BBC One has announced the cast for a new adaptation of Louise Doughty’s best-selling psychological thriller, Apple Tree Yard.

Written by Amanda Coe (Room at the Top, Shameless), the four-part adaptation from the makers of Broadchurch and Humans is described as “a provocative, audacious thriller that puts women’s lives at the heart of a gripping, insightful story about the values we live by and the choices we make.”

Apple Tree Yard will star Emily Watson (A Song For Jenny) as Yvonne Carmichael and Ben Chaplin (Mad Dogs) as Mark Costley, alongisde Mark Bonnar (Line Of Duty), Adeel Akhtar (River), Lydia Leonard (Life In Squares), Frances Tomelty (Unforgotten) and Rhashan Stone (Strike Back).

Emily Watson commented: “I am both relishing and daunted by the prospect of taking on this role; it’s grown up, steamy and of queasy moral complexity.”

Executive producer Manda Levin, teased: “The role of Yvonne Carmichael is a thrilling psychological rollercoaster that requires an actress to traverse an incredible range of emotional states. Wherever Emily Watson has to go in her work – even the darkest places, exploring the most hidden parts of ourselves – she always takes us with her, because she brings truth, spirit and heart to every character she plays.”

Writer Amanda Coe added: “Apple Tree Yard is that rare thing, a perfectly executed page-turner that’s also a gripping exploration of the difficult moral choices we face in adult relationships.”

The official synopsis reads: “Married with two grown-up children, Yvonne Carmichael (Emily Watson) lives a contented, conventional suburban life. But her world spirals into chaos, when a chance encounter leads to an impulsive and passionate affair with a charismatic stranger (Ben Chaplin).

“Despite all her careful plans to keep her home life and career safe and separate from her affair, fantasy and reality soon begin to overlap and everything she values is put at risk, as a life-changing act of violence leads to a Crown Court trial.

“Yvonne’s downward trajectory is searingly realised; hers is a life ripped apart as the consequence of one, single, spur-of-the-moment decision. A decision any one of us might make.”

Are you looking forward to Apple Tree Yard? Let us know below…