Keeley Hawes reunites with ‘The Durrells’ writer for new ITV drama
The creator and star of The Durrells are teaming up once again with a new TV show.
Based upon Gerald Durrell’s classic trilogy of Corfu memoirs, ITV’s 1930s family period drama launched in 2016 and the final season aired earlier this year.
The Durrells star Keeley Hawes, who played Louisa in all four seasons, will return to ITV in 2020 with Finding Alice.
Written by The Durrells creator Simon Nye and Call the Midwife director Roger Goldby, the new six-part drama series is described as an “honest, raw, blackly comic journey of grief, love and life.”
It follows Keeley Hawes’ character Alice after the death of her husband Harry.
Keeley Hawes commented: “I am absolutely delighted to be working with the brilliant Simon Nye and the hugely talented Roger Goldby on a project that means so much to all of us.
“I have been a huge fan of [executive producer] Nicola Shindler for many years and I’m thrilled to be working with her at last on Finding Alice.”
The Durrells writer Simon Nye added: “I am relishing tackling a big, emotional, contemporary subject. And who better to do it with than the amazing Keeley and legendary director/writer Roger Goldby, having survived working with them on The Durrells.”
The official synopsis reads: “[Harry’s] accidental sudden death kicks up a storm of secrets and mess, debt, suspicion and criminality which Alice is forced to confront in order to survive.
“Harry dies after falling down the stairs when they move into their newly finished dream house. Harry designed it, so it’s weird and wonderful, and impractical, and one more disorientation for Alice, to go with her sense of loss and abandonment. Her beloved partner of 20 years is no more, and now she can’t open the garage doors.
“If that were her only problem… Men have a habit of hiding stuff that they don’t want to deal with, and Alice discovers that Harry was worse than most.”
Finding Alice begins filming in England in January.
The Durrells actor Josh O’Connor, who played Larry, recently hinted that the series could return at some point.
All four seasons of The Durrells are available on DVD on Amazon.