This year has seen a glut of small screen thrillers dismantling the myth of the ‘perfect life’, from I Am Victoria to Hollington Road. But ITV’s new six-part drama Angela Black takes it one step further. Starting Sunday night, Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey, Liar) stars as as the title character, who from the outside looks like she has it all: a gorgeous house, a handsome husband Olivier (The Flight Attendant’s Michiel Huisman) and two cute kids – but it’s soon revealed that her marriage is deeply abusive. Olivier controls her, manipulates her and attacks her, yet she feels unable to escape. But when she meets private investigator Ed (Samuel Adewunmi), who reveals even more horrifying truths about her husband, it’s abundantly clear Angela needs to find a way out.
“Women’s Aid worked closely with the creators of this psychological thriller on the depictions and impact of the abuse which is, at times, shocking – but with the horrific rise of domestic violence cases during lockdown, it’s important to confront,” says Stylist’s entertainment director Helen Bownass. “The story is full of twists and turns, as you might expect if you’ve seen Harry and Jack Williams’ previous work (The Missing, Baptiste) – after watching the first two episodes, I’m very intrigued to see where it goes next.” Starts 9pm Sunday on ITV