''Renegade Nell'' (formerly ''The Ballad of Renegade Nell'') is a British

historical fantasy Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those classed as Arthur ...

action adventure television series written by Sally Wainwright and starring

Louisa Harland Louisa Clare Harland (born 1993 or 1994) is an Irish actress. She is best known for her role as Orla McCool in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Derry Girls''. Early life Born in Dublin to a Northern Irish father, Harland has two older sisters, Katie and ...

. Produced by Lookout Point for Disney+, the series premiered on 29 March 2024., It tells how, in a fantasy version of 18th-century England, Nell Jackson (Harland) is framed for

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

and becomes a

highwaywoman A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to foot ...

—the most feared person in the country. With the help of a magical sprite called

Billy Blind Billy Blind (also known as Billy Blin, Billy Blynde, Billie Blin, or Belly Blin) is an English and Lowland Scottish household spirit, much like a brownie. He appears only in ballads, where he frequently advises the characters. It is possible tha ...

, Nell realizes that her destiny is bigger than she ever imagined.

Cast

as Nell "Nelly" Jackson, a young fugitive * Adrian Lester as Robert Hennessey, Earl of Poynton * Nick Mohammed as Billy Blind, a fairy that grants Nell her powers * Bo Bragason as Roxy Trotter, Nell's younger sister * Enyi Okoronkwo as Rasselas, a young stable boy * Craig Parkinson as Sam Trotter, Nell's father * Florence Keen as George Trotter, Nell's youngest sister *

Frank Dillane Frank Stephenson Dillane (born 21 April 1991) is an English actor and musician. He is known for his roles as Nick Clark on '' Fear the Walking Dead'' (2015–2018) and 16-year-old Tom Riddle in the film ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ...

as Charles Devereux, aka Isambard Tulley, a wanted highwayman * Alice Kremelberg as Sofia Wilmot, daughter of a magistrate and an ambitious widow * Jake Dunn as Thomas Blancheford, Sofia's brother and the magistrate's heir *

Pip Torrens Philip D'Oyly "Pip" Torrens (born 2 June 1960) is an English actor. Known for playing urbane, authoritative figures, Torrens portrayed courtier Tommy Lascelles in the Netflix drama ''The Crown'', aristocrat Lord Massen in the HBO series ''The ...

as Lord Blancheford, a magistrate and the Trotters' landlord * Jodhi May as Queen Anne * Joely Richardson as Lady Eularia Moggerhanger, a newspaper magnate * Iz Hesketh as Valerian, Lady Eularia's attendant *

Ashna Rabheru Ashna Rabheru (born 1996/1997) is an English actress. On television, she is known for her roles in the Channel 4 drama ''Indian Summers'' (2015–2016) and the BBC Three horror series '' Red Rose'' (2022). Early life and education Rabheru was bo ...

as Polly Honeycombe, a young noblewoman with writing aspirations

Episodes

Production

In April 2021 it was revealed that Disney+ had acquired the series from British screenwriter Sally Wainwright. Ben Taylor,

Amanda Brotchie Amanda Brotchie, born in Melbourne, Victoria), is an Australian director known for '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (2018), '' Mr Black'' (2019), '' Girlboss'' (2017), and '' Lowdown'' (2010-2012). She is also a writer, producer and linguist. Caree ...

and

MJ Delaney MJ Delaney is a British director. She is known for her work on ''Ted Lasso'', for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2022. Career Delaney was born in London and graduated from Oxford University in 2007. She found early success in 2010 by ...

are directing episodes. Faith Penhale, Will Johnston, Louise Mutter and Johanna Deveraux are executive producers. Jon Jennings is series producer and Stella Merz producer. In a ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'' interview following the series' premiere, director Ben Taylor said a second season was being written and would likely involve a time jump; Disney+ had yet to confirm whether there would indeed be a second season at the time of the interview's publication.

Casting

In August 2022

, Nick Mohammed, Joely Richardson, and Adrian Lester were announced as being among the cast for the series.

Filming

Principal photography was reported to have started with a nine-month schedule for the planned eight episodes. Joely Richardson was pictured in costume at Oxford's

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

in October 2022. Other filming locations included

Hampton Court Palace Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...

Bourne Wood Bourne Wood (also known as Bourne Woods) is an area of predominantly coniferous woodland just south of Farnham, Surrey, England and a film location, under 10 minutes from the famous film location of Hankley Common in Elstead. Locally it was k ...

in Farnham,

Rousham House Rousham House (also known as Rousham Park) is a English country house, country house at Rousham in Oxfordshire, England. The house, which has been continuously in the ownership of one family, was built circa 1635 and remodelled by William Kent in t ...

in Oxfordshire, Broughton Castle (the Blancheford's manor house) also in Oxfordshire, and the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.

Broadcast

''Renegade Nell'' streamed on Disney+ from 29 March 2024.

Reception

On Metacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Anita Singh in '' The Daily Telegraph'' said "Harland carries the whole series and is sensational." Lucy Mangan in '' The Guardian'' gave the show four stars and described Harland as "being brilliant". Fiona Sturges in '' The Financial Times'' described it as a "stylish about-turn" for Wainright, but that "it is really Harland's show".

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Renegade Nell 2024 British television series debuts British adventure television series British English-language television shows British fantasy television series Disney+ original programming Historical fantasy television series Television series by BBC Studios Television series created by Sally Wainwright Television series set in the 18th century Television shows filmed in England