# BBC to film Mieville's The City and the City



## Brian G Turner (Sep 1, 2015)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2015/the-city-and-the-city

Here's the announcement:

Tony Grisoni (Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, Southcliffe, The Red Riding Trilogy, The Unloved) adapts this unique thriller from one of Britain’s foremost fantasy writers. China Miéville, three-time winner of the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award, published The City And The City in 2009 to dazzling acclaim, drawing comparisons with Kafka, Orwell and Philip K Dick.
The series has been commissioned by Kim Shillinglaw, Controller BBC Two and Polly Hill, Controller BBC Drama Commissioning and is produced by Mammoth Screen (Poldark, Parade's End).

In a departure for science fantasy that will bend the mind as well as the senses, the four-part serial follows Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad, resident of the crumbling city of Besźel. The mutilated body of a foreign student is found dumped on some wasteland and Borlú is assigned to the case. Borlu is unfazed until he uncovers evidence that the dead girl had been involved in the political turmoil between Besźel and its prosperous twin city of Ul Qoma, which occupies the same physical space. Citizens of each city are forbidden from seeing each other, and the frontier between the cities is policed by 'Breach' which punishes all transgressions.

Despite the violent deaths of those around him, and a growing realisation that he is personally implicated in the crimes, Borlú doggedly chases the truth. To solve the case he will have to embark on an odyssey of the mind, a journey across the border from one reality to another.

Kim Shillinglaw, Controller BBC Two says: “I want BBC Two to give writers and directors the space to do their most creative, signature work and I’m thrilled to be announcing an adaptation of China Miéville's novel, The City and the City. Miéville is one of the country’s most popular fantasy writers and I’m really pleased that we are bringing his highly original voice to the screen, adapted by acclaimed writer, Tony Grisoni.”

Mammoth's Managing Director Damien Timmer adds: “We are thrilled to be bringing China's dazzlingly inventive novel to BBC Two. It's a 21st Century classic - a truly thrilling and imaginative work which asks big questions about how we perceive the world and how we interact with each other.”

Rebecca Keane, Preethi Mavahalli and Damien Timmer from Mammoth Screen developed the project with producer Robyn Slovo (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Tony Grisoni.

Polly Hill, Controller BBC Drama Commissioning says: “The City and The City is an extraordinarily original novel which through Tony Grissoni's wonderful adaptation, promises to be a truly distinct, surprising and compelling drama for BBC Two.”

The Executive Producers are Tony Grisoni, Damien Timmer and Preethi Mavahalli for Mammoth Screen and Matthew Read for the BBC.


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## sinister42 (Aug 11, 2016)

Is this still happening?


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## Brian G Turner (Aug 11, 2016)

Can't find any new info.


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## sinister42 (Aug 11, 2016)

Yeah me neither.


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## Werthead (Mar 14, 2018)

Watched the first episode on Monday. It was very good.

Tentative transmission date in the UK is April.


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## sinister42 (Mar 14, 2018)

Killer - glad this is happening!


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## Stephen Palmer (Mar 18, 2018)

looking forward to it!


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## Werthead (Mar 28, 2018)

Trailers!

And an airdate: 6 April 2018.


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## Ursa major (Mar 28, 2018)

Thanks.





Werthead said:


> And an airdate: 4 April 2018.


You say it's April the 6th on the page of your website to which you have linked. (And both the Radio Times and TV Wise agree with that later date.)


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## sinister42 (Mar 28, 2018)

is this going to be on iplayer?  Or is it going to be available to US viewers?


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## Werthead (Apr 7, 2018)

The BBC have released all 4 episodes on the iPlayer already.

The City And The City - Available now - BBC Two

Apparently negotiations are going on with an American broadcaster. Based on previous form, it'll likely end up on Netflix, Amazon or BBC America. Otherwise it'll be the (probably) region-free Blu-Ray out next month.


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## sinister42 (Apr 7, 2018)

****ing iplayer.  Usually I can get it to work using my VPN but now the show just won't load for some reason.  GARGH.  GIMME.


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## sinister42 (Apr 7, 2018)

Ok finally got it to work and watched all 4 eps.  DAMN.  That was good.  Very, very good.


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## Vince W (Apr 8, 2018)

Only watched the first episode so far, but it _is_ good.


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## Ursa major (Apr 8, 2018)

I've only seen the first episode and liked it. I'm particualrly impressed by the way they've managed show the "unseeing", something far more easily described... and far more easily done badly.


What I, as someone who has read the book, do wonder about is how much sense it makes to those who haven't read the book.


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## sinister42 (Apr 8, 2018)

yeah that's a good question.  For someone unfamiliar with Mieville's work generally, this thing could look very very confusing.  But I think they've done a good job with showing vs. telling here, explaining how it all works without _explaining how it all works_.  I'm sure having Mieville as a consultant helps - he's a ****ing master of throwing his readers into a world and demanding they figure it out themselves, which is one of the reasons I want to have his cockroach-headed communist babies.  

Now how about a Perdido Street Station movie?  Anyone have Terry Gilliam's number?


