Matthew Macfadyen and Keeley Hawes are to play the leads in an ITV/BritBox International drama about a disgraced British politician who faked his own death.
Stan & Ollie director Jon S. Baird is behind Stonehouse from The Dig writer John Preston, in which Succession star Macfadyen will play John Stonehouse and Keeley Hawes his wife Barbara.
Stonehouse was a high-flying politician in the Labour Party in the 1970s but was involved in an extramarital affair, had financial problems and had acted as a spy for the Czech Secret Service, which took its toll and led to him faking his death and fleeing to Australia. He was eventually found and brought back to England by British detectives.
The drama represents a return to ITV for Macfadyen who also starred in Quiz as a former soldier accused of cheating on popular ITV gameshow Who Wants to be a Millionaire?.
Stonehouse is being produced by Mrs Wilson indie Snowed-In Productions and Ellie Wood’s Clearwood Films, which was also behind Ralph Fiennes-starring Netflix pic The Dig and has a first look development deal with Banijay Rights – the show’s distributor.
“John Preston’s brilliant scripts and the perfect casting of Matthew Macfadyen and Keeley Hawes promise to make this an unmissable drama,” said ITV Head of Drama Polly Hill.
Executive Producers are Baird, Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts, Macfadyen, Preston and Wood, Hill for ITV and Diederick Santer for BritBox International.