TABOO
Lead Story
Set in 1814, Taboo follows “James Keziah Delaney,” a man who has been to the ends of
the earth and comes back irrevocably changed. Believed to be long dead, he returns
home to London from Africa to inherit what is left of his father's shipping empire and
rebuild a life for himself. But his father's legacy is a poisoned chalice, and with
enemies lurking in every dark corner, James must navigate increasingly complex
territories to avoid his own death sentence. Encircled by conspiracy, murder and betrayal,
a dark family mystery unfolds in a combustible tale of love and treachery.
Taboo is created by Steven Knight with Tom Hardy and Chips Hardy, who is also the
show’s consulting producer. Executive producers are Ridley Scott and Kate Crowe for
Scott Free Films, Tom Hardy and Dean Baker for Hardy Son & Baker, and Steven Knight,
with Timothy Bricknell producing. Taboo is directed by Kristoffer Nyholm (Eps. 1-4) and
Anders Engström (Eps. 5-8), and reunites Hardy and Knight for their third collaboration
following Locke and Peaky Blinders.
Taboo is produced by Scott Free Films and Hardy Son & Baker for FX and BBC One
with Sonar Entertainment distributing worldwide outside the UK.
Tom Hardy
Creator/Executive Producer/“James Keziah Delaney”
As an Academy Award® nominated actor and producer, Tom Hardy has quickly become one of
today’s most versatile and sought after talents, earning widespread acclaim and recognition over the
years from critics and audiences alike for his transformative performances and extensive range
across a variety of mediums, including film, television and theatre.
Last year, Hardy starred in three highly acclaimed films, two of which went on to earn ‘Best Picture’
nominations at the 2016 Academy Awards. Starring opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Alejandro
González Iñárritu’s epic drama The Revenant (2015), Hardy earned his first Oscar® nomination for his
performance as 19th century frontiersman “John Fitzgerald.” That same year, Hardy also played the
highly anticipated title role in George Miller’s critically acclaimed summer blockbuster hit Mad Max:
Fury Road (2015), as well as tackling dual roles of notorious twin gangsters “Ronald” and “Reginald
Kray” in Brian Helgeland’s crime drama Legend (2015). The latter earned Hardy ‘Best Actor of the
Year’ at the British Independent Film Awards, and the film went on to become the highest-grossing 18
cert British film of all time in the U.K. The London Critics’ Circle also honored Hardy with their
prestigious ‘British Actor of the Year’ on behalf of all his performances in 2015.
Hardy will next be seen in Christopher Nolan’s forthcoming war drama Dunkirk (2017), which will be
his third collaboration with the director.
In addition to performing, Hardy is also the Founder and CEO of U.K. production company Hardy Son
& Baker, which he formed in 2012 with partner Dean Baker. HSB most recently partnered with Ridley
Scott’s Scott Free Films to produce the forthcoming drama series Taboo, which will debut in early
2017 on BBC in the U.K. and FX in the U.S. The company’s feature projects in development include
the highly anticipated screen adaptation of comic series 100 Bullets for Warner Bros/New Line; an
Untitled Shackleton Project, based on the renowned British explorer Ernest Shackleton who led
multiple expeditions to the Antarctic; and an Untitled Don McCullin Project, based on the life of the
legendary British war photographer. On the television front, HSB has several new scripted series for
NBCUniversal International in development, including screen adaptations of Adam Hamdy’s crime
thriller Pendulum, as well as Warren Ellis and Jason Howard’s science-fiction graphic novel series
Trees.
Hailing from Great Britain, Hardy was studying at the prestigious Drama Centre London when he was
offered his breakout role in HBO’s award-winning World War II miniseries Band of Brothers, executive
produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. His feature film debut came shortly after when he
was cast in Ridley Scott’s war drama Black Hawk Down (2001), followed by Stuart Baird’s sci-fi
adventure Star Trek: Nemesis (2002).
