The Crown producer Left Bank, ITV and BritBox have found their Jane Andrews and Sarah Ferguson for The Lady.
BAFTA-winning How to Have Sex breakout Mia McKenna-Bruce will play the former royal aide and dresser who was convicted of murder, while Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer is Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. Ed Spellers (Outlander) will play Thomas Cressman, Andrews’ former partner who she was convicted of murdering in 2001. The series will also feature Philip Glenister, Claire Skinner, Laura Aikman, Ophelia Lovibond, Mark Stanley, Daniel Ryan and Sean Teale.
Revealed by Deadline several months back, The Lady charts the rise and fall of former royal dresser Andrews, whose rags to riches fairytale fell apart when she was convicted of murder. The trial generated serious press interest. Andrews was released from jail six years ago.
McKenna-Bruce’s star has risen since she broke out in Molly Manning Walker’s How to Have Sex. She is leading Netflix’s upcoming The Seven Dials Mystery, which is based on the Agatha Christie novel, while we recently revealed the BAFTA Rising Star has replaced Riley Keough in Claire Denis’ The Cry of the Guards. Dormer, who broke out as Anne Boleyn in Showtime’s The Tudors, is best known for playing Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones and Cressida in The Hunger Games franchise.
Based on true events surrounding Andrews’ story, the partly fictionalized drama is Left Bank’s first royal project since Netflix smash The Crown concluded, and today’s casting anno comes soon after Left Bank announced the hire of BBC content boss Charlotte Moore to run the day to day, with founder Andy Harries segueing to exec chair.
Debbie O’Malley (Payback, Humans, Harlots) has written all four scripts and will executive produce The Lady. Florence Haddon-Cave (Everything Now, Quiz, The Crown) will produce the series while EPs for Left Bank are Creative Director Sian McWilliams, Harries and Rebecca Hodgson. Award-winning director, Lee Haven Jones (The Feast, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, Passenger) will direct the series. Sony Pictures Television will distribute The Lady internationally.
Polly Hill will oversee production on behalf of ITV, with Jess O’Riordan and Stephen Nye, Senior Commissioning Executive, overseeing for BritBox. Robert Schildhouse (President, BritBox North America & General Manager, BritBox International), Jess O’Riordan and Stephen Nye executive produce on behalf of BritBox and Hill for ITV.
