Sean Bean and Nicola Walker star in Marriage

What elements does a drama need to make it great?

A brilliant script, of course. Without that, you may as well forget it. A decent director is always appreciated to bring the writer’s vision to the screen – and then there’s the cast to consider. Without the right actors in the lead roles, a project will more than likely fall on its face.

So there shouldn’t be any reason to worry about Stefan Golaszewski’s latest project, four-part series Marriage – his screenplays have attracted none other than Sean Bean and Nicola Walker, two thespians at the very top of their game.

Last year, Bean wowed viewers with his moving and sensitive portrayal of a man jailed for drink-driving in the Jimmy McGovern drama Time, for which he deservedly won the Bafta TV award for Best Actor. Walker, meanwhile, appeared in the critically acclaimed ITV crime series Unforgotten, bowing out in one of the most extraordinarily moving and dramatic ways we’ve seen for a while. More recently, she appeared in the BBC’s The Split.

Together, Bean and Walker form something of a dream team; certainly if photographs of them on set are anything to go by, they work well as married couple Ian and Emma, who have been together for 30 years. They also seem to be part of each other’s unofficial fan clubs.

“I’m thrilled to be playing opposite the talented Nicola Walker and I’m looking forward to bringing Stefan’s intimate scripts to the screen,” says Bean, while Walker adds: “This is a unique project. Stefan has created such a beautiful, funny and complicated world and I’m excited to be stepping into Ian and Emma’s marriage with Sean.”

When it comes to creating compelling characters, Golaszewski has good form. Like Bean, he’s a Bafta winner, having won the Best Writer trophy for the sitcom Mum; he also created Him & Her, which was named Best Situation Comedy at the 2014 ceremony.

“Stefan’s exquisite observation of marriage is funny, warm and searingly honest,” says executive producer, Beth Willis. “His writing is a joy to read.”

Marriage is, however, his first-ever straight TV drama, and if it all goes horribly wrong, he only has himself to blame – Golaszewski is also the director and one of the executive producers. But he too feels the story is in safe hands.

“It’s amazing to get to work with Sean and Nicola,” he gushed when the casting was announced last September. “They’re actors of such depth, truth and warmth, and I can’t wait to go on this journey with them.”

The series begins with two episodes. The first, broadcast on Sunday, introduces viewers to the main protagonists as they return from holiday, each with a new start ahead of them – while Emma’s promotion prospects are looking good, Ian has recently been made redundant and is looking for a fresh start. Meanwhile, their daughter Jessica brings home her new boyfriend to meet them.

Then, on Monday, Ian is upset when Emma fails to tell him she’s been invited to attend a conference. Her father doesn’t help matters by interrupting their anniversary plans, and Jessica’s relationship begins to sour.