What would you do if you found a large amount of illegal drugs? Ring the police to get everything cleared up? Or take the potential of lots of money and run? Upcoming BBC thriller Boat Story explores this exact moral quandary, with plenty of laughs, drama, and thrills along the way.

With the brilliant Daisy Haggard and Paterson Joseph taking the leads, and coming from the writer duo behind The Missing, Baptiste, and The Tourist, we’re firmly on board for this adventure. Here’s what we know so far about Boat Story. 

Is there a trailer for Boat Story? 

Indeed there is, and you can watch it below:

What is the plot of Boat Story?

The six-part BBC series is described as an action-thriller that will follow an ordinary pair of strangers as they discover a shipwrecked boat filled with a haul of illegal drugs. Janet and Samuel agree to sell their lucky find and split the cash, but, as you’d expect, things don’t go as smoothly as planned. A gangster known as The Tailor is keeping a close eye, then there’s the looming threat that the police might find out what they’re up to, and the inevitable stress with doing something very high stakes that is also very much illegal.

The BBC say: “At its heart, Boat Story is an action-thriller about two ordinary people whom the world has turned its back on, and whether they’re willing - or desperate enough - to do something crazy to get what they want in life. Pushed to the very edge, can they trust each other and get away with their lives and the money?

“Boat Story embodies twists and turns with character-driven, surprising storytelling. Off-beat humour contrasts with high-octane action sequences against the spectacular backdrop of the beautiful, windswept Yorkshire coastline.”

Who stars in Boat Story?

Taking the lead roles as Janet and Samuel are Daisy Haggard (Back To Life, Breeders) and Paterson Joseph (Peep Show, Vigil). Tchéky Karyo (Baptiste, The Missing) plays mob boss The Tailor.

Also involved – although we don’t know in which roles – are Joanna Scanlan (After Love, Notes on A Scandal), Craig Fairbrass (One Piece, Villain and Muscle) and Phil Daniels (Quadrophenia, House of the Dragon). 

Who is directing Boat Story?

Harry and Jack Williams will shoot the first two episodes, while Alice Troughton (who brought us The Midwich Cuckoos) will direct episodes three and four.

Throw in the fact that Line Of Duty’s Daniel Nettheim will be helming the final pair of episodes and you have a true directorial dream team.

What are people saying about Boat Story?

Describing the series as “hilarious and moving”, the Williams brothers told the Radio Times: “We loved making The Tourist and Boat Story picks up where that left off – tonally at least. 

“It’s a morality tale and a thriller and other things that make it hard to define even though we seem to be attempting to define it.”

The Williams brothers added: “It’s full of vulnerable, messed up and eccentric characters and we’ve cast some of our favourite actors to play them. We are excited to bring this to life along with our fellow directors.”

When and where can we watch Boat Story?

We don’t have an exact release date just yet, but we know it’ll be in 2023… so soon. 

Whenever it drops, though, we do know that Boat Story will air on BBC One and be available to stream via BBC iPlayer in the UK, while it will be available via Freevee on Amazon Prime Video elsewhere.

Images: BBC