Dawn French to star in ITV comedy drama Glass Houses

Friday 1st March 2019, 9:38am

Dawn French

ITV has commissioned a new comedy drama starring Dawn French.

Glass Houses is set in a picturesque small coastal town in South Devon with a close-knit community. It follows the stories and fall out for Maggie Connors (played by The Vicar Of Dibley star) who doesn't pay attention to the cautionary adage that 'those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones'.

The six-part series has been written by Mark Brotherhood, who has also worked on Shameless, Mount Pleasant, Benidorm and Cold Feet.

The show will also star Mark Heap, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Vicki Pepperdine and Patrick Robinson, with more casting to be announced nearer transmission.

The producers explains: "Maggie is a central character in town who makes it her business to know a bit about everyone's lives. When a radio journalist interviews her for a small reportage piece about local life she gives him far more detail (and embellishment) about the locals and their personal lives than he was counting on. In the days and weeks following the show's broadcast, Maggie sees the butterfly effect of how her very public gossip-fest affects various figures around the town and disrupts their lives.

"Maggie has been happily married to headmaster Peter (played by Mark Heap) for nearly 40 years, and their son Jamie and his wife Becka live nearby. Other notable residents include Maggie's best friend Jill (played by Julie Hesmondhalgh), Brian the publican, school secretary Karen (played by Vicki Pepperdine), the town's GP Carol, local shopkeepers Emil and Roxanna, and Kelly who works in the hair salon. Also part-time resident is the handsome Marcus (played by Patrick Robinson), who rents a cottage to write his best-selling novels."

Saskia Schuster, ITV's Comedy Controller, says: "Glass Houses is a new drama in the tradition of Doc Martin and The Darling Buds Of May, full of warmth and intriguing characters. This new series will embrace its beautiful idyllic South Devon setting as we meet the villagers of Thurlbury and find out how an innocent afternoon spent indiscreetly gossiping has a domino effect on the whole village."

Sophie Clarke-Jervoise from Genial Productions comments: "We're delighted to be making Glass Houses for ITV - it's a cautionary tale for anyone wanting to gain popularity by passing on unfounded gossip and Mark Brotherhood's scripts are packed full of intrigue, comedy and suspense."

Dawn French lives in Cornwall and has previously starred in the Cornish-set shows Wild West and Delicious. She comments: "Sophie and I have been developing Glass Houses for some time and I can't wait to finally get started in front of the camera. It's such a good story with a fantastic funny, touching script by Mark Brotherhood. Let me at it!"

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