Darlow Smithson Goes Back To The Future For BBC Four

Darlow Smithson Productions (DSP), an IMG Media company, has been commissioned to produce a factually-based drama Syntax Era for BBC Four, exploring the might of technological Britain in the 1980s and the rise and fall of its home computer industry.
In 1981, when the home computer cost just £69.95 from WH Smith, Britain was about to emerge as a political and economic strength. Having recently become Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher modernised privately owned firms, the country was experiencing a housing boom and there was great hope for the country's technological and business future. Two men in particular were about to revolutionise the way we work; Clive Sinclair and Chris Curry, the rival businessmen spearheading Britain's emerging computer industry.
Syntax Era tells the story of Britain's technological developments in the early '80s, offering a glimpse into a powerful Great Britain and its subsequent crash. The Thatcher era changed Britain's landscape and with their innovative computer designs, so did Clive Sinclair and Chris Curry. The film looks at the hopes that these two visionaries had for the future and how their predictions have differed from the realities of 2009.
Elinor Day, Executive Producer, Darlow Smithson, said: "For a short period of time in the eighties, Britain truly was leading the technological revolution through a group of maverick designers. Syntax Era affectionately explores this period of great invention - before the dream ultimately collapsed. Utilising DSP's experience across both the drama and factual genres, we have been able to produce an exciting and entertaining commentary on society at that time."
Syntax Era is a Darlow Smithson Productions for BBC Four. It is directed by Saul Metzstein, produced by Andrea Cornwell and written by Tony Saint. Martin Freeman is cast as Chris Curry and Alexander Armstrong is playing Clive Sinclair. It is executive produced by Elinor Day for Darlow Smithson Productions and Jamie Laurenson for the BBC. It is commissioned by Ben Stephenson, Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning.
(KMcA/JM)