In 2008, Hardy garnered global attention for his captivating on-screen transformation as a real-life,
notoriously violent convict in the title role of Nicolas Winding Refn’s drama Bronson, winning the
British Independent Film Award for ‘Best Actor’ on behalf of his performance. The British Academy of
Film and Television Arts further recognized Hardy’s achievements by honoring him with their ‘Rising
Star Award’ in 2011. The actor’s subsequent film credits went on to include lauded roles in
Christopher Nolan’s Inception (2010) and The Dark Night Rises (2012), Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker
Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Gavin O’Connor’s Warrior (2011), John Hillcoat’s Lawless (2012), Steven
Knight’s Locke (2013), and Michaël R. Roskam’s The Drop (2014).
On television, Hardy currently appears in a recurring role on the award-winning BBC series Peaky
Blinders. In 2008, Hardy earned a ‘Best Actor’ BAFTA nomination for his performance in the HBO
movie Stuart: A Life Backwards, and portrayed “Heathcliff” in the 2009 ITV production of Wuthering
Heights. His small screen credits also include the telefilms Oliver Twist, A for Andromeda, Sweeney
Todd, Gideon’s Daughter, and Colditz, as well as the BBC miniseries The Virgin Queen.
On stage, Hardy has starred in numerous plays on the London West End, including Blood and In
Arabia We’d All Be Kings, winning the ‘Outstanding Newcomer Award’ at the 2003 Evening Standard
Theatre Awards for his work in both productions and a 2004 Olivier Award nomination for the latter. In
2005, Hardy starred in the London premiere of Brett C. Leonard’s Roger and Vanessa. His stage
work also includes Rufus Norris’ adaptation of Festen at the Almeida; The Modernists at Sheffield’s
Crucible Theatre; The Man of Mode at the National Theatre; and the 2010 world premiere of
Leonard’s The Long Red Road, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.
Hardy also serves as an Ambassador for The Prince’s Trust, the Royal Marines Charitable Trust
Fund (RMCTF), and Help For Heroes.
Jessie Buckley
“Lorna Bow”
Irish-born Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts graduate Jessie Buckley was most recently seen starring
as “Princess Marya” in The BBC hit adaptation of Tolstoy’s epic novel War and Peace.
Autumn 2015 saw Buckley star in two productions simultaneously as part of the Kenneth Branagh
Theatre Company’s inaugural season — the first, as “Perdita” in Branagh’s The Winter’s Tale, and
the second as “Muriel” in Harlequinade, opposite an almost identical (and stellar) cast. Both plays
received glowing reviews, with Buckley’s performance labelled “enchanting” [Quentin Letts] and
“luminous” (Telegraph).
Further theatre credits include: A Little Night Music at the Menier Chocolate Factory; as a
“captivating” (Evening Standard) and “beautifully controlled” (Variety) “Princess Katherine” opposite
Jude Law in Henry V; and as “Constanze” in Amadeus, opposite Joshua McGuire and Rupert Everett
at the Chichester Festival Theatre. For her performance, The Guardian rendered Buckley “an actor to
be reckoned with.”
In film, Buckley has performed the lead role of “Miranda” in Jeremy Herrin’s The Tempest, opposite
Roger Allam (May 2014); the voice of “Anna” in animated drama Jack And The Cuckoo-Clock Heart
(2013); and the more recent sci-fi short, Pulsar.
Jonathan Pryce
“Sir Stuart Strange”
Jonathan Pryce is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning actor on stage
and screen. His diverse film work includes lauded performances in Something
Wicked This Way Comes, Brazil, Glengarry Glen Ross, Carrington (for which he
won the Cannes Film Festival and Evening Standard Awards for Best Actor),
Evita and roles in successful blockbusters including Tomorrow Never Dies, the
Pirates of the Caribbean series and the G.I. Joe films.
