Three Families cast: Who stars in the BBC drama?
TELLY fans are getting excited for Three Families – a new two-part BBC drama based on the lifting of Northern Ireland’s restrictive abortion law.
The series will be shown on consecutive evenings on the BBC – but which famous faces will make an appearance?
Who’s in the cast of Three Families?
The three main characters are played by Being Human star Sinead Keenan, former Coronation Street regular Amy James-Kelly and Sci-Fi favourite Genevieve O’Reilly.
There are also supporting roles for Bloodlands actress Lola Petticrew and Merlin star Colin Morgan.
And there are roles for Killing Eve’s Niko Polastri, Line of Duty’s Prasanna Puwanarajah and another ex-Corrie star – Kerri Quinn.
Sinead Keenan
Keenan made guest appearances on Taggart and Doctors before landing the role of Nina Pickering on Being Human.
She’s since starred in Doctor Who, Silent Witness, London Irish, Uncle and Little Boy Blue – winning a Royal Television Society award for the latter performance.
Speaking to the BBC, Keenan, who plays Theresa, said: “The very fact these were real stories involving real people meant it had to be handled with the utmost sensitivity.
“The woman I play, Theresa, [not her real name] wanted her anonymity protected at all costs, such is the shame and stigma surrounding abortion in Northern Ireland.
“But she understood the necessity to have her and her daughter’s story told.”
Amy James-Kelly
James-Kelly rose to prominence after playing Maddie Heath on Coronation Street between 2013 and 2015.
Since leaving Corrie, she has starred in Jericho, Safe, The Bay and played Sarah in Military Wives.
James-Kelly, who plays Hannah, said: “Passion and tenacity were huge things for Hannah and I find those in my own life.
“Also the one phrase that was thrown around a lot between myself, the director and the writer was ‘ray of sunshine’ – she does everything wholeheartedly with such love, even in her darkest days.
“That’s the kind of person we all want to be really, isn’t it.”
Genevieve O’Reilly
O’Reilly has appeared in several Sci-Fi films, including The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Avatar, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Rogue One – as well as bio-pic Tolkien.
Her TV credits include Spooks, New Tricks, Episodes, Midsomer Murders and Star Wars Rebels.
O’Reilly, who plays Rosie, said: “I hope most women will identify and relate to Rosie, whether they have or don’t have children and no matter what side of the debate they fall on.
“She had to endure and, no doubt, continues to endure great pain and sadness. I think we can all relate to the idea that she and many women like her deserve our support and respect and kindness.”
Lola Petticrew
Petticrew is best known for playing Lucy in My Left Nut and Izzy Brannick in Bloodlands.
Her film credits include A Bump Along the Way – for which she won an award at the Galway Film Festival – Dating Amber, Here are the Young Men and Shadows.
Petticrew, who plays Orla, said: “It’s a subject matter that’s very personal and close to my heart. So I jumped at the chance to play Orla.
“I hope the audience will be able to see beyond numbers and see that all of the statistics are real people, in very real situations that need help.”
Colin Morgan
Morgan shot to fame in 2008 by playing the title character in Merlin, later having prominent roles in Humans and The Fall.
He often performs in theatre productions and has featured on the silver screen, starring in Legend, The Huntsman: Winter’s War and The Happy Prince.
Morgan, who plays Jonathan said: “Hope exists even in the depths of hopelessness, which unfortunately many couples face in Northern Ireland and these people are changed forever as a result of what they go through.
“But there are stories of resilience and joy and immense strength, Hannah and Jonathan’s story is one of those.”
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When is Three Families on BBC?
The first part of Three Families will be shown on BBC One on Monday, May 10 at 9pm.
The two-part series will conclude the following day at 9pm on the same channel.
If you miss the series, both episodes will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.