Netflix’s Roald Dahl adaptation is building its strange world on the street and at sea. Overnight filming in the North of England has brought new cast members Kevin Bishop and Kadeem Ramsay into view, while scenes with Nicola Coughlan hint at a dramatic turn for her character.
Overnight scenes hint at a labor sequence
In the latest set photos, Coughlan wears a prosthetic pregnancy bump, a gingham nightshirt, a fleece cardigan, pink socks and slippers. She’s carrying the floral duffel bag seen in earlier production images, which resembles a hospital bag. Across several shots, she clutches her stomach and doubles over as people gather around her. The scene appears to show her character going into labor in the street.
That reading fits the reported role: Coughlan plays Mary Maloney, the pregnant housewife at the center of Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter.” Naomi Scott, in the green and orange quilted jacket seen in earlier photos, runs along the pavement before trying to comfort her. Josh Finan was also on set, alongside performers whose roles haven’t been identified.
The overnight shoot also revealed two additions to the cast: Bishop, known for Star Stories and FBI: International, and Ramsay, whose credits include Top Boy and Blue Story. Netflix hasn’t disclosed their characters.
Other details point toward the series’ offbeat tone. One scene features a mustachioed man in a 1970s-style shearling jacket carrying a tank that appears to hold a reptile, beside a woman in a sequined dress and fishnets. Netflix’s logline mentions snake charmers, making a snake a plausible occupant. A nearby fictional storefront is named Rumpelstiltskin’s Toy Shop.
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Picture Credit: MC Pix
Production prepares for a shoot at sea
The next reported location is a cruise ship in Bristol. Cast and crew are expected to board on Monday, November 9, then travel to France and Santander in northern Spain before sailing through the Mediterranean.
Netflix hasn’t named the stories in the series, but the voyage invites speculation about “Dip in the Pool,” Dahl’s short story set aboard an ocean liner. Its central passenger wagers on the ship’s daily distance, with disastrous consequences. The connection remains unconfirmed.
Production listings place filming from mid-August to mid-December 2026, with Manchester and Whitby among the locations. The project, announced under the working title Zoltar, is an adaptation of Dahl’s adult short fiction. Its official logline describes a young couple stranded in a faded seaside town, confronting “con men, adulterers, murderous mothers, and snake charmers” as they try to escape.
Ensemble and creative team
The six episodes, each an hour long, are directed by Runyararo Mapfumo and Ben Gregor. Danny Brocklehurst, whose credits include Fool Me Once and Brassic, wrote the series and serves as an executive producer. Orchid Pictures is producing; Suzanne Mackie and Gabriel Silver are executive producers, Sarah Lewis is series producer, and Phill Reeves is line producer.
The announced ensemble includes Coughlan, Scott, Finan, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Toby Jones, Carmen Ejogo, Clarke Peters, Michael Socha and Christine Tremarco. Bishop and Ramsay now join them, with their parts still undisclosed.
Netflix hasn’t announced the series title or release date. With filming scheduled to finish in December 2026, a 2027 debut appears plausible; the remaining question is how the production will connect Dahl’s sharply different short stories into one six-part tale.
Picture credits: MC Pix.
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