Pryce is currently filming Taboo for FX, alongside Tom Hardy, and he recently
completed filming To Walk Invisible for the BBC, written and directed by Sally
Wainwright. His other recent major roles for television include: “Cardinal Wolsey”
in the Golden Globe® winning adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, and “High
Sparrow” in the fantasy drama Game of Thrones. Other recent television work
includes Cranford: Return to Cranford, for which he received an Emmy®
Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama.
His recent film work includes The White King, directed by Alex Helfrecht and Jorg
Tittel, The Healer, directed by Paco Arango, Woman in Gold, directed by Simon
Curtis, Dough, directed by John Goldschmidt, Listen Up Philip, directed by Alex
Ross Perry, and The Salvation, directed by Kristian Levring.
Pryce’s extensive theatre work includes Comedians in London and on Broadway,
for which he won a Tony Award®; Hamlet, in London, for which he received an
Olivier Award; and Miss Saigon, in which he starred on both sides of the Atlantic,
winning further Olivier and Tony awards. Pryce produced landmark performances
as “Davies” in Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker in London and New York, and as
the title role in King Lear at the Almeida Theatre, London. Most recently, Pryce
starred in The Merchant of Venice for The Globe Theatre in London, which is
now set for a global tour later this year.
Michael Kelly
“Dumbarton”
With an expansive list of film and television credits spanning over 15 years,
Michael Kelly can currently be seen in his Emmy®-nominated role “Doug
Stamper,” the House Majority Whip’s formidable and crafty aide-de-camp, in
David Fincher’s Netflix original series House of Cards starring opposite Kevin
Spacey. Recently, Kelly starred in The Secret in their Eyes opposite Julia
Roberts, Nicole Kidman and Chiwetel Ejiofor, and in Everest opposite Josh
Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal and Robin Wright.
In 2008, Kelly starred as “Detective Lester Ybarra” opposite Angelina Jolie and
John Malkovich in Clint Eastwood’s Changeling, which premiered at the Cannes
Film Festival and was distributed by Universal Pictures and Imagine
Entertainment. For his performance, Kelly received a coveted spot as one of
“Daily Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch.” Also that year, Kelly starred in the HBO
miniseries Generation Kill, which chronicled one Marine’s journey in the
American-led assault on Baghdad in 2003. Kelly’s other feature film credits
include Louis Leterrier’s Now You See Me opposite Mark Ruffalo and Jesse
Eisenberg, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, the hit film Chronicle, George Nolfi’s The
Adjustment Bureau, Doug Liman’s Fair Game opposite Sean Penn and Naomi
Watts, F. Gary Gray’s Law Abiding Citizen alongside Gerard Butler and Jamie
Foxx, Did You Hear About the Morgans? with Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica
Parker, Defendor with Woody Harrelson, Invincible opposite Mark Wahlberg, the
Universal blockbuster Dawn of the Dead directed by Zach Snyder, Tenderness
starring Russell Crowe, The Narrows directed by Francois Velle, Broken English
written and directed by Zoe Cassavetes, nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at
the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, and Loggerheads, nominated for the Grand
Jury Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. Kelly also appeared in M. Night
Shyamalan’s Unbreakable, Milos Forman’s Man on the Moon and River Red
(Sundance Film Festival).
On television, Kelly most recently has had recurring roles on the hit shows The
Good Wife and Person of Interest. He played the series regular role of “Jonathan
‘Prophet’ Simms” in Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, “Terrence Brooks” on
Law & Order: Criminal Intent and “John Mosley” on Fringe. Kelly also had the
recurring role of “FBI Agent Ron Goddard” on The Sopranos, and was a series
regular on both the USA Network television series Kojak with Ving Rhames and
Chazz Palminteri, and the UPN action drama Level 9. He has also guest starred
on numerous hit television shows, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,
Law & Order, C.S.I. Miami, The Shield, Judging Amy, The Jury and Third Watch.
A lifetime member of The Actor’s Studio, Kelly has performed in such plays as
Arthur Penn’s production of Major Crimes, Theatre Studio’s Miss Julie as well as
in a production of In Search of Strindberg staged in Stockholm, Sweden.
