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Megan Banner

New BBC drama Better filmed and set in Leeds will feature Emmerdale stars

A new BBC drama from the team behind hit Chernobyl will air this year starring some of the popular Emmerdale cast.

Better is currently being shot around Leeds city centre and other nearby locations, the drama will air in 2023, but BBC has not yet confirmed a date. It is written by Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent, known for Humans and Spooks, with the story being produced by studio Sister - previously known for Sky show Chernobyl.

Better is the story of one woman’s battle towards redemption, to reclaim the honour and honesty she handed over to a man many years ago. It features the character of DI Lou Slack, who is in the Yorkshire police, played by Leila Farzad, who is confident, quick-witted and wry.

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Other acting talents in the new programme include Broadchurch’s Andrew Buchan, Peaky Blinders star Samuel Edward-Cook and Cold Feet’s Ceallach Spellman. The cast also includes some of our much-loved Emmerdale stars, including Charly Webb and Jamie Dorrington - as well as Andrew Buchan who is married to former Emmerdale star Amy Nuttal.

Charley Webb, known as Debbie Dingle in Emmerdale has played some intense and heart-breaking storylines since entering the village back in December 2002. But now she will take on a new role, playing a character called Elise in the new BBC drama Better.

Her fellow Emmerdale co-star Jamie Dorrington, who also made an appearance in Yorkshire drama Happy Valley, will feature as a police officer. TV star Andrew Buchan who is married to Amy Nuttal, ex-Emmerdale star Chloe Atkinson from 2000 until 2005, will play a character called Col McHugh.

Leila Farzad, who has previously appeared in I Hate Suzie, says Better is a 'brilliant' story, she said: “Better is a brilliant fresh take on the morality tale. I am excited to have the opportunity to play Lou Slack, the vehicle through which we explore the multivalent layers of good and bad. A complex, flawed yet utterly human character. I feel very lucky to be a part of such a wonderful show with an incredibly talented team attached to it.”

Better has been shot around Leeds city centre and other nearby locations, with a cast from Yorkshire, demonstrating lots of local talent.

Writers and Executive Producers Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent said “We’re delirious and feel incredibly fortunate to have assembled - with Sister and the BBC - such a gifted group of people to tell this story in the great city of Leeds, with a wealth of local Yorkshire talent on and off camera. This incredible cast are exciting us every day, pushing the show’s exploration of morality and redemption to ever more thrilling, surprising, and yet darkly funny places. With any luck, we’ve got enough brilliant people to make ourselves look good.”

As of now, the BBC have not yet confirmed when Better will be released. But we do know that the new series has completed filming and will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in 2023.

We’ll bring you more on the new BBC crime drama and its broadcast date when we have further details. You can find out the latest TV news by visiting our Best in Leeds homepage.

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