Binocular is founded by academy award-nominated screenwriter, Matt Charman. We are passionate about nurturing new voices and creating a writer- and talent-focused development and production process. 

For Binocular, it matters just as much how we make things as what we make. We pride ourselves on creating communities of talent and production experiences that nourish us all.

Prisoner

Sky / 6 x 60 mins

  • Izuka Hoyle, Tahar Rahim, Eddie Marsan, Catherine McCormack, Leonie Benesch, Finn Bennett, Sam Troughton, Laurie Davidson

  • Created and written by
    Matt Charman

    Episodic writer
    Haleema Mirza (eps 3 & 5)

    Directors
    Otto Bathurst, Pia Strietmann

    Cinematographer
    Aske Foss, Florian Emmerich

    Production Design
    Arwel Jones

    Editors
    Melanie Viner-Cuneo, Mags Arnold, Dan Roberts, Jesse Parker

    Executive Producers
    Foz Allan, Otto Bathurst, Matt Charman, Adrian Sturges

  • A prison van is brutally ambushed. Its driver, Amber Todd must now put her life in the hands of the man she was transporting: Tibor Stone, a hyper-intelligent and manipulative contract killer. Amber must get Tibor to get to the Old Bailey, where he’s due to testify against an organised crime group. Unless that group gets to them first…

    Tahar Rahim talks to Deadline about collaborating with Matt Charman.

Sky announces Prisoner Season Two


Following Prisoner’s successful launch on 30 April, Sky has ordered another season, with Izuka Hoyle returning, and creator and showrunner Matt Charman joined by writer Sophie Petzal. Binocular will produce together with Sky Studios. Series two sees Amber Todd back in uniform — but not back to normal. Carrying the scars of past events and struggling to hold her family together, Amber is tasked with escorting a polarizing U.S. academic (turned notorious killer) for extradition, a woman whose case has divided opinion. When there is an attempted execution from within law enforcement, Amber is framed for murder — challenging everything she stands for.

See the news in The Hollywood Reporter.

Dirty

Prime Video / 8 × 60 mins / coming spring 2028

  • Phoebe Dynevor, Samantha Morton

  • Created and written by
    Matt Charman

  • Trainee detective Eva Bennett returns to Manchester and joins a homicide investigation run by her fearsome and estranged mother Lois Mercer, who happens to be a legendary and high-ranking officer. As they navigate their complicated relationship and long-buried truths resurface, Eva starts to uncover Lois’ crimes, forcing her to make a choice between justice and blood.

“Phoebe Dynevor To Star In Crime Series ‘Dirty’ From Exec Producer Matt Charman,” Deadline

“Samantha Morton To Star With Phoebe Dynevor In Matt Charman’s Amazon Drama Series ‘Dirty’,”
Deadline

Hostage

Netflix / 5 x 60 mins

  • Suranne Jones, Julie Delpy, Corey Mylchreest, Lucian Msamati, James Cosmo, Martin McCann, Jehnny Beth, Ashley Thomas

  • Written & created by
    Matt Charman

    Directors
    Isabelle Sieb, Amy Neil

    Cinematographers
    Matt Gray, Catherine Derry

    Production design
    Arwel Jones

    Editors
    Ben Drury, Jesse Parker

    Executive Producers
    Matt Charman, Foz Allan, Steve Searle, Suranne Jones

  • When the PM’s husband is kidnapped and the visiting French President is blackmailed, the two political leaders face unimaginable choices. Forced into a fierce rivalry can they work together to uncover the plot that threatens them both?