Kelly resides in New York City with his wife, daughter and son.
Oona Chaplin
“Zilpha” on Taboo
Oona Chaplin can next be seen starring role opposite Tom Hardy and Jonathan Pryce
in the BBC/FX drama Taboo. She can also be seen in theaters in Spain on January 13 th
starring opposite Tom Hughes and Charlotte Le Bon in the independent film Realive,
written and directed by Mateo Gil. She was last seen in theaters in the US starring
opposite Jack Huston in Fox 2000’s The Longest Ride, directed by George Tillman and
based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, as well as starring opposite Cillian Murphy,
Jennifer Connelly and Melanie Laurent in the independent film Aloft directed by Claudia
Llosa. Chaplin was last seen on TV in the comedy Dates which the CW network picked
up from Channel 4 in the UK, where it originally aired. She was also seen on TV last
year starring on PBS in the BBC’s 6 part drama series The Crimson Field, written by
Sarah Phelps and with David Evans directing. Chaplin was last seen on TV in the UK
starring opposite John Hamm and Rafe Spall in Channel 4’s Black Mirror Christmas
episode, created by Charlie Brooker. She starred opposite Paul Giamatti in Scott
Frank’s pilot Hoke for FX, as well as starring alongside Ben Wishaw, Romola Garai and
Dominic West in BBC America’s The Hour, created by Abi Morgan. Chaplin is also
known in the US for starring in HBO’s Emmy® and Golden Globe® award winning Game
Of Thrones playing Rob Stark’s wife…they both met their demise in the notorious “Red
Wedding” episode. Some of her other feature film credits include Quantum of Solace,
The Devil’s Double and the Spanish Language psychological thriller Purgatorio, directed
by Catalan Pau Teixidor. She’s a multi-lingual actress who graduated from the
acclaimed RADA drama school.
David Hayman
“Brace”
David Hayman is well known for his role as “Chief Supt. Michael Walker” in
Lynda La Plante’s long-running crime thriller Trial & Retribution, which had 12
series from 1997 to 2009.
Hayman was born in Bridgeton, Glasgow, Scotland. He studied at the Royal
Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. He began his acting career
at the Citizens Theatre in the city, playing a variety of roles, including “Hamlet,”
“Figaro” and “Al Capone.” He gained national prominence playing notorious
Barlinnie Prison convict turned sculptor, “Jimmy Boyle,” in the film A Sense of
Freedom. His extensive list of film credits includes appearances supporting
Pierce Brosnan in The Tailor of Panama, Bruce Willis in The Jackal and Kevin
Spacey in Ordinary Decent Criminal. He also appeared in The Boy in the Striped
Pyjamas as well as John Boorman’s Hope and Glory.
Hayman has also had success in directing film and TV productions. Silent
Scream is a return to a study of convicts in Barlinnie Prison, examining the life of
convicted murderer Larry Winters. It won the BAFTA Michael Powell award for
best British film at the Edinburgh Film Festival and the Silver Bear and Special
Jury Prize at Berlin. Hayman followed Silent Scream with The Hawk, starring
Helen Mirren as a woman who begins to suspect that her husband is a serial
killer. The Near Room is a dark and disturbing film about child abuse and
corruption set in Glasgow. As a Broadcaster/Presenter he has fronted 24
documentaries including In Search Of Series.
Hayman has appeared in Top Boy, London Spy and The Paradise. In September
2011, Hayman hosted the documentary In Search of Bible John, reconstructing
the unsolved murders of Glasgow serial killer Bible John, who murdered three
young women in the late 1960s. In 2012, Hayman played the “Earl of Worcester”
in the BBC2 adaptation of Henry IV, Part I.
On stage, Hayman appeared as “Chris” in the 2011 production of Anna Christie
at the Donmar Theatre, London. In 2012, he returned to the Citizens Theatre in
Glasgow to play the title role in King Lear.
