Call The Midwife star added to the cast of ITV’s new drama

ITV has announced additional cast members who will be starring in the recently commissioned drama, Marvis Eccleston.

Penelope Wilton, who starred in Downton Abbey as Isobel Merton, will be taking on the titular role alongside Jonathan Pryce, who can be seen in Slow Horses and The Crown and will be playing Marvis’ husband, Dennis Eccleston.

The four-part drama follows the “tragic and extraordinary” real-life story of a woman who survived a joint suicide pact with her husband and was subsequently arrested and charged with his murder.

Penelope Wilton from Dowton Abbey will be playing the titular role (Image: Ian West/PA Wire)

Who else will be starring in Marvis Eccleston?

Call The Midwife star Chris Reilly and Sian Brooke from Blue Lights will play the couple’s children, Kevin and Joy.

Darrell D’Silva and Jill Halfpenny will play Kenton and Tracey, the partners of Joy and Kevin.

The show has been written by Chris Lang, known for Unforgotten and The Thief, with all four episodes being directed by the BAFTA award-winning Bruce Goodison.

ITV has described the drama as a “complicated mix of raw and intense emotions”.

After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Dennis decides to decline treatment and end his life with his wife, Marvis, “much to the anguish and upset of their adult children”.

Dennis had cancer twice before and understood the “gruelling toll” the treatment would take on him and his family.

After being rushed to the hospital following an overdose, Dennis passes away, but Marvis survives and, after being interviewed by hospital staff, is arrested for his death.

The family now has to navigate their grief while dealing with the possibility of their mother going to prison.

The show is currently being filmed in Bristol.

Will you be watching Marvis Eccleston when it is released? Let us know in the comments below.