BBC orders family thriller from ‘Indian Summers’ writer set in 1930s-1960s

Luther actress Ruth Wilson will star in and executive produce a new BBC series based on the incredible true story of her grandparents.

Set in 1960s London, 1940s London and India in the 1930s, the three-part drama series is written by Anna Symon (Indian Summers).

The official synopsis reads: “In 1963, Alison Wilson thinks she is a normal, happily married woman. But when her husband Alec suddenly dies, a woman turns up on her doorstep, claiming that she is the real Mrs Wilson.

“Alison is determined to prove the validity of her own marriage – and Alec’s love for her – but is instead led into a world of dark and troubling secrets.

“Alec was a British spy and a best-selling novelist.. .but what else besides? Where did his truth end and his fiction begin? Alison will be pushed to the very brink to find out.”

Ruth Wilson commented: “I am so excited to bring to the small screen the extraordinary lives of my grandparents. Theirs is a profoundly moving story and the BBC is the perfect home for it.”

Executive producer Ruth Kenley-Letts (The Casual Vacancy) added: “Any commission is thrilling for a young company but even more so when the project is as exciting as this. It’s an honour to have been entrusted with this family’s remarkable story, and a privilege to have been able to work with the talented Anna Symon at the helm.

“To take on such a complex, moving and challenging family history is a huge responsibility and she’s done an outstanding job. It’s a truly riveting script. We can’t wait to bring it to life.”