By Lacy Baugher for Drama on April 11th, 2017

Get Your First Look at Benedict Cumberbatch in ‘The Child in Time’

Benedict Cumberbatch in "The Child in Time". (Photo: Courtesy of Pinewood Television, SunnyMarch TV and MASTERPIECE for BBC One and MASTERPIECE)

Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch is busy working on his next big project – and sadly, it’s not another season of the adventures of the great detective just yet. Instead he’s producing and starring in an small-screen adaptation of award-winning author Ian McEwan’s novel The Child in Time. Directed by Julian Farino, the ninety-minute drama is the first production of the actor’s new SunyMarch TV production company. 

Cumberbatch will play lead character Stephen Lewis, a successful children’s book author whose life and marriage are devastated when his daughter goes missing. The story is set two years after her disappearance, as Stephen struggles to find purpose in his life without her. His wife has left him and his best friends have retired to the countryside, battling their own demons.  According to the official press release, A Child in Time will “explore the dark territory of a marriage devastated, the loss of childhood, the fluidity of time, grief, hope and acceptance”. (That…seems like a lot to cover in ninety minutes, but I’m willing to give it a go.)

Filming has officially kicked off on the project, which will air on BBC One and PBS’ Masterpiece here in the States at some point to be determined in the future.

Boardwalk Empire star Kelly McDonald will play Lewis’ estranged wife Julie, while Stephen Campbell Moore (The History Boys, The Bank Job) and Saskia Reeves (Wolf Hall) will play best friends Charles and Thelma.

A first look photo of Cumberbatch has also been released. (Although, if we’re honest, this basically just looks like he’s gone for a walk in the woods wearing his normal clothes. But, beggars can’t be choosers and all that.) 

Get a first look at Benedict Cumberbatch in The Child In Time, coming to MASTERPIECE on @PBS. Additional casting: https://t.co/AKZsoXKLWe pic.twitter.com/dJAKnVzdxT

— Masterpiece PBS (@masterpiecepbs) April 4, 2017

"We are thrilled such an array of talent have joined Benedict to create The Child In Time, our very first SunnyMarch production," David Boulter and Adam Ackland, Executive Producers for SunnyMarch TV, said in a statement.

No release date for The Child in Time has been announced yet. But since it is already filming, its release is likely closer than I initially would have guessed. Maybe we'll see it by the end of the year? Fingers crossed. 

Thoughts on The Child in Time or Cumberbatch's involvement in this project? Let's discuss. 

 

By Lacy Baugher for Drama on April 11th, 2017
Lacy Baugher

Lacy's love of British TV is embarrassingly extensive, but primarily centers around evangelizing all things Doctor Who, and watching as many period dramas as possible.

Digital media type by day, she also has a fairly useless degree in British medieval literature, and dearly loves to talk about dream poetry, liminality, and the medieval religious vision. (Sadly, that opportunity presents itself very infrequently.) York apologist, Ninth Doctor enthusiast, and unabashed Ravenclaw. Say hi on Threads or Blue Sky at @LacyMB. 

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  • 'The Child in Time' Recap

    The Child in Time is one of those dramas that doesn’t turn out to be quite the story you think it is. On the surface, it’s a tale about a lost child. But, it also isn’t, in the most basic sense. The drama isn’t about the search for the missing Kate and it (spoiler alert!) offers little resolution about what happened to her. Her parents (spoiler alert, again!) don’t get her back. There’s no happy ending. She remains forever apart, both present and absent, a Schroedinger’s cat of a girl who is somehow both alive and dead for the purposes of this narrative. If you were looking for a crime thriller, a dramatic mystery or even a linear story that makes sense, you’re surely bound to be disappointed here.

    Instead, The Child in Time is a meditation on loss and grief, telling the story of what it takes to move past the worst thing that’s ever happened to you. In short: It’s kind of a lot for an evening on Easter Sunday, though those that stick through it may find the performances contained within worthwhile. (Or, at least, I did.) The acting is top notch and the emotions feel gut-wrenchingly real. However, if you find yourself wishing the story perhaps spent a bit more time on Kate herself or the particulars behind her disappearance rather than the gamut of British political thought about child rearing or a weirdo subplot about a grown man’s descent into what appears to be childlike madness, trust me, you’re not alone.

    By Lacy Baugher for Drama on 4/2/2018
    Benedict Cumberbatch and Kelly Macdonald in "The Child in Time" (Photo: Courtesy of Pinewood Television, SunnyMarch TV and MASTERPIECE for BBC One and MASTERPIECE)