Clean Sweep (6 x 52’), starring award-winning actress Charlene McKenna (Bloodlands, Peaky Blinders, Vienna Blood), has been licensed by ZDF Studios to the UK’s BBC Four and BBC iPlayer as well as SBS TV in Australia who will be launching the series on SBS On Demand on 1st June. The deals were brokered by Yi Qiao, Director Drama at ZDF Studios, who only recently has sold the series to TV4 for Sweden and MTV3 Finland.
The Irish thriller drama is produced by one of the country’s top indie production companies, ShinAwil (Dancing with the Stars Ireland, Miss Scarlet and the Duke) and Canada’s Incendo (Be Mine Valentine, Terror Train), renowned for producing and distributing high quality content.
Clean Sweep, which premiered in the US on Sundance Now and on RTÉ in Ireland this year, tells the story of a seemingly ordinary housewife, Shelly Mohan (Charlene McKenna), a mother of three married to a Garda detective. On the surface all seems normal until her dark past comes back to haunt her. Shelly makes the fatal decision to kill her former partner in crime when he resurfaces and threatens to expose her, and it’s her husband who is assigned the job to find the killer. The pressures mount as the noose tightens and all the while she is also coping with her husband’s unfaithfulness and an ailing son. Inspired by true events, the suspenseful drama keeps viewers on tenterhooks until the very end.
Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, says: “Clean Sweep is a gripping psychological thriller – BBC viewers will be hooked by Shelly, and how she copes with all of the repercussions of her secret life.”
Haidee Ireland, Channel Manager, SBS On Demand: “SBS audiences have been devouring the fantastic output of Irish crime drama we have seen in recent years and we cannot wait to bring this taut and complex thriller to our drama fans. We look forward to seeing Clean Sweep join our offering of the best world’s best drama series on SBS On Demand.”
Yi Qiao, Director Drama, ZDF Studios added: “I am absolutely delighted to see Clean Sweep making its way around the world starting with the UK, Australia and Scandinavia. I cannot wait for audiences to follow Shelly’s journey and to wonder about how far they would go to protect their family.»
