You see this dissection and evolution of all the characters, as, one by one, they dismantle who they thought they were and explore who they are now and what they’re possibly going to become.’

Solomon (NICHOLAS PINNOCK) in Two Weeks In August. (Various Artists Ltd/BBC/Robert Viglasky)

The series is packed with very human problems – problems we will all recognise. ‘There’s a huge amount of pressure on this holiday,’ Molony confirms. ‘Every mention of money in the show, you can feel [Zoe and Dan] tossing it up and going, “Where’s that gone? We don’t have any money left”.’

But it’s not just money troubling Zoe and Dan. ‘Zoe is a doormat,’ Molony summarises. ‘People are trampling all over her and she’s just so desperate to please people. And Dan is exhausted from that veneer. There’s this great humanity in this show, and I think people would really relate to that.’

And while Thomas plays a very different character to Zoe, she tells C&TH: ‘I really identify with Zoe – this idea of people pleasing and making sure everyone’s happy and everything’s controlled. Before you know it, you turn around and you’re like, “Am I okay? Have I been serving myself at all?”.’

Jess (ANTONIA THOMAS) in Two Weeks In August. (Various Artists Ltd/BBC/Robert Viglasky)

Between Zoe and Thomas’ character Jess, we can also expect to see ‘envy,’ Raine teases. ‘I find jealousy and envy between women really fascinating. No side eye, no micro aggression goes unnoticed.’

Mixing and melding all of these very human issues into one chaotic, cacophonous holiday was key for series creator Shepherd. Speaking to C&TH, she says: ‘The world is a really scary, anxious place at the moment for everybody. We almost thought of calling [Two Weeks in August] “How Worried Should I Be?”‘

Dan (DAMIEN MOLONY) & Zoe (JESSICA RAINE) in Two Weeks In August. (Various Artists Ltd/BBC/Robert Viglasky)

As for the Greek setting, that stemmed from a childhood of Hellenic adventures for Shepherd. ‘For my dad particularly, the Greek god exist. They’re very much part of my imagination,’ she shares. In Two Weeks in August, then, she overlays modern anxieties with the myths that have captivated human imagination for millennia.

‘There was one particular evening which really stayed with me, and thematically inspired the show,’ Shepherd shares. ‘We were all having sundowners on the terrace after a day on the beach in Corfu. We looked over and could see Albania across the sea, and we you could see red tracer bullet fire – people were shooting at each other across the water. It was far enough away that we thought, “Well, we’re safe. We don’t know what’s going on in Albania, let’s just have dinner.” That darkly comic thing… This desire to try and have a good time, even when really bad things are happening all around you, has always stayed with me.’

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. Pinnock (know for For Life and The Book of Clarence) stars as their old friend Solomon, joined by Lovesick and The Good Doctor star 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
• Florence Banks as Lea
• Khalil Gharbia as Jon
• Eliza Lambon as Eve
• Anthony Lambon as Theo
• Joe Dixon as Henry
• Charlotte Grech as The Mother
• Dolly Wells as Flick
• Tom Goodman-Hill as James
• Sonny Poon Tip
• Cassius Hackforth

‘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. You can read all about it here.

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

Release Date

Two Weeks in August is set to premiere on 23 May 2026 on BBC One and iPlayer.