Paul Ritter, Jessie Buckley, Adrian Rawlins and Con O'Neill Among a Raft of Talent Joining Sky and HBO's CHERNOBYL

A huge list of top names from the world of TV and film are confirmed to star in Chernobyl, Sky and HBO's high-end drama based on one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history.

Paul Ritter (Electric Dreams, No Offence, Lovesick), Jessie Buckley (Taboo, Country Music, Beast), Adrian Rawlins (Darkest Hour, War and Peace) and Con O'Neill (Happy Valley, Telstar) join the impressive cast bringing to life the true story of the unprecedented tragedy.

Buckley said: "It is a real honour to be part of this important piece of work and share with the world the real truth about the unbelievable bravery and sacrifice that the people of Chernobyl made in order to stop an even greater disaster. I feel incredibly humbled."

Also joining the large-scale production are Sam Troughton (The Ritual, The Hollow Crown), Adam Nagaitis (The Terror, To Walk Invisible), Ralph Ineson (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Absentia), Mark Lewis Jones (Apostle, Star Wars Episode VIII), Fares Fares (Tyrant, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and David Densik (McMafia, Top of the Lake: China Girl).

The series, produced by Sister Pictures and The Mighty Mint, is the first Sky/HBO project to be greenlit through an international partnership to develop big-scale drama, under a $250m multi-year co-production investment deal.

Further names joining the line-up include: Robert Emms, Jay Simpson, Gerard Kearns, Michael Socha, Jamie Sives, Kieran O'Brien, Karl Davies, Billy Postlethwaite, Alex Ferns and James Cosmo.

Jared Harris (The Crown, Mad Men), Stellan Skarsgård (Breaking the Waves, Good Will Hunting) and Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves, Apple Tree Yard) have already been confirmed to star in the five-part mini-series, which will be shown on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW TV.

Written and executive produced by Craig Mazin (The Identity Thief, The Huntsman: Winter's War), Chernobyl is directed by Johan Renck (Breaking Bad, Blackstar), and is executive produced by Jane Featherstone (Humans, Broadchurch) for Sister Pictures, Carolyn Strauss (Game of Thrones, The Wire) for The Mighty Mint and Gabriel Silver for Sky. Johan Renck and Chris Fry (Humans, The Smoke) co-executive produce and Sanne Wohlenberg (Black Mirror, Wallander) produces.

Filming for Chernobyl began in Lithuania last month. The show will be available on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK and Ireland, and on Sky Atlantic in Italy, Germany and Austria.

About Sky

Sky is Europe's leading entertainment company, serving 23 million customers across seven countries - UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. The company had annual reported revenues of '12.9 billion in 2016/17, and is Europe's leading investor in television content with an annual programming spend of around '7 billion. From exclusive partnerships with HBO, Showtime and Warner Bros. to Sky Original Productions, Sky offers the best and broadest range of content along with the best viewing experience to suit each and every customer. Whether that's through the multi-award winning next generation box, Sky Q, or Sky's contract-free online streaming service, NOW TV, customers have access to the latest movies, drama, sports and kids entertainment wherever and whenever they like. This is all supported by Sky's best in class customer service. Sky's success is not just based on what the company does but how it does it. Three new major commitments have been launched for Sky's CORPORATE campaign Sky Ocean Rescue; the reduction of our own single-use plastics by 2020; an investment fund of '25 million over five years in technology solutions; and support of marine protected areas across our markets. Sky has over 31,000 employees and is listed as one of The Times Top 50 employers for women, as well as being recognised in the Stonewall list of Top 50 LGBT-inclusive employers. Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY).

About HBO

HBO(R) is one of the most respected and innovative entertainment brands in the world, serving iconic, award-winning programming to 142 million subscribers globally. A subsidiary of Time Warner, Inc., HBO is the world's most successful pay TV service with an extensive array of programming that includes some of the most notable titles to be on television including Game of Thrones(R), Big Little Lies(R), Westworld(R), The Sopranos(R), Sex and the City(R), Band of Brothers(R), and The Wire(R). In the United States, HBO and sister network Cinemax(R) are available across multiple platforms including HBO On Demand(R), CineMax On Demand(R), HBO GO(R) and MAX GO(R), as well as HBO NOW(R). Internationally, HBO branded services, including television networks and the standalone streaming product HBO GO, are available in more than 70 countries across Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. HBO and CineMax programming is also sold into more than 150 countries worldwide.

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