BritBox to Milk the Cadbury Story in New Drama ‘Chocolate Wars’
We're Flake girls around here, so BritBox's forthcoming period drama about the Cadbury family sounds delicious.
BritBox’s next original series will be a sweet treat for viewers: A period drama that chronicles the true story of the Cadbury family. Tentatively titled Chocolate Wars, the six-part drama is a co-commission with UKTV and Sony Pictures Television and is inspired by British historian Deborah Cadbury’s book, Chocolate Wars: The 150-Year Rivalry Between the World’s Greatest Chocolate Makers.
The author is herself a distant relative of brothers George & Richard Cadbury, who took over the family’s cocoa business in 1861. The book focuses not only on their family history but also on the broader economics of late nineteenth-century Britain, when Quaker-owned companies such as Wedgwood, Clarks, Bryant and May’s, and Huntley and Palmer’s prioritized employee welfare, took product quality seriously, and used their wealth to fund social projects.
The series is described as a warm-hearted family drama that will follow the Cadbury clan, underdogs of the cocoa world, on their journey to creating the world-famous chocolate bar we all still recognize and love today.
Whether the show plans to deal with the drastic differences in quality that ultimately develop between U.K. and U.S. Cadbury products — Americans deserve real Dairy Milk, people! — remains to be seen.
Here’s the series’ synopsis.
In 1860s Birmingham, when chocolate as we know it doesn’t yet exist, two very different brothers, Richard and George Cadbury, find themselves in charge of their family’s failing cocoa business. Between them, they have the radical genius and burning ambition to turn Cadbury's into one of the world’s most beloved confectioners. But first, they must learn to trust and rely on each other. And to stop bickering for long enough to actually invent some chocolate! Their sister Maria is navigating her own role within the family and the business, but things become even more complicated when she falls in love with Cadbury’s biggest rival, and is forced to question where her true loyalties really lie. Infused with historical delights and magical invention, Chocolate Wars is about how we build, break and rebuild the bonds of family - and how the sweetest things in life are rarely simple.
“Full of warmth and charm, this true story brings the Cadbury family story to life with depth and imagination,” Jess O’Riordan, Commissioning Executive and Executive Producer, BritBox, said in a statement. “We’re excited to partner with UKTV, Sony Pictures Television, and Fable Pictures on a period drama we know BritBox audiences will truly savor.”
Chloë Mi Lin Ewar (All Creatures Great & Small) leads the series’ writing team, which also includes Eve Hedderwick Turner and Karim Khan. Tom McKay (After the Flood) and Jill Robertson (Ludwig) will split directing duties.
The period drama is produced by Fable Pictures, in association with Alfresco Pictures. Executive producers include Faye Ward, Freddie Highmore, Hannah Price, and Claire Londy, with Jess O’Riordan and Jon Farrar executive producing for BritBox, and Helen Perry for UKTV. Hannah Farrell from Fable Pictures is the series producer.
Pre-production on Chocolate Wars is underway with principal photography set to begin in Birmingham in the second half of 2026. The series is expected to premiere on BritBox and UKTV in 2027.
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