Stephen Merchant's BBC series The Outlaws has been nominated for the 61st Rose d’Or Awards against Netflix’s Heartstopper, an LGBT+ romantic comedy series. The comedy-drama follows a group of misfits renovating a derelict community centre in Bristol as part of community service while trying to stay safe from a Bristol crime gang.
The city's gritty side made it an apt backdrop for the show as Stephen Merchant stars in the cast alongside actors including Christoper Walken and Eleanor Tomlinson. In an interview on the Graham Norton Show in October 2021, he spoke of noticing Bristol's "crime underbelly" when he was growing up, and how his mum's work with people on community service inspired the show. The BBC describes it as a "series that celebrates the city’s distinctive culture and people".
Earlier this year there were talks for a third series of the hit Bristol after the Hanham actor, writer and director told National Public Radio in the US that he was already working on it. Although the BBC have yet to confirm they are commissioning a third series and it may be a while for news of a potential release date.
READ MORE: BBC The Outlaws: Stephen Merchant in talks about third series of Bristol show
Other programs being celebrated at the international awards includes The Final Day With David Attenborough which explores how prehistoric reptiles came to be extinct, along with Netflix’s Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story and The Tinder Swindler. Both the BBC soap operas EastEnders and Casualty have also been nominated.
The Rose d’Or Awards virtual ceremony will be hosted by British comedian Alex Horne, known for the celebrity game show Taskmaster and will be streamed on November 28 on rosedor.com.
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