Irish actors Denise Gough and Owen McDonnell are to star in Paula, Dublin playwright Conor McPherson's new revenge thriller for the BBC.
The three-part series follows Gough's titular character through the fallout from a one-night stand with "a good-looking but dangerous ducker and diver". The cast also includes Victoria and Dare to Be Wild star Tom Hughes.
BBC Northern Ireland Drama will begin filming Paula in Belfast next month and it will be screened on BBC Two. Director Alex Holmes, whose credits include Coalition and House of Saddam, will be behind the lens.
Gough, who hails from Co Clare, won Best Actress at the Olivier Awards earlier this year for her performance in People, Places and Things in London's West End. Galway man McDonnell's other screen credits include Single-Handed, An Klondike and An Bronntanas.
Seán T Ó Meallaigh in An Klondike
Having previously starred in McPherson's adaptation of The Birds at Dublin's Gate Theatre, Gough has described her character in his new work as "a brilliantly complex woman".
"He's written a script that I know all of us involved feel very privileged to be part of bringing to life," she said.
"Exploring new ways to tell stories is always an inspiring challenge and the opportunity to weave a drama across three evenings is one I have enjoyed immensely," added McPherson, whose other stage credits include The Seafarer and The Weir.
Having made his screen debut with the script for 1997's Brendan Gleeson and Peter McDonald-starring I Went Down, McPherson went on to write and direct The Eclipse, The Actors and Saltwater. He has recently worked on the upcoming big screen adaptation of author Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series, which will be directed by Kenneth Branagh.
