Broadcaster’s latest social justice project is developed with Eccleston family

In its latest dive into the realm of social justice factual drama, ITV has ordered a series exploring the real-life story of a woman who survived a joint suicide pact with her husband of almost 60 years and was subsequently arrested and charged with his murder.

Four-part Mavis Eccleston is penned by The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe screenwriter Chris Lang, with Bruce Goodison (Murdered by My Father, Then Barbara Met Alan) directing and Kate Cook (The Interrogation of Tony Martin) producing. The series hails from Corestar Media and Goodison and Cook’s Indefinite Films.

The series unpacks the complicated emotions of the eponymous character Mavis, her husband Dennis and their adult children, Kevin and Joy.

When 81-year-old Dennis received a terminal cancer diagnosis, he declined treatment to avoid prolonging his suffering having already had cancer twice. This led to Mavis and Dennis’ decision to end their lives together, much to the anguish of their children.

Having taken an overdose together, they are rushed to hospital where Dennis passes away. However, Mavis survives, and the police are alerted, leading to her arrest and the prospect of spending the rest of her life in prison.

Penelope Wilton and Jonathan Pryce will play the central roles of Mavis and Dennis.

The project came about after actor Tom Brittney (Grantchester) gained the trust and confidence of the Eccleston family and brought the project to Corestar.

“I felt their story, told with care and humanity, could be a powerful drama and a worthy contribution to a debate that remains urgent and deeply complex,” said Brittney, who collaborated on the development of the series. “Having worked with ITV, I knew they’d be the perfect home as an institution that champions powerful, social justice stories.”

Eccleston and her family gave their blessing for the drama and have fed into Lang and the production team throughout the script process.

The drama was ordered by ITV’s director of drama Polly Hill who will oversee the production from the broadcaster’s perspective. She thanked Corestar and Indefinite Films for “entrusting Mavis Eccleston to ITV where important, socially relevant stories can be told and brought to the attention of a mass audience.”

ITV’s track record in social justice drama includes hit Mr Bates vs The Post Office and it currently working up a series on the infected blood scandal.

The exec producers are Corestar Media managing director Richard Hart, Ross Murray, Brittney and Goodison for Indefinite. Lang also serves as an exec producer.

The drama is backed by production financing from UK-based Calculus Media, with international sales and distribution being handled by James Durie and Richard Tulk-Hart’s newly formed Highroad Entertainment.

Hart said: “As a company, we feel incredibly privileged to be a part of telling the Ecclestons’ story. From the first meeting Chris had with the family, I felt he understood them completely and the overwhelming adversity of their story.”

Calculus chief John Glencross added: “The series deals with issues of enormous consequence that our society is discussing today, and we are so proud to be a part of such a significant story.”

Mavis Eccleston will begin filming in Bristol in June this year.