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The BBC and HBO are partnering on two telepics featuring starry casts and adapted from the work of prominent Brit playwrights. The made-fors are intended to reaffirm the Beeb's commitment to the form.

Uma Thurman and Jonathan Pryce star in an adaptation of David Hare's "My Zinc Bed," while Tom Wilkinson and Rhys Ifans play father and son in Caryl Churchill's "A Number."

BBC Fiction controller Jane Tranter said: "The single play is an integral part of the overall BBC drama picture. We aim to make and transmit around 26 original singles for television per year."

"My Zinc Bed" is directed by Anthony Page ("Middlemarch"), produced by Tracey Scoffield, Frank Doelger and Lee Morris and exec produced by Robert Fox and David Thompson for the BBC.

"A Number" is directed by James MacDonald, produced by Tracey Scoffield, Frank Doelger and Lee Morris and also exec produced by Thompson for the BBC.

Both telepics were produced by Rainmark Films, the shingle behind "Primo," recipient of a BAFTA actor nomination for Anthony Sher this year.

The BBC and HBO are regular co-production partners. Previous tie-ups have included high-budget skein "Rome."