The Sky Original, Temple, is a good example of how environmental themes have been woven into the storyline of a scripted drama series.
The show revolves around character Daniel Milton (Mark Strong) – a surgeon who tries to save his wife’s life by setting up an illegal clinic below Temple tube station. The story follows Daniel as he navigates the criminal world and his family life.
Gabriel Silver, Director of Commissioning for Drama, Sky Studios said “In Season 2 of Temple we’ve included a continuous drum beat of sustainability and climate change themes in a really natural and authentic way that adds to the overall narrative and enjoyment of the audience.”
“Whilst climate change is not the major storyline, it’s seen in two main ways. Firstly, Daniels’s daughter, Eve, becomes an environmental activist. She attends rallies, initiates stunts across London and recruits another character to join her. Through the series, you follow her as she plots schemes to get the public to take notice of climate change.
Secondly, climate change forces Daniel to see dead animals everywhere. The planet is overheating; mosquitoes bother him, wildfires are on the news, birds fall out of the sky. The chaos he experiences in nature follows the chaos that climate change is creating.
We’re proud of what we’ve achieved with Temple 2, adding these elements has enriched the story line and it’s an excellent example of what can be done in this space to raise the awareness of the issues while remaining true to the sense of storytelling for the audience”