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Three Families: meet the cast of BBC One drama 

Three Families looks at the issue of abortion in Northern Ireland 

TV & Film Editor
May 10, 2021

BBC One's new hard-hitting dramaThree Families is set to air on Monday night, and will look at the true stories of three different women and their families in Northern Ireland surrounding the issue of abortion - but who is in the cast, and where have you seen them before? Find out here... 

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Sinéad Keenan - Theresa 

Sinéad is perhaps best known for her roles in Little Boy Blue and Being Human. Chatting about the upcoming drama, she told the BBC: "Coming from where I do, I’ve always been keenly aware of abortion laws.

WATCH: Check out the trailer for Three Families here

"In 2018 the abortion ban in Ireland was overturned by an incredibly convincing referendum. And yet, women in Northern Ireland continue to languish behind with regard to what services are available to them. 

"I’ve known women who have had to travel to England, some with fatal foetal abnormalities. The lack of compassion involved in making a woman travel at what must be one of their darkest hours, eludes me."

Lola Petticrew - Orla 

Lola is best known for starring in Bloodlands as Izzy Brannick, and is set to star in the upcoming series Anne Boleyn as Jane Seymour. Chatting about filming the show, she said: "It was so important to me that I did this character and this person justice. Shooting days were long and very emotional. Not to mention shooting in the middle of a lockdown with all the restrictions. But the amazing cast and wonderful crew all put in so much hard work and we kept each other in good spirits." 

Amy James-Kelly - Hannah 

Amy is best known for her roles as Suzannah Washington in Gentleman Jack and Jenny in Netflix's Safe. Speaking about playing Hannah, she explained: "Passion and tenacity were huge things for Hannah and I find those in my own life. Also the one phrase that was thrown around a lot between myself, the director and the writer was 'ray of sunshine' - she does everything wholeheartedly with such love, even in her darkest days. That's the kind of person we all want to be really, isn't it." 

Colin Morgan - Jonathan 

Colin is best known for his roles in Merlin and Humans, as well as The Fall and Doctor Who. In the show, he plays a father-to-be who discovers the unborn baby has a fatal foetal abnormality. He said: "The unimaginable rollercoaster of emotions that any hopeful parent experiences in the midst of receiving such devastating news of a fatal foetal abnormality is a hard place to go, I think we all realised that going into this project, it wasn't going to be easy.

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"And from my point of view I do look for the uncomfortable choices. Jonathan and Hannah go on quite a journey together and I knew it would be a tough but rewarding one."

Owen McDonnell - Mark 

Owen is perhaps best known for playing Eve's husband Niko in Killing Eve. Speaking about the show, he said: "I hope that audiences will understand that decisions relating to abortion are personal. That all viewpoints should be respected and that there are no easy decisions when faced with these choices." 

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