Rising Irish star Ella Lily Hyland has described her character Audrey Strange in BBC One's new Agatha Christie adaptation Towards Zero as "twisted, nihilistic, and hedonistic".
The new series begins on BBC One on Sunday 2 March at 9:00pm with murder-mystery fans promised: "An explosive love triangle, a formidable matriarch, and a house party of enemies. All compelled... Towards Zero."
Teeing up what's ahead, the BBC said: "England, 1936. After a scandalous celebrity divorce, British tennis star Nevile Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and his ex-wife Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland) make the unthinkable decision to spend a summer together at Gull's Point, their childhood home and the coastal estate of Nevile's aunt, Lady Tressilian (Anjelica Huston).
"With unfinished business between the former childhood sweethearts, plus the presence of Nevile's new wife Kay (Mimi Keene), tensions are running high.
"Add to this a long-suffering lady's companion, a mysterious gentleman's valet, an exiled cousin with a grudge, a venerable family lawyer, an inquisitive orphan, and a French con man, and soon there will be murder.
"A troubled detective must rediscover his purpose to untangle a toxic web of jealousy, deceit, and dysfunction. Can he solve the crime before another victim meets their death?"
"It's definitely in the genre of psychological thriller, but it also explores themes of sex, sexuality, and desire," Hyland told the BBC. "That's what makes it interesting. It's not just about rage and anger. It's about passion. At certain points it feels a bit like a Greek tragedy."
"She's very much a woman wronged," said Hyland of her character, Audrey. "I think she's in pursuit of her freedom because they have a very toxic, twisted, exhausting relationship dynamic."
"She has an ability to detach herself from her emotions," the Carlow actress continued.
"She's a pro at keeping her feelings at bay, which makes her quite cat-like. She's able to live in the moment, she's very instinctive. That gives her an element of power.
"She also knows Nevile way better than anyone in the world. She knows him inside out, all of his faults, everything that makes him vulnerable, fallible, and weak. As well as everything that makes him strong - or what he needs to make him feel strong and powerful."
"Agatha Christie stories are fascinating because they're a great study of how people lie," Hyland added.
"Everyone who watches them has a different idea of what honesty looks like. It's almost like The Traitors.
"What Agatha Christie does really cleverly is depict what facets of human nature our society is most comfortable with. It's like a mirror for the audience.
"That's what makes it really interesting - families fighting around the dinner table! It brings people together and evokes conversation."
Hyland's other credits include the spy thriller series Black Doves, the boxing drama A Thousand Blows, and the tennis drama Fifteen-Love.
Towards Zero, Sunday 2 March, BBC One, 9:00pm
