Suranne Jones is back on our screens for a brand new drama and it looks like it's going to be an emotional watch. The Gentleman Jack actress will be starring in the leading role alongside Eve Best in ITV's Maryland, a three-part drama that focuses on the relationship between two sisters.
But did you know that the story behind the new series has been loosely inspired by Suranne's own heartbreaking family tragedy? The Vigil star opened up about the sad loss she faced which helped her create Maryland. Here's all you need to know…
Is Maryland based on a true story?
Maryland is not explicitly based on a true story, however, Suranne has opened up about how her own experiences with grief and loss played a part in the creation of Maryland.
In an interview with The Sun, she explained: "It's no secret that I've lost both of my parents, so obviously I know grief and that was a huge part of our conversations and what that does to someone.
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"It's either going to come or people have experienced it, and this show doesn't deal with it quickly, it deals with it over three episodes, the stages of grief. There's humour in it and it's not an easy, straightforward ride. You don't get a blueprint of how you're going to feel."
The Doctor Foster star continued: "Knowing sickness, knowing illness, knowing grief, knowing death was a huge part of it and I think we're both really proud of how that turned out." Suranne sadly lost her mum Jenny in 2016 to dementia, while her father, Chris, died in 2021 from a coronavirus-related illness.
© Eoin HollandWhat is Maryland on ITV about?
Suranne plays Rebecca who, along with her sister Rosaline (Eve Best), is dealing with the sudden loss of their mother after her body is found on the Isle of Man. The sisters reunite, having grown apart in recent years, to deal with the death and come to terms with what really happened to their mum.
As the synopsis explains, they arrive in a place they have never been before "and with no idea why their mother was there, the sisters begin to unravel the long-held secrets of a woman they thought they knew, whilst keeping their own secrets from each other.
"Confined on the island and forced to face the life-changing consequences of their mother's decisions, can Becca and Rosaline learn to love and respect one another all over again?"
© Eoin HollandWho stars in ITV's Maryland?
As well as Suranne and Eve in the cast, Maryland has plenty of other familiar faces. Playing their father, Richard, is fellow Gentleman Jack star George Costigan. Viewers will also recognise George from his recent stint in Happy Valley and from Line of Duty.
Meanwhile, Grease legend and The West Wing actress Stockard Channing also appears in the cast as Cathy, Becca and Eve's larger than life friend on the island. Hugh Quarshie, Dean Lennox Kelly and Andrew Knott also star.
See more photos of Maryland...
© PATRICK REDMOND
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