When is Ruth Wilson's new drama Mrs Wilson on TV – and what is it about?
Ruth Wilson stars as her own grandmother in BBC1's drama Mrs Wilson, a tale of family secrets and espionage
You might think that playing a member of your immediate family onscreen would prove too close for comfort for some actors.
But that's exactly what Luther's Ruth Wilson will do in BBC1's suspenseful period drama Mrs Wilson – in which Wilson will play her own grandmother, Alison Wilson.
Here's everything you need to know about the BBC drama.
- What is the real-life story behind Ruth Wilson's new BBC drama Mrs Wilson?
- Meet the cast of BBC drama Mrs Wilson
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When is Mrs Wilson on TV?
The drama premiered in the UK on Tuesday 27th November 2018 at 9pm on BBC1.
In Australia, it aired from Sunday 10th February 2019 at 9.41pm on ABC.
It also aired on Masterpiece on PBS in the USA, with episode one premiering on Sunday 31 March. It also started on the same day on TVNZ 1 in New Zealand.
All three episodes of Mrs Wilson are repeated back to back on PBS Masterpiece on Sunday 28 February 2021 from 8/7c.
Is there a trailer for Mrs Wilson?
Yes!
What else do we know about the show, and who is in the cast?
The Affair's Ruth Wilson, led the all-star cast, and also executive produced the series.
Game of Thrones' Iain Glen, who plays Ser Jorah Mormont in the George RR Martin fantasy epic, stars as former spy Alexander 'Alec' Wilson, Alison's husband and Ruth Wilson's grandfather.
Keeley Hawes (The Durrells), Anupam Kher (Silver Linings Playbook) and Fiona Shaw (Harry Potter, Killing Eve) also star.
The drama is set between the 1940s and 1960s and was written by Anna Symon (Indian Summers), directed by Richard Laxton and produced by Jackie Larkin.
Speaking about the drama, Lucy Richer, Executive Producer for the BBC, said: “Anna Symon's scripts, based on the remarkable story of Ruth Wilson's grandparents, are full of twists and turns.
"It is a story of breath-taking secrets and love against the odds, and I can't wait to see it brought to life for BBC1 by such a fascinating cast, led by Ruth.”
Who were Alison Wilson and Alexander 'Alec' Wilson?
Based on real-life events, the drama follows Ruth Wilson's grandmother, Alison, who believes she is happily married to acclaimed author and former spy Alexander 'Alec' Wilson until he dies unexpectedly in 1963.
Then another Mrs Wilson turns up on Alison's doorstep, claiming to have also been married to Alec.
“Alec was a British spy and a best-selling novelist… but what else besides?,” said the BBC in a statement. “Where did his truth end and his fiction begin? Alison will be pushed to the very brink to find out.”
Of the BBC1 drama, Wilson says: "I am so excited to bring to the small screen the extraordinary lives of my grandparents.
"Theirs is a profoundly moving story.”
This article was originally published in July 2018
All three episodes of Mrs Wilson are repeated back to back on PBS Masterpiece on Sunday 28 February 2021 from 8/7c.
