Channel 5 has dropped a scandalous trailer for its darkly comic drama The Wives, which stars Jo Joyner, Tamzin Outhwaite and Angela Griffin as three women piecing together a mystery that shook their family to its core.

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The story takes place in Malta, where the Morgans lost a beloved member in Annabelle (Christine Bottomley), who was thought by authorities to have fallen from a cliff in a tragic accident – but her body was never recovered.

One year later, her widowed husband, Charlie (Jamie Bamber), appears to be getting on just fine, with a new girlfriend who his family are troubled to discover resembles a younger "double" of his first wife.

It's fair to say that Jade (Katie Clarkson-Hill) doesn't enamour herself to the Morgan family, with the trailer (see above) showing an awkward moment when she makes an unappreciated remark to Beth about "women your age".

Things go from bad to worse on the anniversary of Annabelle's death, when Jade's choice of clothing stirs up more tension.

All these developments cause questions to fly about the tragic incident, with "The Wives" of the title beginning to suspect that perhaps it wasn't an accident after all.

The synopsis teases: "With lies coming to light and evidence building, the women work together and against each other to unravel the mystery and bring the culprit to justice.

"But with corrupt officials, drug cartels and career criminals closer to home than ever expected, have they bitten off more than they can chew?"

Catriona Chandler as Sky, Jamie Bamber as Charlie, Jo Joyner as Beth, Ben Willbond as Frankie, Katie Clarkson-Hill as Jade, Tamzin Outhwaite as Sylvie, Jonathan Forbes as Sean and Angela Griffin as Natasha in The Wives gathered on rocks and looking sad as they look at the water.
The Wives. Channel 5

The Wives cast also boasts Ben Willbond (Ghosts) as Beth’s husband Frankie Morgan, Jonathan Forbes (Catastrophe) as Natasha’s husband Sean Morgan, Louis Boyer (Shadow and Bone) as local businessman Luca Vella and Ajay Chhabra (Phoenix Rise) as consulate official Vinay Taneja.

The series comes from the mind of Helen Black, who previously worked on prison drama Time, with co-star Griffin describing it as "full of warmth, female friendship, humour, with a huge whodunnit in the middle".

The Wives is coming soon to Channel 5 and My5.

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Authors

David Craig
David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

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