A Town Called Malice: Everything you need to know about the Sky Max gangster thriller

Described as Dallas meets Pulp Fiction soundtracked by Duran Duran, new Sky Max series A Town Called Malice is going to be must-see TV in 2023.

A crime thriller and family saga set in the early 1980s in the Costa del Sol, this series is going to be a thrilling, high-octane adventure with a healthy dash of camp and humour.

A Town Called Malice is coming to Sky Max with NOW this month - here is everything you need to know…

What is the A Town Called Malice release date on Sky Max?

You can now stream every episode of A Town Called Malice on Sky Max with NOW.

How many episodes of A Town Called Malice are there?

A Town Called Malice will have eight episodes.

All episodes are available to stream on Sky Max with NOW from launch.

A Town Called Malice music

A Town Called Malice soundtrack - Every song in the '80s TV series

Music plays a huge part in A Town Called Malice as the characters break into song and dance routines and every episode ends with a classic '80s music video.

Talking about the soundtrack, creator Nick Love said: "There’s nothing better to give you memories. Not everybody knows this place and not everybody went to this place and not everybody can relate to this place. But people can relate to the music.

"Part of it, obviously, is just me getting my rocks off by using the music that I love. But it is more than that. It’s really evocative for people. We’ve tried to do more than just turn it into a jukebox soundtrack."

Love added: "The prerequisite for me was always: it’s not about the lyrics, it’s about the feeling, it’s about the mood. The Clash’s 'I Fought the Law' obviously speaks to that moment in the series in particular. But you’ve also got to remember that while people of my generation know The Clash, anyone who’s under 40 won’t.

"You have to emotionally earn the moment to make it resonate. As the show develops, it gets more and more emotional, and we use more ballads. So it’s not just about putting a song out for the song’s sake. It’s always about earning it."

Director Jamie Donoughue, who has a background in music videos, added: "From the beginning, Nick and I talked about this being a music show.

"Everything is driven by the beat of the music. So the camera moves on the beat, the cuts move on the beat and everything feels like we’re on a journey."

Where is A Town Called Malice filmed? All the locations

A Town Called Malice is set in the Costa Del Sol in the early 80s, but the series was largely filmed in Tenerife, the largest of Spain's Canary Islands.

Creator Nick Love said: "Filming in Tenerife, which is less built up than the modern-day Costa Del Sol, gave us the opportunity to recreate the 1980s setting more authentically.

"But given the historical context, it wasn’t just a stylistic choice. The backdrop of our neon-lit beach clubs, palm trees and sun-kissed coastlines, represents a playground of opportunity for anyone with aspirations of reinvention.” 

Locations used for the series include he Club De Mar in Radazul, Tenerife, which is transformed into  the Club Paradiso.

Uncle Tony's stunning villa is the Villa Circense, Cuesta De la Villa and the scenes in Gitanos Land was shot at El Balito, Adeje, Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Talking about filming in Tenerife, Josh Tedeku, who plays Eddie, said: "Everything is beautiful over there - especially the locations they found for us. So sometimes you were just pinching yourself, particularly at the location where we filmed the Lords’ house.

"As you were sitting there with this grand view of the ocean and all the flowers, you’d be thinking, 'What? We’re really doing this right here? That’s crazy!' It was the experience of a lifetime."

Get the lowdown on the A Town Called Malice vintage costumes

Molly Emma Rowe was the costume designer on the series and she worked with specialists such as Neil Primette from '80s Casual Classics and sportswear collectors to capture the look.

Rowe got the "Holy Trio of Fila, Sergio Tacchini and Ellese", incredible Adidas pieces from Gary Aspden and also worked with The 1980s Tennis Shop to track down specific items.

"I absolutely cleared him out of stock," said Rowe.

"I wanted to create a look that was unique to 'Malice' so looked at other brands from the time.

"As I mentioned we used a lot of Cerruti, Farah and Gabicci, and I scoured vintage dealers all over Europe. For me it was imperative to include some really iconic labels such as Thierry Mugler, YSL, Janice Wainwright, Gianfranco Ferre, and I also sourced period fabrics and designed and made a lot of the costumes too."

Picking her favourite outfit from the series, she added: "There are so many costumes its really hard to say. But when Cindy meets the Lords for the first time and her and Gene go on the run, she is wearing a vintage velvet Vivienne Westwood Red Label skirt – and that feels all the more special now."

A Town Called Malice - Exclusive cast interview

A Town Called Malice trailer - Meet the Lords

What is A Town Called Malice about?

The series follows the Lords - a family of South London gangsters who've fallen to the bottom of the criminal food chain.

After fleeing to the Costa del Sol, the family believe this is a golden opportunity to re-invent themselves and recapture their former glory.

 Following the family as they battle their enemies  and fight among themselves, the series has been described as a "neon Western" and a "musical love letter to the 80s".

Bring on the romance, obsession, violence, deceit, and swagger as the Lords get to work…

Who is the creator of A Town Called Malice?

A Town Called Malice comes from the writer and director Nick Love.

Nick Love is best known for his work on The Football Factory, Outlaw, Goodbye Charlie Bright and The Business.

Love revealed that A Town Called Malice was inspired by the latter, which has developed cult status since it was released in 2005.

"I made a film quite a few years ago called The Business which was set in the same period and the same place. It was a small film that punched above its weight," said Love.

"Once people started migrating from film to television, I thought to myself, 'I can imagine a TV show based on a similar world to The Business'.

"If you could make a show about the same sort of heady world, then I could see that connecting with an audience because that film was made on a shoestring budget and performed really well.

"There was also the fact that the film was made when I was younger and my storytelling prowess wasn’t quite as elegant as it is now. And so there was a sense of wanting to go back and do a better job."

A Town Called Malice cast - Sky Max series stars

A Town Called Malice - Meet the cast

The ensemble cast includes Born to Kill and Peaky Blinders star Jack Rowan and Tahirah Shariff (The Haunting of Bly Manor) as the young couple at the centre of the series, Gene Lord and Cindy Carter.

Jason Flemyng (Save Me, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)  and Matha Plimpton (The Goonies) play Gene's mum and dad Albert and Mint Ma, while Lex Shrapnel and Daniel Sharman  (Fear the Walking Dead, Medici) play his older brothers.

Dougray Scott also stars as Uncle Tony, who invites the Lord family over to his home in the Costa Del Sol.

"What an amazing cast. I am so lucky to finally be working with some of my favourite actors and childhood heroes," said creator Nick Love.

"I couldn’t be more excited to see how they bring the Lord family to life."

Stream every episode of A Town Called Malice on Sky Max and NOW.

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