JIMMY AKINGBOLA, FRA FEE, KATHRYN GALLAGHER, SHAZAD LATIF, CHRISTIAN OCHOA LAVERNIA, AND BEN MILES JOIN THE CAST OF ITV’S PROPULSIVE LUNAR THRILLER, FIRST WOMAN
Jimmy Akingbola (Bel-Air, The Tower), Fra Fee (Unchosen, Lost Boys and Fairies), Kathryn Gallagher (Woman of the Hour, You), Shazad Latif (Wuthering Heights, Nautilus), Christian Ochoa Lavernia (In the Grey, Neuromancer), and Ben Miles (Andor, The Crown) have joined the cast of ITV’s propulsive, lunar thriller First Woman alongside previously announced Andrea Riseborough, Ashley Walters, Jennifer Ehle and Alex Hassell.
Created by Lydia Yeoman (Curfew) and George Oakes, from his original idea, and directed by Emmy and BAFTA winning Philip Martin, the six-part drama has been commissioned by ITV’s Director of Drama, Polly Hill, with production company Mammoth Screen, part of ITV Studios, commencing filming in Belfast.
A biologist taking part in a groundbreaking research project, Claire Reith (Andrea Riseborough) is the first woman to set foot on the moon, and her disappearance throws suspicion on her fellow astronauts and China’s rival base. With hundreds of thousands of miles between them, can her husband Ben (Ashley Walters) uncover the truth behind his wife's disappearance?
Jimmy Akingbola plays astronaut Dr Henry Evans, in charge of the nuclear reactor that sustains life on the moon. Fra Fee plays astronaut Dr Declan McAllister whose bullish demeanour puts him at loggerheads with Claire. Kathryn Gallagher plays Lucy Miller, a former NASA astronaut now working in Mission Control. Christian Ochoa Lavernia plays Gabriel Ross, commander of the moon mission. Shazad Latif plays Inesh Vidhani, the billionaire who is behind the space programme. Ben Miles plays mission director Peter Talbot, a former astronaut now running Mission Control.
With the action switching between Mission Control in the UK and the lunar surface, this is a race against time like no other, with the remaining astronauts under increasing pressure and Ben hoping against hope that he and his wife can be reunited. But how well can two people really know each other?