Anna Friel, Anna Maxwell Martin to Star in New Jimmy McGovern Drama

Anna Friel and Anna Maxwell Martin are set to star in a new BBC drama from “Time” creator Jimmy McGovern.

The as yet untitled 90-minute drama will explore the themes of grooming and sexual abuse in the context of one family, the Mitchell family, who must grapple with the aftermath of abuse after the perpetrator – a relative – is released from prison.

Bobby Schofield (“Time”), David Threlfall (“Nightsleeper”) and Mark Womack (“The Responder”) star alongside Friel, who is known for her work on “Marcella” and “Pushing Daisies” and “Motherland’s” Maxwell Martin.

More casting is set to be confirmed in due course.

Julia Ford (“Showtrial”) will direct. LA Productions (“Broken”) are producing. Donna Molloy is also a producer. McGovern exec produces alongside Colin McKeown for LA Productions and Nawfal Faizullah and Katherine Bond for the BBC.

McGovern is known for creating a plethora of popular dramas including “Cracker” and the prison series “Time,” starring Sean Bean and Stephen Graham in the first season while the second season, set in a women’s prison, starred Jodie Whittaker, Bella Ramsey and Tamara Lawrance.

“I can’t believe the cast and crew that have been assembled for this production,” said McGovern. “It’s a challenging film, yes, but I can’t wait for it to be shown.”

McKeown added: “This is a profoundly challenging and sensitive subject, tackled with intelligence and care by Jimmy McGovern. It’s a privilege to be working with him again following the success of our previous collaborations on single dramas.”

Director BBC drama Lindsay Salt said: “Jimmy McGovern is one of our greatest dramatists, and a master at writing about today’s world. His new film sensitively examines the pain of abuse and how it affects not only the victim but ripples out across the whole family. To see it brought to the screen with such a high calibre cast and creative team is further testament to the quality of Jimmy’s writing.”

The drama is set to drop in the U.K. on BBC One and streamer iPlayer.