Natalie Dormer leads cast of BBC Two period drama The Woman in Red

Natalie Dormer (Hunger Games, Game of Thrones, The Tudors) is to play the lead role of Lady Seymour Worsley in a one off drama for BBC Two, The Woman In Red.

Billed as a ‘gripping 18th century factual drama’, the 90-minute production will detail the scandalous life of Lady Worsley, who dared to leave her husband and elope with his best friend.

“I am thrilled to be playing a woman who was so ahead of her time. Though our story is set in the 18th century, it challenges and explores the issues still fully relevant today of freedom and equality. To be home in London shooting with such a talented ensemble in front and behind the camera is a real treat.” – Dormer

Produced by Wall to Wall Media and directed by Sheree Folkson for BBC Two, the untold true story of Lady Worsley is brought to life by award-winning writer David Eldridge who based his screenplay on author Hallie Rubenhold’s book ‘Lady Worsley’s Whim’. The book is inspired by the full length oil painting of Lady Worsley that hangs in Harewood House in Yorkshire. She is depicted wearing a bright red riding habit.

“It’s terrific to add The Woman in Red to BBC Two’s powerful tradition of creating factual dramas, from The Challenger to Wipers Times, which bring to life remarkable true stories. It is an almost unbelievable tale of a woman – Lady Seymour Worsley – whose audacity and risk-taking stood against the currents of her time, and I’m delighted to have attracted such strong talent both on and off screen to make it.” – Controller of BBC Two, Kim Shillinglaw

Starring alongside Dormer in the drama will be Shaun Evans (Endeavour, The Lost Weekend) as Lady Worsley’s husband Sir Richard Worsley and Aneurin Barnard (Cilla, The White Queen) as Captain George Bisset with whom she elopes.

The Woman in Red was commissioned by Maxine Watson, the BBC’s Commissioning Editor for Documentaries and Lucy Richer who occupies the same role in drama. It will air on BBC Two in 2015.