‘Peaky Blinders’ star is playing Prime Minister in new thriller for PBS and BBC

Helen McCrory has joined the cast of a major new political thriller series.

Best known as Aunt Polly in Peaky Blinders, McCrory will play the fictional Prime Minister, Dawn Ellison, in Roadkill.

The Harry Potter actress will star alongside Hugh Laurie (House), Patricia Hodge (A Very English Scandal) and Olivia Vinall (The Woman in White).

The official synopsis reads: “Roadkill [tells the story of] Peter Laurence (Hugh Laurie), a self-made, forceful and charismatic politician. Peter’s public and private life seems to be falling apart – or rather is being picked apart by his enemies.

“As the personal revelations spiral, he is shamelessly untroubled by guilt or remorse, expertly walking a high wire between glory and catastrophe as he seeks to further his own agenda whilst others plot to bring him down.

“However events show just how hard it is, for both an individual and a country, to leave the past behind. With enemies so close to home, can Peter Laurence ever out-run his own secrets to win the ultimate prize?”

Roadkill will air in 2020 on BBC One in the UK and on Masterpiece on PBS in the US.

Written by David Hare (The White Crow), the four-part drama is currently filming in London, England.

Hare commented: “The casting of Roadkill illustrates the extraordinary depth and range newly on show in British film acting. Hugh Laurie is leading a great ensemble.”

The Roadkill cast also includes Pip Torrens (Poldark), Sidse Babett Knudsen (Westworld), Saskia Reeves (Us), Sarah Greene (Dublin Murders), Ophelia Lovibond (W1A), Iain De Caestecker (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D), Katie Leung (Chimerica),  Pippa Bennett-Warner (Harlots), Shalom Brune-Franklin (Our Girl), Millie Brady (The Last Kingdom) and Danny Ashok (Deep Water).

Helen McCrory is expected to begin filming the sixth season of Peaky Blinders next year.

Peaky Blinders is available on DVD on Amazon.