BBC America shared an official cast photo for the upcoming series The Watch, an adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. However, some fans of the books were not pleased.The new cast photo was revealed on the BBC America website. "In BBC America’s newest original series, The Watch, an unlikely group of misfits, The City Watch, find the guts to save the world, surprising even themselves in the process," BBC America's official synopsis included with the photo reads. "The comedic yet thrilling series pits trolls, werewolves, wizards and other improbable heroes against an evil plot to resurrect a great dragon which would lead to the destruction of life as they know it."
Responses to a tweet from the BBC America account were quick to criticize the show for portraying Lady Sybil Ramkin (Lara Rossi) as a young, thin woman, rather than middle-aged and heavyset as she is described in the books. "You were trying so hard to be forward that you went backwards," one reply read. "To wit, Lady Ramkin can be any colour. What she absolutely cannot be, however, is young, beautiful or slender. You robbed a middle-aged Black woman of a role." Detractors also highlighted the fact that Constable Cheery (Jo Eaton-Kent) is not played by a little person and does not have a beard as in the books.
Victor Jenkins, who is the casting director for The Watch, responded to the criticism, urging critics to watch the show before attacking it.
The Watch is executive produced by BBC Studios’ Hilary Salmon (Luther) and Phil Collinson (Doctor Who). The series will have eight episodes, and it is written by Simon Allen (Das Boot). The series stars Richard Dormer, Anna Chancellor, Lara Rossi, Ingrid Oliver, James Fleet, Marama Corlett, Sam Adewunmi, Jo Eaton-Kent, Adam Hugill, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Ruth Madeley, Bianca Simone and Ingrid Oliver. The Watch will premiere in 2020.