ITV’s ambitious new project, First Woman, is evolving into a high-profile international lunar thriller with the addition of Jennifer Ehle and Alex Hassell to its cast.
A co-production between Mammoth Screen and Alcon Television Group, the six-part series stars Andrea Riseborough as Claire Reith, a biologist who makes history as the first woman to set foot on the moon. However, her groundbreaking achievement turns into a terrifying mystery when she vanishes, casting suspicion on her fellow crew members and a rival Chinese lunar base. Meanwhile, the narrative switches back to Earth, where Claire’s husband Ben (Ashley Walters) desperately tries to uncover the truth behind her disappearance from hundreds of thousands of miles away.
The cast is further bolstered by Jennifer Ehle, who portrays Helen Sadler, an investigator with the UK Space Flight Authority, and Alex Hassell as Prime Minister Christopher Scott, a pragmatic leader whose political standing becomes increasingly precarious as the lunar crisis deepens. Currently filming in Belfast, the production utilizes Studio Ulster, the UK’s most advanced virtual production facility, to create a hyper-realistic lunar landscape and moonbase.
Directed by Emmy and BAFTA winner Philip Martin and written by Lydia Yeoman and George Oakes, First Woman is set to air on ITV1 and STV, while streaming on ITVX and STV Player, promising a high-stakes race against time that explores the depths of human relationships against the vast isolation of space.
