All-star BBC psychological drama begins filming in NI

Filming has begun in Northern Ireland on a new BBC One adaptation of psychological thriller The Woman In White.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Feb 2017, 10:00 BST
Updated 1st Mar 2017, 08:58 BST
Jessie Buckley, pictured in Taboo, is one of the stars of the new drama The Woman In White which is currently filming in BelfastJessie Buckley, pictured in Taboo, is one of the stars of the new drama The Woman In White which is currently filming in Belfast
Jessie Buckley, pictured in Taboo, is one of the stars of the new drama The Woman In White which is currently filming in Belfast

X-Men’s Ben Hardy and War and Peace’s Jessie Buckley will star in the TV version of Wilkie Collins’ book.

Filming is expected to take around 13 weeks and will be centred around Belfast.

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The cast will also include Olivia Vinall (Apple Tree Yard), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Dougray Scott (Mission: Impossible II), Art Malik (Sherlock), Joanna Scanlon (The Thick of it), Vicki Pepperdine (Getting On) and Riccardo Scamarcio (London Spy).

The story focuses on Walter Hartright and his encounter with a ghostly woman dressed in all white on a moonlit road, after which he finds himself drawn into a mysterious and disturbing world. Romance, suspense, and danger combine as secrets come to the fore in Wilkie Collins’ haunting tale of insanity and identity.

Viewed by many as the first psychological thriller novel, The Woman in White will take viewers on a chilling ride down the shadowy paths and corridors of English country houses and ultimately into the depths of the Victorian madhouse.

Leading man Ben Hardy said: “I have always admired and been a fan of the BBC’s period dramas and I’m so thrilled to be playing the leading role of Walter in this classic story.”

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Co-star Jessie Buckley added: “It’s really exciting to be playing a woman like Marion who has such a strength and rooted integrity.

“In the midst of this Victorian male puppeteered world where suspense, interrogation and speculative intoxication is what drives this story forward you find Marion, who is undefined by her sex and undefined by her society.

“She is the Janis Joplin of her time and I can’t wait to learn from this wonderful woman”.

Adapted for television by Fiona Seres, The Woman in White takes the form of five 60-minute episodes and will be produced by Origin Pictures for BBC One.

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Writer Fiona Seres said: “The Woman in White is a powerful, poignant story and I have absolutely loved adapting this epic for the screen.

“I’m thrilled it’s attracted such an exciting, high-calibre cast who I know will bring it to life in a unique and intimate way.”

Director Carl Tibbetts, said: “I am excited to be directing this bold contemporary reimagining of Wilkie Collins classic Victorian thriller. We have a fantastic cast who will bring some of his best loved characters to vivid life.”

Related topics:BBC OneNorthern IrelandVictorian