Sheridan Smith and Alison Steadman to star in new Jimmy McGovern BBC1 drama
Little Boy Blue's Sinead Keenan will also star in Care
Sheridan Smith is set to star as a single mother in a new BBC1 drama alongside her former Gavin & Stacey co-star Alison Steadman and Little Boy Blue's Sinead Keenan.
The 90-minute feature was written by Broken creator Jimmy McGovern and Gillian Juckes, whose real-life experiences inspired the story.
Smith will star as Jenny, a mother who is left to raise her two children on her own after the departure of her husband, Dave. Steadman will play her mother, Mary, who helps with childcare as Jenny works a full-time job, until she suffers a devastating stroke and faces the onset of dementia. This leaves Jenny and her sister Claire (Keenan) in the precarious position of balancing their day-to-day lives and caring for their mother.
Piers Wenger, controller of BBC drama said: “It’s always an honour to work with Jimmy McGovern, here joining forces with Gillian Juckes on her first script for a television drama. Together they tell a truly remarkable story of one woman’s battle to get the best care for her mother. The cast, led by the wonderful Sheridan Smith, will portray this poignant story with the warmth and gravitas it deserves.”
Smith is currently working on a very different sort of drama for Channel 4 called Adult Material, in which she is stars as an ageing porn star. Variety is the spice of life, after all...