    “Kidnap, blackmail and Suranne Jones as PM: inside Hostage, Netflix’s breakneck new political thriller” Guardian

    “Five hours of fast, furious fun,” Guardian

Treason

Netflix / 5 x 60 mins

  • Charlie Cox, Olga Kurylenko, Oona Chaplin, Ciáran Hinds, Tracy Ifeachor

  • Created by
    Matt Charman

    Written by
    Matt Charman, Amanda Duke

    Directors
    Louise Hooper, Sarah O’Gorman

    Cinematographers
    Balazs Bolygo, Jean-Philippe Gossart

    Production design
    Catrin Meredydd

    Editor
    Ben Drury

  • When the head of MI6 gets poisoned, the department’s on-the-rise golden boy Adam Lawrence is put in charge. An investigation into the assassination attempt leads to suspicion – as does Adam’s relationship with an ex, who just happens to be a Russian spy. Suddenly, thorny questions arise: To what lengths did Adam actually go to get the top job at MI6? And is there anyone he can truly trust?

Team

Matt Charman

  • Matt used to sneak into the second act of shows in the West End and then read the first acts the next day in Samuel French’s bookshop. It taught him about structure but also what an audience didn’t need to know.

    After graduating from University College London, Matt did a string of terrible jobs while writing his first play, A NIGHT AT THE DOGS, which won the 2004 Verity Bargate Award and premiered at Soho Theatre. He went on to write five more plays – three world premieres staged at the National Theatre (THE FIVE WIVES OF MAURICE PINDER, THE OBSERVER and GREENLAND), where he was writer-in-residence, REGRETS at Manhattan Theatre Club, and THE MACHINE at the Park Avenue Armory.

    Matt was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for BRIDGE OF SPIES– a film he pitched to and wrote for Steven Spielberg.

    He founded Binocular shortly after, and now writes, showruns, and produces. Recent work includes TREASON (Netflix, 2022),  HOSTAGE (Netflix, 2025), and PRISONER (Sky, 2026). He loves talking to people. And a completely clear day of writing.

Matthew Lawson

  • Matthew joined the film and television industry via the Production Guild of Great Britan trainee scheme in 2009. His first production upon graduation was The King’s Speech. Matthew continued as a freelance assistant and production accountant on a broad spectrum of shows including John Carter of Mars, Downton Abbey, Thor II, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Danish Girl, Baghdad Central & both of the Dr Strange Films.

    Moving in house as Financial Controller for Drama Republic, Matthew worked on The English, One Day, Confessions of Frannie Langton, The Lovers, Steal & Riot Women. At Binocular, Matthew leads the finance team in delivering fantastic shows on budget. When asked to write a grace note for this bio, Matthew doubled down on his career choice of maths, not writing; he does, however, play amazing grace notes as a jazz pianist.

Jo Laurie

  • Jo’s recent producing credits include the acclaimed feature One Life, directed by James Hawes, written by Lucinda Coxon and Nick Drake, and starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Flynn, Jonathan Pryce and Helena Bonham Carter. Jo also produced The Son, written by Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton, directed by Zeller, and starring Hugh Jackman and Laura Dern. Before that, Jo worked at Number 9 Films on titles including Carol (dir. Todd Haynes), Youth (dir. Paolo Sorrentino), Their Finest (dir. Lone Scherfig), On Chesil Beach (dir. Dominic Cooke), and Colette (dir. Wash Westmoreland). Her other producing credits include Hyena, written and directed by Gerard Johnson, and The Limehouse Golem, written by Jane Goldman and directed by Juan Carlos Medina. In 2023, Jo founded her production company, Midnight Feast, following several years producing at See-Saw Films. Alongside her work at Midnight Feast, Jo is collaborating with Binocular on the development and production of their film slate. Jo’s mum swears by Vaseline for almost any ailment. Jo has the same faith in a really great film.  

Foz Allan

  • Foz is a BAFTA and RTS award winning scripted producer, with a focus on creating returning series. He began working as an Executive Producer with Binocular in 2021 on the Netflix thriller TREASON, with Ciarán Hinds, Olga Kurylenko and Charlie Cox, and has gone on to work on HOSTAGE, also for Netflix, and PRISONER, for Sky. 

