The six-part thriller is currently being filmed in Malta and will air later this year.
Angela Griffin, Jo Joyner and Tamzin Outhwaite will lead Channel 5's new six-part mystery drama, The Wives. Promising to be a compulsive drama, full of guilty pleasure, it follows the unravelling of one family in a summer that changes all their lives.
Last year, four sisters-in-law and their families escaped to their Maltese holiday apartments, as they’ve done every summer for fifteen years.
Sylvie Morgan, played by Tamzin Outhwaite, was happily married and is now single
and loving life, Natasha Morgan, played by Angela Griffin was swimming in wealth and Beth Morgan, played by Jo Joyner, is barely keeping her life together.
Sylvia and Annabelle were thick as thieves, but this year, as they come together again, everything is different. Sylvie’s now single and loving life, Natasha’s hiding a desperate financialsituation, Beth is barely keeping her life together and Annabelle is well... dead.
Christine Bottomley stars as Annabelle Morgan and when his widower Charlie, played by Jamie Bamber, arrives with a new woman in tow, Beth tries to be happy for them. But something doesn’t sit right. Charlie's new girlfriend Jade, played by Katie Clarkson-Hill, looks exactly like Annabelle.
Beth’s plans to have a great summer are quickly scuppered by Charlie’s odd behaviour, and her suspicion that there is more to Annabelle’s death is heightened.
With lies coming to light and evidence building, the women work together and against each other to unravel the mystery and bring the culprit to justice. But with corrupt officials, drug cartels and career criminals closer to home than ever expected, have they bitten off more than they can chew?
The Wives will also star Ben Willbond as eldest Morgan brother and Beth’s husband, Frankie Morgan. Jonathan Forbes will play Natasha’s loving husband Sean Morgan, Catriona Chandler will play Annabelle and Charlie’s daughter, Sky Morgan and Louis Boyer will play charming local businessman Luca Vella with Ajay Chhabra as consulate official Vinay Taneja.
Speaking about the new series, Angela Griffin said "What a dream to work on The Wives. With Tamzin Outhwaite and Jo Joyner on screen, and Helen Black, Claire Tailyour and Paulette Randall part of the creative force, the incredible female presence in front and behind the camera was a huge draw."
"The scripts are full of warmth, female friendship, humour, with a huge whodunnit in the middle…. And on top of all of that it’s set in Malta. I feel really lucky to be a part of this project and to be playing Natasha, who has found herself carrying a secret she’s desperately trying to hide."
To whch Jo Joyner added "I’m so pleased to be working with Gaumont and in Malta again on The Wives, an exciting female led thriller. I’ve become so fond of Malta and its warm and welcoming people, coupled with working with this great cast, not least of all Angela Griffin and Tamzin Outhwaite, this is going to be a fantastic piece. I can’t wait to get started."
And Tamzin Outhwaite said "I am thrilled to be playing Sylvie alongside the rest of this brilliant cast! The Wives is set to be filled with lots of drama and even more beautiful Malta scenery, I can’t wait for Channel 5 audiences to be swept away on the adventure."
Written and created by Helen Black, with episodes by Ciara Conway and Jamie Jackson, The Wives, produced by Gaumont (in association with Banijay Rights for international distribution), will be directed by Claire Tailyour and and Paulette Randall, produced by Margot Gavan Duffy and executive produced by Jess Connell and Alison Jackson.
The Wives will air later this year on Channel 5