Towards Zero producer Rebecca Durbin has revealed how David and Victoria Beckham influenced the characters in the BBC's new Agatha Christie adaptation.
Speaking to HELLO! and other press at the show's launch, Rebecca drew comparisons between the Beckhams and the show's central characters, tennis star Nevile Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and his ex-wife Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland), who are in the midst of a high-profile divorce when we meet them in the series.
Opening up about the writing process, Rebecca spoke about the influences the creative team and screenwriter Rachel Bennette drew on when fleshing out the characters.
"We spoke a lot about the love triangle [between Nevile, Audrey and Kay] and this child-like relationship between Nevile and Audrey," explained Rebecca. "We spent a lot of time reading this book called Erotic Vagrancy about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
"We were also in development at the time the David Beckham documentary came out," she continued.
© BBC/Mammoth Screen/James Pardon"We did a lot of talking about that and the excitement of celebrity and the craziness of celebrity divorce."
Rebecca added that the team were heavily inspired by Christie's book, particularly her characters and structuring.
© Mammoth Screen/BBC/James PardonOliver, who stars as Nevile, also described tennis superstar Nevile as "the David Beckham of his day".
When asked if he had to brush up on his tennis skills ahead of filming, the actor revealed that he was "shockingly bad" and took tennis lessons to prepare for the role.
"I actually started panicking because there was an awful lot of chat about Neville being the David Beckham of his day," said the actor. "I thought, 'Right, but he can actually play. I can't, and so am I just gonna look like an idiot?'"
© Mammoth Screen/BBC/James Pardon"But then Sam [Yates, director] and Laura [Bellingham, cinematographer], the way they shot it, you kind of can't tell," he added.
Set in 1936, Towards Zero follows tennis star Nevile and his ex-wife Audrey who, after their scandalous celebrity divorce, make "the unthinkable decision" to spend a summer together at their childhood home Gull's Point, the coastal estate of Nevile's aunt, Lady Tressilian (Anjelica Huston).
© Mammoth Screen/BBC/James PardonThe synopsis continues: "With unfinished business between the former childhood sweethearts, plus the presence of Nevile’s new wife Kay (Mimi Keene), tensions are running high. Add to this a long-suffering lady’s companion, a mysterious gentleman's valet, an exiled cousin with a grudge, a venerable family lawyer, an inquisitive orphan and a French con man, and soon there will be murder.
"A troubled detective must rediscover his purpose to untangle a toxic web of jealousy, deceit and dysfunction. Can he solve the crime before another victim meets their death?"
Towards Zero begins on Sunday 2 March at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
