Doctor Foster writer Mike Bartlett has penned a new drama for ITV about the corrosive effects of bullying.
The Man will be set in a business park in Reading and focus on the competitive world of middle management.
The three-part psychological drama will follow Thomas Benson, played by Ken Nwosu, a hard-working father and husband who is reliant on bonuses and winning pitches but when he freezes during a pitch, the fall out is monumental.
Determined to win back the client, he goes to increasingly desperate lengths to remain successful.
But as he does, he begins to feel undermined, under attack and out of control and the series asks if he is just feeling paranoid or whether his own team, and maybe the wider world, are out to get him.
.@ITV and @TallStoryPicsuk have commissioned a new three-part Mike Bartlett drama, The Man. Read all about the new psychological drama here…https://t.co/qFwewTdYHj pic.twitter.com/1C63AuKFzw
— ITV Media (@itvmedia) August 24, 2018
The drama will see Bartlett reunite with production company Tall Story Pictures, after their collaboration on Trauma, starring Adrian Lester and John Simm.
Bartlett said: “Having written about bullying in the workplace previously for the stage, it feels fantastic to tell a new story that explores the potential cruelty of commercial competition, and the effect that has on our psychology, and humanity.”
Executive producer Catherine Oldfield added: “After the success of Trauma, I’m delighted to be reunited with Mike to work on The Man for ITV.
“Mike’s created a fantastically taut, contemporary thriller about bullying.
“Given the current climate, it feels exactly the right time to explore something that affects so many people, all with Mike’s brilliant ability to mix dark humour with intense paranoia to dramatic effect.
“I can’t wait to see the hugely talented Ken bring Thomas to life.”
The series will begin filming in September 2018.