My Mother and Other Strangers: All you need to know about new BBC WWII drama set in Northern Ireland

A new BBC Northern Ireland drama could become one of the highlights of Sunday evening viewing across the network in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
By The Newsroom
Published 20th Oct 2016, 12:47 BST
Updated 25th Oct 2016, 20:10 BST
Captain Ronald Dreyfuss played by Aaron Staton and Rose Coyne played by Hattie Morahan in My Mother And Other StrangersCaptain Ronald Dreyfuss played by Aaron Staton and Rose Coyne played by Hattie Morahan in My Mother And Other Strangers
Captain Ronald Dreyfuss played by Aaron Staton and Rose Coyne played by Hattie Morahan in My Mother And Other Strangers

My Mother And Other Strangers is a new drama series set and filmed in Northern Ireland written by the Ardboe man behind Darling Buds Of May.

The series, which consists of five 60-minute episodes, is set in the fictional village of Moybeg on the shores of Lough Neagh during World War Two and explores the impact of a large United States Army Air Force (USAAF) airfield on the neighbouring community.

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Following in the footsteps of The Fall and Line Of Duty, My Mother And Other Strangers is a network television production by BBC NI Drama, filmed on location in Northern Ireland with support from Northern Ireland Screen.

Captain Ronald Dreyfuss played by Aaron Staton in My Mother and Other Strangers. (C) BBC - Photographer: Stefan HillCaptain Ronald Dreyfuss played by Aaron Staton in My Mother and Other Strangers. (C) BBC - Photographer: Stefan Hill
Captain Ronald Dreyfuss played by Aaron Staton in My Mother and Other Strangers. (C) BBC - Photographer: Stefan Hill

As Northern Ireland continues to grow as a filming location, the new drama is sure to bolster the appeal of the Province as it captures its natural beauty while drawing on a period which is historically accurate in Northern Ireland’s timeline.

My Mother And Other Strangers comes from Barry Devlin, the Northern Ireland-born writer also responsible for Ballykissangel.

It follows the fortunes of the Coyne family and their neighbours as they struggle to maintain a normal life after a huge USAAF airfield with 4,000 service men and women lands in the middle of their rural parish in 1943.

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Hattie Morahan, star of The Outcast, plays the lead role of Rose, who is torn between her husband Michael (Owen McDonnell) and charming US Air Force liaison officer Captain Dreyfuss, played by Aaron Staton of Mad Men fame.

Captain Ronald Dreyfuss played by Aaron Staton in My Mother and Other Strangers. (C) BBC - Photographer: Stefan HillCaptain Ronald Dreyfuss played by Aaron Staton in My Mother and Other Strangers. (C) BBC - Photographer: Stefan Hill
Captain Ronald Dreyfuss played by Aaron Staton in My Mother and Other Strangers. (C) BBC - Photographer: Stefan Hill

Also joining the cast are Eileen O’Higgins (Brooklyn), Des McAleer (Hunger), Ryan McParland (The Survivalist) and Kerr Logan (Game Of Thrones).

Charles Lawson, better known as Jim McDonald from Coronation Street, plays the parish doctor.

Writer Barry Devlin said: “I’m really excited about the casting. I wrote the series around Hattie Morahan because she somehow manages to combine a magical serenity with a capacity to be daft as a brush: and Rose, our heroine, combines those two qualities in spades.

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“Watching Hattie work that magic on screen is a true pleasure. Owen McDonnell, Eileen O’Higgins, Aaron Staton lead a cast who excite me more every time I see them.”

The first preview screening of the drama, taking place in Bellaghy next Thursday evening at the Seamus Heaney HomePlace, is fully booked. A second preview screening will take place in BBC’s Blackstaff Studio in Belfast on Monday October 31.

Related topics:Northern IrelandBBCBBC Northern Ireland