David Nicholls's Us is "timely" post-lockdown viewing, says Tom Hollander
Hollander, who plays Douglas, says the BBC "may have got very lucky" with the timing of its drama about marital woes.
Post-lockdown divorce rates have seen a huge spike, with enforced proximity proving the final straw for couples around the world - and that's why BBC One's upcoming adaptation of Us may prove so timely, according to its cast.
Based on David Nicholls' book of the same name, the series follows Douglas (Tom Hollander) and Connie (Saskia Reeves) as they navigate their marriage troubles against the scenic backdrop of a European tour with their teenage son, Albie (Tom Taylor).
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, Tom Hollander (The Night Manager) said that the show's timing was potentially "very lucky".
"You're right [the show will prove timely]... Obviously we didn't know coronavirus was coming and that people would be forced into lockdown, so we may have got very lucky," he said.
Referencing the show's opening scene where Connie tells Douglas that she wants a divorce, he said, "We did obviously think that people have that thought [to break up] anyway, so lockdown ha... it will have brought it up for people, you're right, it would have brought it up for them.
"Some people - I think some relationships have probably proved themselves during lockdown, and others have fallen apart, haven't they? I've heard different stories."
Lockdown hasn't just caused marital problems. Saskia Reeves (Belgravia), who plays Connie, added that when she watches the show now she sees parallels between Douglas and Albie's fraught relationship on-screen, and her own relationship with her 18-year-old son under lockdown.
Reeves said, "Things have got a bit sticky, but I think that's because he [my son] feels so exposed, because we've all been under the same roof for so long, and there are things that Douglas and Albie - the clashes, or... the disdain from Albie's face [when looking at] his father, I thought, 'Oh I've seen that at home recently'."
Us begins on Sunday (20th September) at 9pm on BBC one. Check out what else is on with our TV Guide.
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