Two Weeks in August is a British drama series created by Catherine Shepherd that premiered on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 23 May 2026. The series focuses on Zoe, on holiday with friends and family in the Mediterranean, who finds herself trapped on a Greek island.

Plot

A group of old university friends go on holiday together, 20 years after first meeting each other. Zoe, a comprehensive school teacher, tries to hold the group together, putting her own needs aside. Her husband, Dan, is depressive. Nat is annoyed when the casual boyfriend of her gay best friend, Jacob, turns up at the villa.

There is a kiss between two members of the party, which splits the opinions of the group, and impacts the remainder of the holiday. Zoe also has visions related to Greek mythology throughout the series, which become increasingly odd.

Cast and characters

Production The eight-part original drama was created and written by Shepherd. and was commissioned by Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama. It is a Various Artists Limited (VAL) production. The lead director is Tom George (This Country) who directed episodes 1-4, with Matthew Moore (Colin From Accounts) directing episodes 5-8. Shepherd and Tom George serve as Executive Producers alongside Roberto Troni and Kat Reynolds for Various Artists Limited, and Jo McClellan for the BBC. Rhonda Smith is the producer.

Shepherd described the series saying:

Filming took place in Malta and Gozo with the help of local production company Pellikola, and began in April 2025.

Episodes

Broadcast Two Weeks in August premiered on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 23 May 2026.

Reception

Lucy Mangan of The Guardian gave the series a 5-star review. Mangan writes that the references to Greek myth "make the story feel only more authentic, eternal, universal." Cosmopolitan described the series as "Full of simmering tension". Radio Times gave the series 3 stars, describing the cast as "superb", but stating that "the series does end up biting off more than it can chew" in terms of number of characters and mythological themes. The review likens the series to The White Lotus (a comparison also made by Cosmopolitan) and The Drama.

References

External links

Two Weeks in August filming locations on Gozo at Scene on Gozo