Adapted by playwright Tom Stoppard (Brazil, Shakespeare In Love) from the novels by Ford Madox Ford, the five-part drama is set from the twilight years of the Edwardian era to the end of the First World War.

The story follows English aristocrat Christopher Tietjens (Cumberbatch), his beautiful but wilful wife Sylvia (Hall), and Valentine Wannop, a young suffragette, played by Adelaide Clemens (Silent Hill: Revelation 3D).

The supporting cast includes Rupert Everett, Anne-Marie Duff, Roger Allam (The Queen), Stephen Graham (Boardwalk Empire), Clare Higgins (The Golden Compass), Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs), Freddie Fox (The Shadow Line), Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire), Tom Mison (One Day), Geoffrey Palmer (The Lost Christmas), Jamie Parker (The Hour), Steven Robertson (Red Riding) and Miranda Richardson (The Lost Prince).

Kary Antholis, president, HBO Miniseries, says: “The marriage of Tom Stoppard’s extraordinary scripts and Susanna White’s singular cinematic vision presented us with an irresistible opportunity. As we find ourselves approaching the centennial of the First World War, this work will resonate with contemporary audiences as a touchstone for the human effects of global social transformation.”

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