Angela Black, a psychological thriller starring Joanne Froggatt, premieres on Spectrum Originals February 7. There are six episodes.
Froggatt, known to viewers as Anna Bates from Downton Abbey, plays Angela, a mother in the suburbs of London with a seemingly enviable life. But things are not so positive. She’s trapped in an abusive relationship with her husband Olivier, played by Michiel Huisman. She’s approached by an enigmatic stranger, Ed, who is played by Samuel Adewunmi. Ed has some dark secrets to share about her husband and his plans.
Harry and Jack Williams of Two Brothers Pictures are executive producers, along with Christopher Aird, Two Brothers head of drama, and Sarah Hammond.
Aird said Froggatt, who spent years on British soap Coronation Street before Downton, is “a great combination of northern steel and vulnerability. She’s a very emotionally led actress, but she is quite controlled as well.”
Hitchcock is a major influence on Angela Black, according to Aird, with a handful of what he called “direct quotes” in the series that pay homage to the horror master. Some viewers may think of the opening of Psycho, for one, as they watch Angela Black.
It is indeed a dark show. Aird described it as “claustrophobic.” Viewers often say they want a bit of comfort food on TV in these troubling times, and that’s not what Angela Black offers.
“People definitely do watch TV to seek solace,” he conceded. “People also want to be challenged. They want unexpected stories and they want something that surprises them. I think this show definitely does.”
Angela Black premiered in the U.K. in October. Much of the U.K. was captivated by the murder, a year ago, of Sarah Everard in South London. A police officer who had arrested her pleaded guilty to her murder. That may have increased the level of viewer interest in the story of a woman facing domestic abuse.
Froggatt called the show an “important and timely story.” She previously starred in the Two Brothers series Liar, which aired on SundanceTV.
Aird said Harry and Jack Williams are often mistaken for twins. He described their relationship as “hand in glove, finishing each other’s sentences.”
One brother writes the first half of a script, he added, then the other brother writes the second half. “They can sometimes slip into a language that’s almost like speaking in a foreign tongue,” Aird said. “It’s their shorthand.”
Spectrum Originals series include the western Joe Pickett, the Michelle and Robert King drama The Bite and thriller Temple.
Aird is curious what American viewers will think of Angela Black. “I hope viewers see the journey of a woman who has been put under the most extraordinary duress by her husband, and get some insight into what it must be like to live with someone who essentially lies to you and manipulates you constantly,” Aird said, adding that he hopes that viewers are “entertained and surprised and shocked” as well. ■
