“What we can’t get our head around is why we’re so fucking killable?” This quote sums up both the message of the BBC’s new one-off drama Maryland, and how so many of us feel about the ongoing violence inflicted on women. The 25-minute show by award-winning writer Lucy Kirkwood is the TV adaptation of her 2021 play shown at the Royal Court – a fictional show but inspired by real-life events, including the murders of Sarah Everard, Bibaa Henry, Nicole Smallman and Sabina Nessa. It sees Hayley Squires (Adult Material, The Essex Serpent) and Zawe Ashton (Fresh Meat, The Handmaid’s Tale) both playing women called Mary, who meet while they’re at a police station to report their sexual assault by the same man, and whose stories are soundtracked by a searing chorus of Furies.
“Maryland is not a fun watch, but neither is it supposed to be,” says Stylist’s entertainment director Helen Bownass. “It touches on many of the things we have normalised to keep ourselves safe: walking with keys between fingers, questioning ourselves for being out alone at night. With women’s lives continuing to be threatened on a daily basis – just this month, both Zara Aleena and Hina Bashir lost their lives – it’s depressingly urgent viewing for every single person.” 10pm tonight, BBC Two and iPlayer