Jodie Whittaker Enters Her Justice Era with ‘In Contempt’
Jodie Whittaker’s next lead role will be as a barrister
Since exiting the TARDIS at the end of Doctor Who’s run on BBC America under showrunner Chris Chibnall, Jodie Whittaker has stayed booked and busy. However, it might n ot seem that way to Americans, as most of what she’s starred in has failed to find distribution on this side of the pond. The only exceptions are series made by an American-based company (Toxic Town on Netflix) or an anthology series that already had distribution from earlier seasons (Time on BritBox).
That’s left several of Whittaker’s critically acclaimed performances on the shelf, including the Paramount-made series One Night, the BBC series Dear England, and ITV’s Frauds. We can only hope the same fate will not befall the latest series she’s signed on to star in, In Contempt, a new ITV series described as a “high-stakes” legal drama. Whittaker will anchor the show as barrister Olivia Savareid, known for winning multi-million-pound lawsuits for her high-powered clients when they are accused of using social media to further dubious scandal claims.
The series, currently a stand-alone limited affair, begins when Savareid finds herself in need of her own services. After spending years working for a less-than-scrupulous editor of a daily rag to keep him out of court, one false step puts her in the crosshairs of the same journalist she once defended.
Here’s the series synopsis:
In Contempt establishes Olivia’s challenging working relationship with veteran news director Greg Dalman, who edits a London daily newspaper prone to pushing the boundaries of what can be published. With a reputation for taking no prisoners, Greg has the capability of acting recklessly if he believes it’s in the public interest, and as his legal counsel, Olivia must summon all her skills and expertise to keep him out of libel court.
She is also the mother of a 15-year-old daughter, but when an explosive situation erupts at work, she makes a crucial misjudgment, and Olivia’s own reputation is suddenly on the line.
Whittaker is the only name attached to the project thus far; further casting is expected to be announced closer to filming. However, since the team behind the project is all Sherlock alumni who also worked on Doctor Who, it seems quite likely we’ll see her joined by some of the usual suspects.
The series hails from Sherlock writer Steve Thompson, with Doctor Who director Ed Bazalgette helming all episodes and Lawrence Till (Douglas is Canceled) producing. With that line-up, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Steven Moffat and his wife, Sue Vertue, executive-produce the series, with ITV’s Director of Drama, Polly Hill, overseeing production for the broadcaster.
“In the modern world, if you want to kill someone, you don’t use a gun – you destroy their reputation,” stated Vertue in the press release. “A whirlwind drama of cancellation, online poison and media law, where there’s less than 12 hours to stop a headline that could detonate someone’s life. This is the story of now, and this is the series for today.”
In Contempt is expected to commence filming before the end of 2026 for a 2027 release on ITV. No American distributor has signed on, and I think I speak for everyone when I say this needs to be fixed before the series debuts.
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