Real-life couple Keeley Hawes and Matthew MacFadyen are set to play husband and wife in new ITV drama series Stonehouse, based on a true story.
The Succession actor will star as disgraced Labour minister John Stonehouse and his spouse of 18 years It’s A Sin actress Keeley Hawes will play his wife Barbara in the three-part drama.
The ITV show will be based on the life of Stonehouse, who was a high-flying member of Harold Wilson’s first Labour government from 1964.
However a mystery began when the MP disappeared without a trace from a Floridian luxury hotel’s beach in 1974, leaving behind only a pile of clothes.
Leaving behind his wife and their three children, it was believed he had drowned or been eaten by sharks.
In reality, his image of a polished family man was just an illusion after it was revealed he was having an affair with his secretary, who later became his wife, Sheila Buckley.
His plans of running away and starting a new life with his second wife in Australia came crashing down when he was arrested by the police, under the mistaken impression he was the fugitive Lord Lucan, wanted for suspected murder.
The plot thickened when it was later revealed that Stonehouse was acting as a spy for the Czech secret service in the 1960s.
His secrets unraveled as his devoted wife Barbara made the discoveries.
Matthew said: ‘What happened to John Stonehouse is the stuff of legend.
‘I’ve always been intrigued by what motivated him to fake his own death, and leave behind the family he loved and doted upon and a promising political career.’
This is not the first time the husband-wife duo have starred on screen together, as the pair played leading roles on BBC One’s Spooks, where they met.
They’ve also appeared together in 2007 film Death at a Funeral and Ashes to Ashes.
The drama will also include The Crown’s Kevin R McNally and All Creatures Great and Small star Dorothy Atkinson.
The show’s writer John Preston added: ‘I’ve always been fascinated by John Stonehouse.
‘The story of how he faked his own death and tried to start a new life in Australia under an assumed name is one of the most bizarre true-life tales I’ve ever come across.’
Credit: Original article published here.You can read this post on My Celebrity Life.
Real-life couple Keeley Hawes and Matthew MacFadyen are set to play husband and wife in new ITV drama series Stonehouse, based on a true story.
The Succession actor will star as disgraced Labour minister John Stonehouse and his spouse of 18 years It’s A Sin actress Keeley Hawes will play his wife Barbara in the three-part drama.
The ITV show will be based on the life of Stonehouse, who was a high-flying member of Harold Wilson’s first Labour government from 1964.
However a mystery began when the MP disappeared without a trace from a Floridian luxury hotel’s beach in 1974, leaving behind only a pile of clothes.
Leaving behind his wife and their three children, it was believed he had drowned or been eaten by sharks.
In reality, his image of a polished family man was just an illusion after it was revealed he was having an affair with his secretary, who later became his wife, Sheila Buckley.
His plans of running away and starting a new life with his second wife in Australia came crashing down when he was arrested by the police, under the mistaken impression he was the fugitive Lord Lucan, wanted for suspected murder.
The plot thickened when it was later revealed that Stonehouse was acting as a spy for the Czech secret service in the 1960s.
His secrets unraveled as his devoted wife Barbara made the discoveries.
Matthew said: ‘What happened to John Stonehouse is the stuff of legend.
‘I’ve always been intrigued by what motivated him to fake his own death, and leave behind the family he loved and doted upon and a promising political career.’
This is not the first time the husband-wife duo have starred on screen together, as the pair played leading roles on BBC One’s Spooks, where they met.
They’ve also appeared together in 2007 film Death at a Funeral and Ashes to Ashes.
The drama will also include The Crown’s Kevin R McNally and All Creatures Great and Small star Dorothy Atkinson.
The show’s writer John Preston added: ‘I’ve always been fascinated by John Stonehouse.
‘The story of how he faked his own death and tried to start a new life in Australia under an assumed name is one of the most bizarre true-life tales I’ve ever come across.’
Credit: Original article published here.You can read this post on My Celebrity Life.