Before he was a writer – whose range is demonstrated by and , two wildly different Netflix shows he created, as well as ITV’s – Kay worked in factual television, co-devising formats like . It’s to this background that he credits his rigorous approach to making drama. “Non-scripted TV really relies on story construction and getting the architecture right of what you’re selling,” he says. “You’re pitching a lot, which really helps with the clarity of your ideas.”
And so to the Sky Atlantic drama , the premise of which couldn’t be clearer: rival London law firms – one old-school, one start-up – square up to each other in the divorce case of the century involving a tech billionaire (Dominic West) and his Hollywood actor wife (Sienna Miller). Celia Imrie, Nina Sosanya, James McArdle and Pip Torrens also star.
What’s also clear is that is one of the best dramas of the year. In fact, Kay imagines it as a returning anthology series, and the second season has already been filmed. Gm
War starts on 2 October on Sky Atlantic