The Party has landed on ITV, starring Luke Evans, Tom Cullen and Joanna Scanlan. The five-part drama, based on author Elizabeth Day's bestselling 2017 book of the same name, centres on political journalist Martin Gilmour (played by Luke Evans), who attends the lavish 40th birthday celebration of his closest friend Ben (Tom Cullen). However, it becomes apparent there's a complex history between the pair, and Martin finds himself arrested following an incident at the party, though the precise details of what occurred remain undisclosed.
Scanlan on making Sylvia more human
The cast includes Slow Horses and The Larkins actress Joanna Scanlan, who has discussed how she was instructed to depict Martin's religious mother Sylvia quite differently from the book.
Speaking to ITV, Scanlan explained: "Sylvia is a very sympathetic character. She's not so sympathetic in the book, but I was told to make her more of a human being."
"I know that one of the things Sarah [Solemani] said was that in the TV version she just didn't necessarily want to make the mother the source of the problem, in the way of 'chercher la femme'."
Exploring parental frustration
"As Sylvia isn't a villainess, I had to find something else to do with the character," Scanlan added.
"So I explored that frustration that you have as a parent of wanting the best for your child and at the same time, knowing you're losing them in the process."
Broadcast schedule and finale
The five-part drama launched this weekend, with its second and third instalments broadcast on Monday, October 12, and Tuesday, October 13, at 9pm.
The official synopsis for tonight's instalment states: "Under emotional pressure from a frantic Ben, Martin must decide how far he's prepared to go to bury the secret from their past and save his best friend."
Viewers will need to wait slightly longer for the final two episodes of The Party. These will be shown at the weekend across two successive evenings from Sunday, October 18, followed by the concluding episode on Monday, October 19. The Party is available to watch on ITV and ITVX.
