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*The Gallows Pole*
The Gallows Pole
Genre	Period drama; Crime drama;
Based on	The Gallows Pole; by Benjamin Myers
Written by	Shane Meadows
Directed by	Shane Meadows
Starring	Michael Socha; Sophie McShera;
Country of origin	United Kingdom; Ireland;
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	3
Production
Executive producers	Shane Meadows; Ed Guiney; Andrew Lowe;
Production companies	Element Pictures; Big Arty Productions; A24;
Original release
Network	BBC Two
Release	31 May –; 14 June 2023

The Gallows Pole is a three-part television series made for the BBC by Element Pictures, Big Arty Productions, and A24. It is a Shane Meadows adaptation of the novel of the same name by Benjamin Myers.^[1] According to Meadows, the series is a prequel to Myers's novel.^[2] It premiered on 31 May 2023.

Synopsis

The series tells the fictionalised story of David Hartley and the Cragg Vale Coiners at the onset of the Industrial Revolution in 18th-century Yorkshire. Hartley (Socha) assembles a gang of weavers and land-workers to embark upon a revolutionary criminal enterprise that will capsize the economy and become the biggest fraud in British history.^[1]

Cast

Michael Socha as David Hartley
Sophie McShera as Grace Sutcliffe (later Hartley)
Thomas Turgoose as William Hartley
Ralph Ineson as The Clothier
Samuel Edward-Cook as Isaac Hartley
Nicole Barber-Lane as Susie
Anthony Welsh as Abe Oldfield
Adam Fogerty as James Broadbent
Fine Time Fontayne as Joseph Broadbent
Rob Galloway as Sid the Snake
Stevie Binns as Mand
Soraya Jane Nabipour as Darya Hartley
Charlotte Ockelton as Gwen Hartley
Olivia Pentelow as Hannah Oldfield
Dave Perkins as Tom Hartley
Jennifer Reid as Barb
Joe Sproulle as Joe the Pickpocket
Jordan Preston as Stagman
Yusra Warsama as Bethsheba
Stuart Zubrzycki as Billy Vardy

Production

The project was announced for Meadows in May 2021 as his first television series with executive producers Piers Wenger and Tom Lazenby for the BBC.^[3] The series is being produced for the BBC by Element Pictures with A24.^[4]

Casting

In September 2021, Socha, Tom Burke, Turgoose and George MacKay were announced to be cast. Meadows described going on an "open casting odyssey, watching over 6,500 self-tapes from unrepresented actors and actresses".^[5] Burke and MacKay did not ultimately appear in the series.

Filming

Principal photography was revealed to have started in September 2021.^[6] Filming locations included the village of Heptonstall, near Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire.^[7]

Music

Music on the series comes from Swedish psychedelic band Goat.^[8]

Additional traditional music from the period was researched and performed by cast member Jennifer Reid and fiddler Tom Kitching.^[9]

The opening theme is "What Happens When You Turn the Devil Down" by The Mystery Lights.

Broadcast

The opening episode was broadcast on BBC Two on 31 May 2023, with all episodes released on BBC iPlayer the same day.^[2]^[10]

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The Gallows Pole holds an approval rating of 82% based on 11 reviews.^[11]

Accolades

For their work on the series Paul Harrison & Owen Hulme won in the Picture Enhancement category and Ed Kevill-Davies and Lucas Roche were nominated in the Best Design - Titles category at the 2023 Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards.^[12]