Bold new drama series based on book from Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, one of the country’s most senior female firefighters, goes into development

Kudos has preemptively acquired television rights to an inspiring memoir from Deputy Assistant Commissioner for the London Fire Bridge, Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton.

The title, to be published by Transworld in spring 2019, was signed by Sue Swift, Head of Literary Acquisitions for Kudos from Kirsty McLachlan at David Godwin Associates.

Overcoming extreme personal adversity, Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton has risen through the ranks of the fire service becoming Deputy Assistant Commissioner at the age of just 31. Leaving home at 15, she lived rough for a year and joined the fire service at 18, and was the first female ever to serve at her first posting in the Welsh Valleys. She wanted to be a fire fighter, she says, so she could ‘rescue people because no one had rescued her’.

The book however is much more than a memoir of her extraordinary life. Drawing on Sabrina’s personal experience of managing emergency situations, having attended a number of major incidents including the Westminster terrorist attack and the Holborn fire, the book provides a unique insight into the reality of firefighting. Through the Fire also explores the psychology of leadership and crisis management. Sabrina has a PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience having studied at night school while working full time, and her ground- breaking studies on decision making within the service have changed national policies as a result.

Emma Kingsman-Lloyd, Kudos, said; “At a time when the female workplace experience is under ever closer scrutiny we are thrilled to be able to bring Sabrina’s remarkable book to the screen. She’s not only a remarkable woman, she’s a natural storyteller and her personal experiences as a front line professional and her revolutionary insights into the psychology of decision-making in extreme situations make this title a truly extraordinary, exciting and unique examination of the firefighting profession”.

Through the Fire (w/t) will be Executive Produced by Diederick Santer and Emma Kingsman-Lloyd at Kudos.