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## mosaix (Apr 8, 2018)

Ursa major said:


> I've only seen the first episode and liked it. I'm particualrly impressed by the way they've managed show the "unseeing", something far more easily described... and far more easily done badly.
> 
> 
> What I, as someone who has read the book, do wonder about is how much sense it makes to those who haven't read the book.


I haven’t read the book, UM, but after 3 episodes I’m finding it quite easy to understand and enjoying it immensely. 

I will read the book now.


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## Stephen Palmer (Apr 11, 2018)

It's a great book.
Haven't had a chance to see the TV version yet, but hoping iPlayer will help...


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## Dave (Apr 15, 2018)

I've seen the first episode and it wasn't hard to understand what's happening at all. The geographical positioning of the two cities might be confusing, but then that is really the whole point, isn't it? Maybe it might have been confusing if I wasn't aware this was going to be fantasy, and China Mieville in particular, and if I had tuned in to watch just a another police procedural set in some East European city. I can't see many people doing that as it has been clearly flagged up in interviews and other promotional material as being "a bit weird."

My own problem is that I found Perdido Street Station very slow and hard going (almost didn't finish it.) I haven't read anything else by him. This also began ever so s l o w but it picked up about 2/3 rds of the way through and I really want to see episode 2. So, I would recommend watching it.


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## mosaix (Apr 15, 2018)

Watched all four episodes on catch up now. That guy sure has some imagination!


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## Stephen Palmer (Apr 15, 2018)

Dave said:


> My own problem is that I found Perdido Street Station very slow and hard going (almost didn't finish it.) I haven't read anything else by him.



Check out _The Scar, _which is much tauter and my favourite novel by him.


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## Vince W (Apr 15, 2018)

I've only watched two episodes so far, but I'm enjoying it. Not completely faithful to the book, but what adaptation is? I'd like to see them tackle Un-Lun-Dun.


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## Dave (Apr 16, 2018)

Spoiler: Orciny



Is Orciny the "Undiscovered Country"? 



Spoiler: end of final part



(given that he seemed to have an out of body experience after the neck stabbing, but decided not to follow his wife and instead to continue "living")





Or have I got that all wrong?


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## Stephen Palmer (Apr 16, 2018)

Vince W said:


> I'd like to see them tackle Un-Lun-Dun.



Oh, wow!  Me too!


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## StuartBurchell (Apr 21, 2018)

Is anybody else watching this?

Currently  being aired on BBC 2 at 10pm,  episode 3 having just been shown tonight (20th April) of a four part serial of China Mieville's 2009 book. Starring David Morrisey.

It may not be a 'proper' sci-fi or fantasy, but it is good.

On the fringes of Europe lies the city of Beszel, along with it's twin city of Ul Qoma, seperated and interlocked with each other, with the people of each city being  taught from childhood to ignore the other city by 'unseeing' it. Access to the other city is by a heavily controlled border points. People who otherwise violate this border, known as breaching, are apprehended by a mysterious organisation known as 'the Breach'.

Inspector Tyador Borlu of Beszel's Extreme Crime Squad is assigned to the murder of a girl found on waste ground near a spot where you can 'crossover', an American who was living in Ul Qoma.

With politics, superior officers and the probable next mayor of Beszel all pressurizing and wanting to ignore the girl's death, Borlu must do the only thing he can do to solve the girl's murder, he must 'crossover' and investigate in Ul Qoma...and maybe find out the reason for his wife's disappearance years earlier.

This is extremely good, a detective story with a twist.

They show the two cities by means of colour (yellow for Beszel and red for Ul Qoma) and when in one city, the other city is out of focus, we, the viewers, can see two characters walking along a street 'together', but they have to speak to each by mobiles whilst ignoring each other and deliberately 'unsee' each other, the camera having one or the other blurred.

There are a couple of differences from the book, of course, notably Borlu's wife, Katryna (Lara Pulver) was created for the series.

It is, of course, a parable, all cities or towns are like that, we all deliberately ignore the rough sleeper sleeping on a bus station's benches, the things we choose not to see in daily life.

Discuss.


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## mosaix (Apr 21, 2018)

There’s another thread running on this, Stuart.


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## Brian G Turner (Apr 21, 2018)

I've moved this thread from the China Mieville board to the TV discussion one, where it'll be more visible.


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## Dave (Apr 21, 2018)

You all do realise that you could watch all 4 episodes on BBC iPlayer since the first episode was broadcast?


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## StuartBurchell (Apr 21, 2018)

Dave said:


> You all do realise that you could watch all 4 episodes on BBC iPlayer since the first episode was broadcast?



i prefer watching it on a bigger screen.

And thanks for moving my previous post, hadn't seen this thread.


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## Ursa major (Apr 21, 2018)

You can watch programmes on iPlayer on the "smarter" TVs.

That's what I do.


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## mosaix (Apr 22, 2018)

Ursa major said:


> You can watch programmes on iPlayer on the "smarter" TVs.
> 
> That's what I do.



And me. I'm surprised at the quality of TV coming through my router.


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## Vince W (Apr 22, 2018)

Finished it today. It was a very good police drama with some interesting bits tacked on. Not a fantasy story, but more like weird detective fiction. There is the element of strangeness running throughout the series, but nothing you could actually point to and say 'yes that fits in fantasy', but that's more indicative of Mieville than the show's producers I think.


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