Hayman was awarded the City of Glasgow’s gold medal in 1992 for outstanding
services to the performing arts. He also has four Honorary Doctorates. In 2001,
he founded the humanitarian charity Spirit Aid, which is dedicated to children of
the world whose lives have been devastated by war, genocide, poverty, abuse or
lack of opportunity at home and abroad.
Ridley Scott
Executive Producer
Ridley Scott is a renowned Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker honored with Best Director
Oscar® nominations for his work on Black Hawk Down (2001), Gladiator (2000) and Thelma & Louise
(1991). All three films also earned him DGA Award nominations. Scott’s most recent release is the
critically acclaimed box office phenomenon The Martian starring Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain.
The Martian received numerous awards and nominations, including Golden Globes® for Best Motion
Picture Musical or Comedy and Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, seven Academy Award
nominations, including Best Picture, a DGA Award nomination, and six BAFTA nominations, including
Best Director. Scott is currently in post-production on Alien: Covenant, the sequel to Prometheus,
starring Michael Fassbender and Katherine Waterston. He will next helm Wraiths of the Broken Land
for 20th Century Fox.
Scott has garnered multiple nominations over his illustrious career. In addition to his Academy Award
and DGA nominations, he also earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director for American
Gangster, starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. As he also served as a producer on the
true-life drama, Scott shared in a BAFTA nomination for Best Film. Scott also received Golden Globe
and BAFTA nominations for Best Director for his epic Gladiator. The film won the Oscar, Golden
Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Picture.
In 1977 Scott made his feature-film directorial debut with The Duellists, for which he won the Best
First Film Award at the Cannes Film Festival. He followed with the blockbuster science-fiction thriller
Alien, which catapulted Sigourney Weaver to stardom and launched a successful franchise. In 1982,
Scott directed the landmark film Blade Runner, starring Harrison Ford. Considered a sci-fi classic, the
futuristic thriller was added to the U.S. Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 1993 and a
director’s cut was released to renewed acclaim in 1993 and again in 2007.
Additional film credits as director include Exodus: Gods and Kings starring Christian Bale and Joel
Edgerton; The Counselor, written by Cormac McCarthy and starring Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt,
Cameron Diaz and Javier Bardem; the acclaimed hit Prometheus, starring Michael Fassbender,
Noomi Rapace and Charlize Theron; Legend, starring Tom Cruise; Someone to Watch Over Me,
starring Tom Berenger; Black Rain, starring Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia; 1492: Conquest of
Paradise, starring Gérard Depardieu; White Squall, starring Jeff Bridges; G.I. Jane, starring Demi
Moore and Viggo Mortensen; Hannibal, starring Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore; Body of Lies,
starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio; A Good Year, starring Russell Crowe and Albert
Finney; the epic Kingdom of Heaven, with Orlando Bloom and Jeremy Irons; Matchstick Men, starring
Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell; and Robin Hood, marking his fifth collaboration with star Russell
Crowe, also starring Cate Blanchett.
Scott and his late brother Tony formed the commercial and advertising production company RSA in
1967. RSA has an established reputation for creating innovative and groundbreaking commercials for
some of the world’s most recognized corporate brands.
In 1995 the Scott brothers formed the film and television production company Scott Free. With offices
in Los Angeles and London, the Scotts produced such films as In Her Shoes, The A-Team, Cyrus,
The Grey and the Academy Award-nominated drama The Assassination of Jesse James by the
Coward Robert Ford.
On television, Scott executive produced the Emmy®, Peabody and Golden Globe-winning hit The
Good Wife for CBS, and the critically-acclaimed series adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s classic The Man
in the High Castle for Amazon.
Scott has also been an executive producer on the company’s long-form projects, including the Starz
miniseries The Pillars of the Earth, the A&E miniseries The Andromeda Strain, the TNT miniseries
The Company, the award-winning HBO movies RKO 281, The Gathering Storm and Into the Storm,
and the hit National Geographic Channels’ telefilms Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy and Killing Jesus.
