ITV announces ‘thrillingly suspenseful’ space series with very famous cast
ITV has announced a new six-part space thriller about an astronaut’s mysterious disappearance
View 3 Images
Ashley Walters will star in First Woman(Image: Getty Images for Netflix)
ITV has announced a “thrillingly suspenseful” new space thriller centred on a woman who vanishes during a lunar mission.
The six-part series First Woman features Adolescence star Ashley Walters as Ben Reith, who awakens one morning to discover his wife Claire (Andrea Riseborough) has disappeared, reports the Mirror.
This marks the beginning of an international news sensation “because Claire is an astronaut crewing the UK’s first moonbase and she’s disappeared into the long lunar night”, according to the broadcaster’s synopsis.
It adds: “Claire is the first woman to set foot on the moon. A biologist taking part in a groundbreaking research project, her disappearance throws suspicion on her fellow astronauts and China’s rival base.
“With hundreds of thousands of miles between them, can Ben uncover the truth behind his wife’s disappearance?”
View 3 Images
Ashley played the role of Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe in Adolescence(Image: Netflix)
You May Like
Global Indices Are on the Move — Time to Trade!Dow, DAX, FTSE, S&P and more — trade the world’s biggest indices with premium tools, zero commission and fast execution. Trading derivatives involves high risk to your capital.IC|
Sponsored
Alternating between Mission Control in the UK and the lunar surface, this becomes a race against time “like no other”, with Ben desperate to reunite with Claire while the remaining astronauts face mounting pressure.
Ashley, who portrayed Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe in Adolescence, commented: “What an honour to be a part of such a bold and propulsive drama with a team of people that I have dreamt of working with. I always want to be a part of projects that make us converse and think outside the box. This one does just that.”
Co-star Andrea remarked: “As a kid, I dreamed, perhaps more than anything, of space. Of emptiness and stars, and the vastness of all that those ‘grounded’ reflected on in verse.”
Article continues below
“This will be endlessly compelling – I hope – for all who want to journey with us,” she continued. “I cannot wait.”
View 3 Images
Andrea Riseborough will play an astronaut in the series(Image: Getty Images)
First Woman, which has started filming in Belfast, is being co-produced by Mammoth Screen, part of ITV Studios, alongside Alcon Television Group and ZDF Germany.
Polly Hill, ITV’s director of drama, commented: “I wanted ITV to make this the moment I read it. The team that has come on board on and off screen is incredible, and a testament to the wonderful and original scripts.” She noted that audiences would be transported on “an incredible journey”.
Creator Lydia Yeoman explained: “Set in the exciting (and as-yet-unexplored) world of private space travel, First Woman is a thriller unlike anything else we’ve seen.
“This is the story of a marriage put through the ultimate test. It’s rare that you get given the opportunity to tell a story with such ambition and scope, and we’re eternally grateful to Polly at ITV and Alcon for allowing us to do that.”