You know we love a fiction collab. After working with the BBC, HBO and Amazon Prime, My Language Lab returns on set to help Sky Original with its new eight-part drama, A Town Called Malice. If you enjoy gripping crime thrillers, intriguing family sagas, and an early 1908s setting, you’ll want to check this one out. 

What is A Town Called Malice?

A Town Called Malice is a co-production between Vertigo Films, Sky Studios and Rogue State. Creator Nick Love (Bulletproof, The Sweeney) is the lead writer. Announced in summer 2021, the series is coming to Sky Max and hit our screens in 2023. Filming is to run in London and Spain.

Love’s compelling script follows “the Lords, a crime family of petty thieves from South London who have fallen to the bottom of the criminal food chain. And they’re not happy about it”, says Skype. Between gangland battles, romance, and the ‘80s Costa del Sol underworld, there’s enough to keep viewers glued to their sofas. Or Spanish beach loungers.

As Gabriel Silver, Director of Commissioning, Drama, Sky Studios, told Sky: “If Dallas and Pulp Fiction created a love child to the strains of Duran Duran, it would be A Town Called Malice — an intoxicating cocktail of ‘80s romance, avarice and violence, served up with pineapple chunks and an umbrella… Brought to life so brilliantly by Nick Love’s scripts, audiences will be taken back to the vivid world of the Costa Del Sol in its pomp, with a glorious take on the soundtrack of the era. The series is a fantastic addition to our growing line-up of home-grown, British drama.” We say count us in!

My Language Lab and A Town Called Malice

So what will we be doing on set? Expert linguists in media and the film industry are often hired before and during filming, and language support is particularly important in productions like A Town Called Malice where a sizeable part of the action takes place abroad. 

Normally, our tutors are called on set to prepare actors and help them improve pronunciation skills as well as feeling confident when acting in foreign languages. Meanwhile, our language experts take care of script translations and audio recordings. 

TV and media are just one of the many directions a language career can take you. Discover what the best language professions are and learn how an extra language can open a world of possibilities. Already work in media? Get in touch to find out how we can help you achieve your language and pronunciation goals.

My Language Lab film collaborations

We love helping out a production team and some of our linguists have years of experience providing language support in media. Since our launch in 2015, we’ve had the pleasure to work with leaders in the industry. Some of our latest collaborations include:

• Amazon Prime Video. In 2021, we worked on the third season of the popular action drama series Hanna. The thriller and coming-of-age series is particularly exciting for us language lovers as it’s filmed in several international locations, including Poland, Germany, Spain, and France.
• ITV and the BBC. With Britbox’s Murder in Provence, we’re accompanying the viewers to the south of France for three 90-minute long episodes full of mystery, romance, and exquisite French food. The show will debut in March.
• BBC, HBO, and Bad Wolf productions. Are you a fan of binge-worthy office drama Industry? We are too! And we were delighted to help with French, Spanish, German, Italian and Russian script translations, audio recordings and on-set consultations. Industry season 2 is expected to be screened later in 2022.

What else does My Language Lab offer?

Our mission is to help learners reach their language goals following a journey that’s tailored to their needs and inclinations.

Not all people learn in the same way so we don’t offer a one-fits-all solution. Instead, we work with students to co-create a holistic journey and make sure they have fun every step of the way and boost their confidence as well as their language skills. From film auditions to English A levels, we want you to succeed — whatever success looks like to you.

Some of our tutors specialise in school and uni exams, others thrive when supporting business language learners. Depending on your learning style, they may suggest different exercises and materials, from movies and newspapers to podcasts and apps. Plus, all our students get access to the Learning Dashboard, our all-in-one platform for lesson calendar, in-built Zoom, DMs, homework submission, grades and lesson notes. So that you don’t waste time looking for material and information.

And just like on a movie set, monologues can be magical but you’ll need a whole crew to get to the theatre screen, so we offer both 1:1 tuition sessions and group language classes. 

Ready to start learning? Book a free assessment.

FAQs

Where is A Town Called Malice set?

A Town Called Malice is set in London and Spain, with most of the plot taking place in South London and Costa del Sol, a world-renowned tourist destination in the South of Spain’s region of Andalusia. 

The story takes us to the early ‘80s and follows the Lords, a crime family from London. Expect mystery, romance, backstabbings, and an unforgettable soundtrack.

Can linguists work in the movies?

Indeed they can! We’ve been helping production teams for years and our linguists have been collaborating with industry leaders the likes of HBO and the BBC. 

If you’re an experienced tutor, you can help actors with their language and pronunciation skills, while translators can work on scripts. From Italian to Russian, international productions require a variety of languages.