Sarah Parish Returns To Small Screen In Mistresses

Sarah Parish, Orla Brady, Sharon Small and Shelley Conn; four of the UK’s leading actresses are set to star in the much anticipated drama from Ecosse Films for BBC ONE. Mistresses is a refreshingly sexy, sophisticated and modern take on the lives of four women and their involvement in an array of illicit and complex relationships.

Currently being filmed in Bristol, Mistresses is a contemporary drama which recounts the lives of four thirty-something friends who each have a different experience of infidelity and love: devoted mistress; wronged wife; unwitting instigator; bed hopper. The tangled web of love and deceit envelops all four with life changing revelations and proving that life is not always greener on the other side.

Katie (Parish) is a well respected GP and the rock of the group. She has had an affair with a terminally ill patient for the last two years. Yet, despite being the group’s confidante, she cannot reveal this burdensome secret to her friends.

Trudi (Small) is a 9/11 widow, unable to achieve closure as the body of her husband, Paul, was never found. She is trying to bring up their two daughters on her own whilst struggling with her conscience and coming to terms with her desire to move on with her life. Following a ‘barren period’ lasting several years, Trudi thinks she may actually have been ‘asked out’ and finds herself regressing back to being an awkward teen on a string of disastrous dates with the very handsome, single dad Richard (Patrick Baladi, Party Animals).

Siobhan (Brady) seems to be living in wedded bliss with husband, Hari (Raza Jaffery, Spooks), whilst following a successful career as a lawyer. The only problem is that her sex life has become less about ‘making love’ and more about ‘making babies’. The prospect of some red hot passion and unable to control the frisson of chemistry with flirtatious colleague, Dominic (Adam Rayner, In the Line of Beauty), she soon finds herself on the precipice of potential self-destruction.

Jessica (Conn) is a gorgeous, fun loving, straight-talking commitment-phobe whose insatiable and adventurous sexual appetite makes her attractive to many men and a mistress to many, including her prat of a boss ‘simple’ Simon (Adam Astill). Her commitment to her friends is unshakable but Jessica shirks at any mention of the c-word in a relationship and marriage is the last thing on her ‘to do’ list in life; an irony that’s not lost on her when Simon asks her to organise a wedding for, Lisa (XX) and Alex (Anna Torv, The Secret Life of Us).

Douglas Rae, executive producer for Ecosse Films says: “This is a bold, provocative series which takes a controversial look at the emotions and complexities of affairs within marriage. We are thrilled to have such an extraordinarily talented cast to bring these complex characters to life."

Producer and co-creator, Lowri Glain says: “SJ [Clarkson, co-creator] and I asked the question ‘does anybody want to be a mistress?’. We wanted to explore flawed characters and how they deal with the consequences of their actions.”

Julie Gardner, Head of Drama Wales says: “Mistresses is a moving, witty and modern drama about four close friends whose lives are complicated by men, sex and love. Mistresses explores all that is wonderful about friendship and love, and all that is dark and painful about extra-marital affairs. We are thrilled to have it for BBC ONE."

Mistresses will transmit later this year on BBC ONE.