The Luminaries is coming soon to BBC One – and to celebrate the occasion, RadioTimes.com will be hosting a special online Q&A with lead actors Eve Hewson and Himesh Patel as well as director Claire McCarthy.

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On Friday 19th June at 7pm, you'll be able to tune in on the Radio Times Facebook page and watch our trio of guests giving the inside story on the highly-anticipated BBC drama. They'll also be answering pre-submitted questions from the audience, so we're inviting TV fans to get in touch and let us know what you'd like to ask!

The Q&A will take place ahead of the drama's Sunday prime-time premiere, with The Luminaries now confirmed to begin on Sunday 21st June at 9pm on BBC One. Episode two will air the following evening, with further episodes each Sunday night – and the full series available as a box-set on iPlayer.

The six-part drama is based on Eleanor Catton's 2013 Man Booker Prize-winning novel and is billed as “an intricately woven, suspenseful tale of love, murder, magic, and revenge" set in 19th century New Zealand during the Gold Rush. The adaptation's main characters are Anna Wetherell (Hewson) and Emery Staines (Patel), two young arrivals from Britain who are in search of a fresh start and a fortune.

As the official synopsis puts it, The Luminaries "is a 19th century tale of adventure and mystery, set on the Wild West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island in the boom years of the 1860s gold rush. The story follows defiant young adventurer Anna Wetherell, who has sailed from Britain to New Zealand to begin a new life. There she meets the radiant Emery Staines, an encounter that triggers a strange kind of magic that neither can explain.

"As they fall in love, driven together and apart by fateful coincidence, these star-crossed lovers begin to wonder: do we make our fortunes, or do our fortunes make us?”

Our guests may not have the answer to that huge question, but they will be answering questions about the show from viewers. So if you have a question for Patel, Hewson and McCarthy, just tweet us at @RadioTimes using the hashtag #RTLuminaries – and we'll see if we can get your question answered during the Q&A.

Oh, and one more thing: if you aren't able to tune in at 7pm, The Luminaries Q&A will also be available to watch on our Facebook page after the event finishes.

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RadioTimes.com's The Luminaries Q&A begins at 7pm BST on Friday 19th June – watch live on our official Facebook page

Authors

Eleanor Bley GriffithsDrama Editor, RadioTimes.com
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