In conversation with Dancing Ledge
Join us for an exclusive event with Dancing Ledge’s CEO Laurence Bowen and Managing Director Chris Carey looking at the success of true-story drama production.
Dancing Ledge Productions has rapidly become one of the UK’s most distinctive drama producers, known for creating bold, visceral storytelling that resonates with audiences and critics alike. From The Salisbury Poisonings to Prisoner 951, their slate includes powerful dramas rooted in real events, crafted with emotional depth and a commitment to authenticity.
This event offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from the team behind these acclaimed productions, explore how the company has grown at pace since its founding in 2016, and gain insight into how they develop true story drama that leaves a lasting impact.
Following this, there will be a chance to network with fellow Northern Ireland based producers and writers, ranging from indie filmmakers to TV companies looking to move into network or high-end drama.
This event is part of TRC’s new advanced industry programme International Horizons: Scripted aimed at supporting scripted drama companies in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
This event will be delivered by TRC in partnership with Northern Ireland Screen.
Meet the Panel
Laurence Bowen
CEO | Dancing Ledge Productions
Laurence Bowen is a multi–BAFTA Award winning and Emmy nominated Producer who founded Dancing Ledge in 2016.
His recent credits as Executive Producer include Prisoner 951 for BBC1 starring Narges Rashidi and Joseph Fiennes, the UK episodes of The New Pope starring Jude Law and John Malkovich for HBO/Sky, The Responder for BBC1 starring Martin Freeman, Porters for UKTV/Dave, The Salisbury Poisonings for BBC1, Big Mood for Channel 4 starring Nicola Coughlan and Lydia West, Domino Day for BBC3 and The Eichmann Show for BBC2. He was presented with the Monte Carlo International Producer Of The Year Award, has won RTS, Broadcast and Chicago Film Festival Awards, received Prix Jeunesse, Rose D’or, Emmy and BANFF nominations and won The Japan Prize.
His earlier work includes Suburban Shootout (starring Tom Hiddleston, Ruth Wilson, Anna Chancellor, Amelia Bullmore and Felicity Montagu), Stone Scissors Paper(starring Juliet Stevenson and Ken Stott), Dual Balls(starring Lesley Manville), Gates (starring Tom Ellis, Joanna Page and Sue Johnston), Miranda (starring Christina Ricci, John Simm, John Hurt, Kyle MacLachlan and Julian Rhind-Tutt), My Life As A Popat (starring Kulvinder Ghir and Shaheen Khan) and The English Harem (starring Art Malik and Martine McCutcheon).
Chris Carey
Managing Director | Dancing Ledge Productions
Chris is one of the UK’s leading Drama Producers, responsible for, amongst others, Les Miserables (dir. Tom Shankland, starring Dominic West, David Oyelowo, Lily Collins) for BBC1 and PBS/Masterpiece, Apple Tree Yard (dir. Jessica Hobbs, starring Emily Watson and Ben Chaplin) for BBC1, River (dir. Richard Laxton, starring Stellan Skarsgard, Nicola Walker and Lesley Manville) and Run (dir. Charles Martin, starring Olivia Colman and Lennie James) for C4.
In an earlier life he was the Executive Producer of the Worlds First Arabic Webdrama Shankaboot, helping to create the multi-award winning 50+ episode Beirut based short form series, and developed and produced Dirk Gently (dir. Damon Thomas, starring Stephen Mangan) for the BBC and the cult comedy series ‘This is Jinsy’ with his former company ‘The Welded Tandem Picture Company’ for SKY
In an even earlier life he worked in the fields of Factual and Entertainment as an Executive Producer, Series Producer and Producer/Director for ITV Studios where he made a wide variety of shows. His first network TV Credit, and still one which he’s singularly proud, was directing the holiday insert films in Cilla Black’s Blind Date.
Chair
Dermot Lavery
Producer | DoubleBand Films
Dermot Lavery is an award-winning director, producer and executive producer with DoubleBand Films, the Belfast-based independent production company he cofounded over 30 years ago.
Dermot most recently produced the CINI4/ Screen Ireland funded folk-horror film “Fréwaka” which will go into distribution in 2025 with IFC/Shudder and which premiered at the Locarno and London FilmsFestivals in 2024. He is also responsible for a wide range of highly acclaimed documentaries for broadcasters such as the BBC, RTE, and Channel 4, many of which have enjoyed international distribution including on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+.
DoubleBand currently has a wide slate of dramas and documentaries in development or the early stages of production, the most up-to-date being a major factual series for Channel 4 on the Royal family.
DoubleBand’s credits include the critically acclaimed and award-winning feature documentary “Road”, narrated by Liam Neeson and “Lost Lives”, a landmark film on the Troubles in Northern Ireland featuring an ensemble cast of Irish actors, including Kenneth Branagh, Brendan Gleeson, and Ciaran Hinds.
Dermot has previously served as the Northern Ireland representative on the Council of UK industry trade body PACT and has been a board member of Northern Ireland Screen.