‘Esio Trot’ Writer Paul Mayhew-Archer’s BBC Drama ‘But When We Dance’ To Film After Three-Year Delay

EXCLUSIVE: The BBC is finally going into production on But When We Dance, the feature-length Parkinson’s drama penned by Esio Trot writer Paul Mayhew-Archer.

The show was greenlit in 2019 but the Endor Productions shoot was delayed for around three years after the pandemic wreaked havoc on production schedules.

But When We Dance is expected to shoot in the coming months, with the BBC still finalizing the drama’s cast. Jonny Campbell, who has helmed episodes of Westworld and Doctor Who, was set to direct.

The story centers on two people with lots in common: a great sense of humor, a love of dance, and Parkinson’s.

Mayhew-Archer is one of 153,000 people in the UK who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. He has helped raise awareness for the disease through the Movers and Shakers podcast, which he co-hosts with former BBC presenters including Jeremy Paxman.

Mayhew-Archer’s 2015 TV movie Esio Trot was based on the novel by Roald Dahl and starred Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench.

He co-wrote the drama with Richard Curtis after they previously collaborated on The Vicar of Dibley. Mayhew-Archer is repped by Casarotto Ramsay & Associates.