    Previous television work includes RIVERIA with Julia Stiles for Sky, Charlie Higson’s JEKYLL & HYDE for ITV and co-creating ROBIN HOOD for the BBC starring Richard Armitage and Keith Allan. He has extensive experience in Young Adult Drama being the originating producer for some iconic brands, including WOLFBLOOD, THE DUMPING GROUND, HETTY FEATHER, THE ATHENA and HARRIET’S ARMY, all of which have generated multiple BAFTA nominations and awards. As a stage director, he worked at Avon Touring Theatre company, The Half-Moon Theatre and Greenwich Theatre before spending three years at the Bristol Old Vic, directing a mixture of new and established works. He moved into the BBC via Radio Drama in Wales. For television in Wales he created BELONGING with Eve Myles (which eventually ran for 10 series) before he went on to be Series Producer on the BBC’s flagship medical show CASUALTY for three seasons. MOT: If you know, you know.

Amy Mobley

  • Amy graduated from Bournemouth Film School with a first-class degree in Film Production and has since built a successful 20-year career in film and high-end television production.

    Rising through the ranks from Production Runner to Director of Production, she has contributed to a wide range of acclaimed projects, including PEAKY BLINDERS, RIPPER STREET,  FORTITUDE, THE GOOD KARMA HOSPITAL, BAGHDAD CENTRAL, DUBLIN MURDERS, MY MAD FAT DIARY, and THE RED RIDING TRILOGY, among others. Before joining Binocular, Amy spent two years setting up and overseeing the two-series commission of A THOUSAND BLOWS for Disney+.

    At Binocular, Amy plays a key role in shaping the strategic vision and managing the full production lifecycle – from development through to final delivery. She thrives on creative challenges and is passionate about bringing stories to life on screen.

Victoria Knowles

  • Vicki began her career as a drama school graduate, stepping into the industry with a love of performance and storytelling. Her early training rooted her in the creative world. She has written and filmed a comedy pilot, performed as the lead vocalist in a band, been a voice actor, and developed a pilot for a medical drama. Alongside her creative pursuits, Vicki discovered a parallel strength in organisation and people support. She has built a professional foundation as an Executive Assistant, supporting high‑net‑worth and well‑known people, among them Andy Serkis and Lorraine Ashbourne before coming to Binocular and keeping the place ticking. Vicki stays calm under pressure, anticipates needs, and brings clarity and structure to fast‑moving environments.

Rebecca Simmance

  • As a kid Rebecca would sit in her bedroom after school writing pitch decks and letters to various networks sharing her ideas for TV shows. Her early talents were recognised by a leading commissioner for the Nine Network Australia who asked her to come in and pitch one of her stories, which she did without hesitation – she was twelve years old.

    Rebecca is a film and TV technician and creative from Sydney. A resident of the film world for over fifteen years, she has worked closely with Jerry Bruckheimer, Ridley Scott, Ron Howard, Joseph Kosinski, Angelina Jolie, Russell Crowe, Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, Joel Edgerton, Chris Hemsworth, Johnny Depp, and Javier Bardem, among others.

    As a 1st Assistant Director on sets around the world, Rebecca’s been the weatherwoman, timekeeper, best friend, ally, comedian, counsellor, peacekeeper and all-round everywoman. She has written, directed, and produced several short films and music videos and published her first children’s book in 2019. In 2022 Rebecca worked as Director’s Assistant to Michael Gracey on BETTER MAN. She was Key 2nd Assistant Director for the ‘Rock DJ’ shoot, coordinating the closing down of Regent Street for five nights as the cast and 700 dancers rocked the night away.

    Rebecca keeps everything Binocular running like clockwork whilst focusing on segueing from crew to creative and into story development.

Josh Fasulo

  • Growing up, all Josh was ever going to be was a professional baseball player. When he realised the Boston Red Sox weren’t going to come calling, he turned his focus to writing. First, creative writing at the University of Southern Maine, where he dabbled in novels and attended an intensive writers’ workshop led by Dennis Lehane. Then screenwriting and a move to LA.