In 2003 Scott was awarded a knighthood from the Order of the British Empire, in recognition of his
contributions to the arts.
Chips Hardy
Creator/Consulting Producer/Writer
Chips Hardy went up to Cambridge as an English scholar. He once edited a poetry magazine but is over it
now. And so are they. Years later, he’s a Global Creative Director in advertising.
Hardy has written for television, film, theater, novels and stand-up material. This has produced — amongst
other things — a TV drama series called Gentlemen and Players, a children’s series with a talking chair called
Helping Henry, television drama with Maureen Lipman, and a British Comedy Award for work with Dave Allen.
He’s currently a consulting producer and writer on the upcoming BBC1 and FX drama series Taboo, with son
Tom. Other productions are in development through their company Hardy, Son and Baker.
His novel Each Day A Small Victory was published in 2007 in the form of frontline dispatches from amongst the
wildlife in an English country lay-by. Blue on Blue, a dark comedy examining the vagaries of self-harm and codependency, first showcased — directed by Tom Hardy — at the Latchmere 503, and has recently been
restaged at the Tristan Bates Theatre. A one woman dysfunctional Cabaret, There’s Something In The Fridge
That Wants To Kill Me!, ran notably at the Edinburgh Festival.
He’s survived machetes in Guadalupe, bombs in Gaza, local hospitality up the Orinoco and many of life’s more
dysfunctional behavior patterns.
Steven Knight
Creator/Executive Producer/Writer
Steven Knight is a writer and director.
In 1988, Knight and Mike Whitehill started a freelance writing partnership providing material for
television, and later co-created the Celador-produced Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, which won
awards around the globe including a BAFTA, National Television Awards, Indie Awards, Broadcast
Awards, New York Festival, Silver Rose of Montreux and the Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
Knight has had four novels published: The Movie House, Alphabet City, Out of the Blue and, in 2011,
his first children’s novel, The Last Words of Will Wolfkin.
Knight’s first screenplay, Dirty Pretty Things, directed by Stephen Frears, premiered at the 2002
Venice Film Festival to outstanding reviews and was selected to open the prestigious London Film
Festival. The film was released in the U.K. and the US to universal critical acclaim. It won a host of
prestigious awards including four BIFAs, Best Film & Best Actor at the Evening Standard British Film
Awards, the 2004 Humanitas Award, the Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay, Best
British Screenwriter at the London Film Critics’ Circle Awards and an Oscar® nomination for Best
Original Screenplay at the 76th Annual Academy Awards.
His first stage play The President of an Empty Room, which was directed by Howard Davies, opened
at the National Theatre in London in 2005.
Two more screenplays were released in 2007. Amazing Grace, directed by Michael Apted, about the
life of the British anti-slavery politician William Wilberforce, and Eastern Promises, directed by David
Cronenberg and starring Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts, which centred on London’s Russian
crime community.
Knight has directed two films (both of which he also wrote): his directorial debut, Hummingbird,
starring Jason Statham and Agata Buzek about a damaged ex-special forces soldier living on the
streets of London and Locke, starring Tom Hardy, about an ordinary working man whose life changes
in the course of one evening and which won him a 2013 BIFA for Best Screenplay.
Other screenplays include: The Hundred Foot Journey (directed by Lasse Hallström), which was
released in 2014; Pawn Sacrifice (directed by Ed Zwick), which premiered at the Toronto Film
Festival in 2014; Seventh Son (directed by Sergei Bodrov) and Burnt (directed by John Wells), both in
2015; and Allied (directed by Robert Zemeckis), a WWII thriller starring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard
that premiered in 2016. The November Criminals (directed by Sacha Gervasi) is currently in postproduction.
Knight is also the creator and Executive Producer/writer on Peaky Blinders Series 1, 2 & 3, starring
Cillian Murphy and Helen McCrory.