The BBC has announced an original new drama from Time writer Jimmy McGovern.
The as-yet-untitled project will be set and filmed in Liverpool and will explore the impact of grooming and sexual abuse on one family.
Motherland and Line of Duty actor Anna Maxwell Martin is signed on to star alongside Marcella's Anna Friel and Shameless actor David Threlfall.
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"The fictional drama centres around the Mitchell family, who are dealing with the devastating aftermath of an act of abuse, and the knowledge that it was perpetrated by a member of their own family who, after serving his sentence, has just been released from prison," reads the official show synopsis.
Additional cast members include Time and SAS Rogue Heroes star Bobby Schofield, plus The Responder's Mark Womack, with further casting set to be announced in due course.
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Julia Ford, known for Showtrial and The Bay, will direct the 90-minute drama with McGovern also acting as an executive producer on the project.
"I can’t believe the cast and crew that have been assembled for this production. It’s a challenging film, yes, but I can’t wait for it to be shown," said McGovern in a press statement.
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The drama has been commissioned by Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, who called McGovern "one of our greatest dramatists" in today's world.
"His new film sensitively examines the pain of abuse and how it affects not only the victim but ripples out across the whole family," she said. "To see it brought to the screen with such a high calibre cast and creative team is further testament to the quality of Jimmy’s writing."
The Liverpool-set drama will see McGovern reunite with Anna Friel, who previously worked with him on 2017 BBC drama Broken.
McGovern's most recent drama was a second season of the fictional prison-based show Time, which aired on the BBC in October last year. A follow-up to the original starring Sean Bean and Stephen Graham, season two followed three female inmates portrayed by Jodie Whittaker, Bella Ramsey and Tamara Lawrance.
Time seasons 1-2 are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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Emily is an experienced freelance entertainment writer and editor, reporting on all things TV, film, soaps and showbiz. An NCTJ-qualified journalist, with a First Class Honours degree in Journalism from the University of Sussex, Emily is a former Deputy News Editor and Evening News Editor at Digital Spy. She has previously worked at Hello magazine, BBC South News and GoodtoKnow.
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