    After being a script reader for Working Title Films and Impact Pictures, Josh got an agent and optioned his first script. He spent the next few years working on projects with various producers and production companies, writing and directing short films and doing some content writing. He had his first feature film produced in 2012 – DEEP IN THE HEART, starring Val Kilmer and Jon Gries – and he became a member of the WGA.

    In 2014, Josh received an MBA from the University of California Davis and took a turn into analysis and technical writing – including a stint in health care – before finding his way back to his passion in TV and film. In 2020 he moved to London just in time for lockdown, and he came aboard Binocular as a Development Executive in 2021.

    Josh loves nothing more than spending hours in a room with writers creating story and then helping usher those projects to life. 

Elena Hamilton

  • Story and creativity have always been central to Elena's life – but at university, she was told that people like her didn't play the types of characters she aspired to. Rather than accept these limitations, Elena found her mission: if the industry couldn’t imagine stories with characters who looked like her, then she’d create them herself.

    This determination propelled Elena through a master’s in TV production and onto both The Network Talent Scheme and the PACT Indie Diversity Training Scheme. Starting as a production runner, within two years she’d become a script editor, working across a number of productions including I Hate Suzie, The Rising and Treason, before shifting in-house to development.

    Today, Elena thrives on working with writers from the earliest spark of an idea through to wrap and beyond. A confessed obsessive TV watcher, Elena is still thrilled by the fact that creativity and imagination are a daily part of her job.

    She loves the puzzle of storytelling – how structure, character, and tone come together to form something emotionally true and utterly watchable. A producer once dismissed Elena’s television ambitions with a withering assessment: she couldn’t even make a decent cup of tea. But Elena is stubborn, detail-obsessed, and deeply driven. Proving the nay-sayers wrong has only ever been part of the point as she continues to champion diversity in front of and behind the camera. (True story: her tea remains undrinkable.)

James Westcott

  • James studied English at Oxford University, wrote for Tank magazine in London, and then received a full scholarship for a Master’s in journalism at New York University.

    He began working as an assistant to the performance artist Marina Abramovic (“Good writer, worst assistant” – Abramovic on Westcott, to the New York Times). Clinging onto New York by his fingernails, he wrote for the Village Voice, the Guardian, and Art Review. He interned for the Associated Press (which included “guarding” the AP’s computer equipment, alone on the night shift, at Madison Square Garden before the 2004 Republican National Convention, wandering the empty arena and mounting the podium where Bush II would speak the next day). After a couple of years, he began writing an independent biography of Abramovic. When Marina Abramovic Dies was published by MIT Press in 2010. Living in Rotterdam, he was editor of the 2,528-page Rem Koolhaas book Elements of Architecture.

    James returned to London and joined Binocular in 2015 as Development Executive. He has worked with Matt Charman and many other writers to develop dozens of film and TV projects from first idea to final script.

    What he loves most is diving in deep, talking to writers to find the essence of their story, and making sure its authenticity shines through at every stage of the making process.

Simon Vyvyan

  • Having studied English Literature at university and then Law, Simon was keen to find a work environment where he could use both his left and right hemispheres to full effect.

    He joined a leading media and entertainment law firm and, after qualifying, moved in-house at Granada where he worked closely with the producers of CRACKER, PRIME SUSPECT, COLD FEET, THE ROYLE FAMILY and other iconic shows of the 1990s. After completing an MBA, Simon was invited to join the Shine launch team in 2001 and, having experienced the thrill of a successful start-up business, he launched his own company in 2004 just as the new terms of trade were starting to transform the indie market.

    Since then, Simon has provided business affairs and commercial director services to more than 200 production companies over the last 20+ years. This has given him a helicopter view of the constantly evolving development, financing, production, and distribution processes within television.

    Working with talented and ambitious people in the early years of an independent production company (and then seeing it take off) is always a great privilege and so he was delighted to accept the invitation to join Binocular full-time. He remains nerdily enthusiastic about securing the best possible deal at every phase of a programme’s journey to screen and he actually enjoys negotiating with agents.