Alison Steadman and Peter Davison will play a married couple in new drama series 'LIFE'.
Alison Steadman
The 'Gavin & Stacey' star and the former 'Doctor Who' actor are part of an ensemble cast that will also include Adrian Lester, Elaine Paige, Victoria Hamilton and Rachael Stirling in the upcoming BBC One six-part drama series, which will follow the stories of the residents of four flats within a large house in Manchester.
Ben Irving, Executive Producer for BBC One, said of the show: "It's fitting that such an exceptional ensemble cast should be drawn together by Mike Bartlett's extraordinary scripts. This is a beautiful, tender, funny, and unexpected emotional rollercoaster of a show and we can't wait to bring it to audiences on BBC One."
Gail (Steadman) is married to Henry (Davison) and about to celebrate her 70th birthday when her life is turned upside down by a chance encounter, while David (Lester) runs the risk of destroying his marriage to Kelly (Stirling) when he's tempted by the impulsive Saira (Saira Choudry) on holiday.
Belle (Hamilton) lives alone and works as a pilates teacher, but her quiet life is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of her 15-year-old niece Maya (Erin Kellyman).
The fourth flat is occupied by Liam (Joshua James) and his heavily-pregnant girlfriend Hannah (Melissa Johns) - but their domestic bliss is thrown into turmoil with the return of Andy (Calvin Demba), who she had a one-night stand with nine months ago.
Writer Mike Bartlett is thrilled to have such a stellar cast on board.
He said: "This show is all about a group of remarkable characters with unexpected desires and hidden secrets, in search of something beyond their everyday lives. It's just wonderful to have this fantastic cast to tell those stories, and to be working again with Drama Republic for the BBC."
And Alison is delighted with the character the 'Doctor Foster' writer has created for her.
She said: "Mike Bartlett is a brilliant writer and has created an extraordinary character in Gail. I'm delighted to be playing her in LIFE."
The programme has already started filming in Manchester and will run for six episodes.
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