Alison Steadman , Peter Davison , Adrian Lester , Victoria Hamilton, Rachael Stirling and a host of British acting talent will star in Life, an enthralling new drama which has begun filming in Manchester.

Created and written by Mike Bartlett and produced by Drama Republic for BBC One, the six part drama follows the stories of the residents in a large house in Manchester divided into flats. As each of the four separate, relatable yet surprising strands unfold, they tell a larger story about what happens when we decide to step out of our own personal space and take a closer look into other people’s lives. Life explores love, loss, birth, death, the ordinary, the extraordinary and everything in between.

Gail (Alison Steadman), married to Henry (Peter Davison), is about to celebrate her 70th birthday when a chance encounter throws her whole life into question.

David (Adrian Lester) is happily married to Kelly (Rachael Stirling), but is conflicted by temptation when he meets the impulsive Saira (Saira Choudhry) on holiday.

Pilates teacher Belle’s (Victoria Hamilton), neatly ordered life is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of her chaotic 15 year old niece Maya (Erin Kellyman).

Heavily pregnant Hannah (Melissa Johns) – who is happily coupled up with safe and stable Liam (Joshua James) – has her plans upended by the return of Andy (Calvin Demba), with whom she had a passionate one-night stand nine months previously….

Alison Steadman said: “Mike Bartlett is a brilliant writer and has created an extraordinary character in Gail. I’m delighted to be playing her in Life.”

Mike Bartlett said: “This show is all about a group of remarkable characters with unexpected desires and hidden secrets, in search of something beyond their everyday lives. It’s just wonderful to have this fantastic cast to tell those stories, and to be working again with Drama Republic for the BBC.”

Ben Irving, Executive Producer for BBC One said: “It’s fitting that such an exceptional ensemble cast should be drawn together by Mike Bartlett’s extraordinary scripts. This is a beautiful, tender, funny, and unexpected emotional rollercoaster of a show and we can’t wait to bring it to audiences on BBC One.”

Roanna Benn and Jude Liknaitzky, Executive Producers for Drama Republic added: “We are so happy to be reunited with Mike post Doctor Foster and cannot wait to see his stories about the bigness, smallness and uncontrollable nature of life come alive in the hands of this exceptional cast.”

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