First Woman, the upcoming drama from ITV starring Ashley Walters and Andrea Riseborough, has added some big names to its cast. In a new update, we have stars from Rivals and 1923 in the line-up.
The series, which was announced last month, sees Riseborough portray an astronaut, Claire, who goes missing in suspicious circumstances. Walters plays her husband, Ben, who goes in search of his wife and the truth regarding her disappearance.
The pair will be joined by Alex Hassell and Jennifer Ehle, who have been added to the cast list. Hassell, who plays Rupert Campbell-Black in Disney+’s Rivals, is also known for his parts His Dark Materials and Wasteman.
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Ehle, meanwhile, has appeared in The Good Fight and the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, before a recurring role as Sister Mary in the first season of Yellowstone prequel 1923.
Hassell has been cast as Christopher Scott, the Prime Minister of the UK. He is described as “polished, pragmatic and disciplined”, having “built his centrist political identity on the belief that Britain must compete on a global stage.”
“As the crisis begins to deepen, he finds his position increasingly precarious. How far will Christopher go in pursuit of his own personal ambition?” teases the character description for the figure.
Ehle will portray Helen Sadler, an investigator for the UK Space Flight Authority who is tasked with uncovering what happened to Claire. She is sceptical about some elements of the case, and threatens to “expose” various secrets.
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First Woman, which is billed as a “thrillingly suspenseful” and “gripping” drama, is being co-written by Lydia Yeoman, George Oakes and Ben Schiffer, while Philip Martin will serve as the director for the six-part series.
“A biologist taking part in a groundbreaking research project, Claire Reith is the first woman to set foot on the moon, and her disappearance throws suspicion on her fellow astronauts and China’s rival base,” reads the synopsis.
“With hundreds of thousands of miles between them, can her husband Ben uncover the truth behind his wife’s disappearance? With the action switching between Mission Control in the UK and the lunar surface, this is a race against time like no other.”
First Woman has no release date.
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Rebecca is a freelance journalist who specializes in TV and film. After beginning her career as a digital entertainment journalist for the Express & Star and Shropshire Star, she embarked on a freelance career in 2021 contributing to the likes of Metro UK, The Sun, WhatCulture, Screen Rant, FilmHounds Magazine and more.
Her particular field of interest is horror cinema and she has written for genre publications such as Ghouls Magazine and Moving Pictures Film Club.
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