BBC Assembling 'A Passage to India' TV Series

'A Passage to India' Film Key Art

'A Passage to India' Film Key Art

EMI/HBO

E.M. Forster's novels are quintessential British stories of the 20th century; his A Room with a View and Howards End have been staples of British culture, and the film adaptations defined the Merchant-Ivory style, characterized by soft focus and repressed romance. However, his third major work, A Passage to India, has not received the same level of attention. Aside from a 1960s-era stage play and a single film version released in 1984 by the still-nascent HBO, the novel has been left on the shelf. However, with the novel marking 100 years in print, the BBC has partnered with Working Title to produce the first-ever TV series based on Forster's masterwork. 

Based on Forster's experience as a British man in India, the novel takes its name from Walt Whitman's 1870 poem. Like most stories that are parables about the English occupation of South Asia, it begins with sexual assault, as an English lady accuses a local doctor of attempted rape. (It is unclear if she is aware that her accusations are false.) The novel traces the run-up to the trial and the aftermath, delving into the complex racial tensions and social mores of both the occupiers and the occupied.

The 1984 adaptation was the final film directed by David Lean, best known for Brief Encounter, The Bridge on the River Kwai, and Lawrence of Arabia. It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning two, including Best Supporting Actress for Peggy Ashcroft.

The project is still in the early stages, so here is the synopsis for the original Forster novel, which celebrated its centenary in 2024. 

When Adela Quested arrives in the city of Chandrapore in search of “the real India,” she quickly grows disillusioned with its prejudiced colonial community. Determined to escape the insular English enclave, she and her elderly companion, Mrs. Moore, seek the guidance of the charming and well-respected Dr. Aziz, a young Muslim physician. But a mysterious incident occurs while they are exploring the Marabar Caves with Aziz, and the doctor finds himself at the center of a scandal that rocks Chandrapore to its core. 

Working Title executive Surian Fletcher-Jones, who broke the news, confirmed Canadian film director and writer Richie Mehta (Delhi Crime) is involved in the project. Nisha Parti's Parti Productions is reportedly a co-production partner. A cast list and filming schedule are expected to be announced in due course.

A Passage to India does not yet have an American production partner, but you can be assured we'll be lobbying Masterpiece to pick it up.


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Ani Bundel has been blogging professionally since 2010. A DC native, Hufflepuff, and Keyboard Khaleesi, she spends all her non-writing time taking pictures of her cats. Regular bylines also found on MSNBC, Paste, Primetimer, and others. 

A Woman's Place Is In Your Face. Cat Approved. Find her on BlueSky and other social media of your choice: @anibundel.bsky.social

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