‘The Pursuit of Love’ trailer: Lily James stars in BBC’s new period drama
The first trailer has been released for The Pursuit of Love.
The new three-part adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s classic 1945 novel begins this weekend in the UK.
Based on the first in Mitford’s comedic trilogy of books about an upper-class English family between the First and Second World Wars, The Pursuit of Love is a romantic comedy-drama about love and friendship.
32-year-old English actress Lily James, best known as Lady Rose in Downton Abbey, leads the cast as Linda Radlett.
The all-star cast also features Dominic West (Les Misérables), Emily Beecham (Cruella), Dolly Wells (Dracula), and Andrew Scott (Sherlock).
They’re joined by Beattie Edmondson (Josh), Assaad Bouab (Messiah), Shazad Latif (Penny Dreadful), and Freddie Fox (White House Farm).
The new adaptation has been written by English actress and screenwriter Emily Mortimer (Hugo, Mary Poppins Returns).
Lily James commented last year: “It’s great to be working with Emily. Her brilliant scripts bring new life to this story – full of love, full of friendship, very moving and sad in places, but also funny and true to life.”
The official synopsis reads: “Set in Europe between the two World Wars, the story follows the adventures and misadventures of the charismatic and fearless Linda Radlett (Lily James) and her best friend and cousin Fanny Logan.
“Consumed by a desire for love and marriage, the two women are on the hunt for the ideal husband. Their friendship is put to the test as Fanny settles for a steady life and Linda decides to follow her heart, to increasingly wild and outrageous places.
“As social and political divisions split the nation, their diverging choices raise personal questions that remain intensely relevant today – questions about freedom, about love and sex, and the mystery of the human heart.”
Watch the trailer:
The Pursuit of Love premieres in the UK at 9pm on Sunday 9th May on BBC One.
All three episodes will then be up for streaming on BBC iPlayer.
The series will be available to watch elsewhere in the world on Amazon Prime Video later in 2021.
Nancy Mitford’s Love in a Cold Climate was adapted by the BBC twenty years ago, starring Rosamund Pike and Celia Imrie, and previously with Judi Dench in 1980.
The much-anticipated Downton Abbey sequel movie started shooting earlier this month.
We’ll have to wait and see if Lily James will be reprising her role as Lady Rose this time around though, after she was unable to appear in the first film.
Nancy Mitford’s original novel is available on Amazon.