ITV announced earlier this year that it had commissioned a new three-part drama documenting the life and times of disgraced Labour minister John Stonehouse, and stars Keeley Hawes and Matthew Macfadyen have now given us a sense of what we can expect from the series.
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In the drama, simply called Stonehouse, Succession star Macfadyen plays John Stonehouse who faked his death and left behind his wife Barbara, played by Macfadyen's real-life wife Hawes (The Midwich Cuckoos).
In an interview with The Mirror about the new series, Macfadyen called it "a fascinating story" with a "brilliant script" and said that "it’s so beautifully written. But it’s very sad in many ways".
He continued: "You know, he leaves his wife and kids. Everything unravelled, but it is to do with sort of proximity to power and ambition and vanity and all the rest of it. He had started having affairs and in our story he was moonlighting for Czech secret services and making money from that, and it all got too much for him."
Matthew Macfadyen in Stonehouse Joss Barratt / ITV
Meanwhile, Hawes spoke about working with Macfadyen on the series, saying: "We have worked together before, but not for several years. And so when this came up, it seemed like the perfect project on so many levels really, mostly because the Stonehouses are so different to Matthew and I and to our relationship.
"So it’s nice to see us, I think, and interesting for people who may know that we are married to see us as the 'other' couple."
The series comes from writer John Preston and a release date has yet to be announced. Alongside Hawes and Macfadyen it is also set to star Emer Heatley (Showtrial), Kevin R McNally (The Crown), Dorothy Atkinson (All Creatures Great and Small) and Igor Grabuzov (No Looking Back).
Stonehouse is coming soon to ITV. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
