ITV to Tell the Tragic Real-Life Story of 'Mavis Eccleston'
ITV's latest true crime dramatization will ask uncomfortable quesitons about love and assisted dying.
ITV is set to bring a heartbreaking and timely tragedy to life with its latest true-crime dramatization, Mavis Eccleston. The four-part series will follow the story of the titular Mavis and her husband Dennis, a married couple of over sixty years, who made a joint suicide pact to end their lives in the wake of his diagnosis with terminal cancer. Both planned to overdose in 2018, but Mavis survived and was subsequently arrested and tried for her husband's murder.
Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey) and Jonathan Pryce (The Crown) will play Mavis and Dennis, with additional casting to be announced in due course. Both Eccleston and her family have given their blessing to the project and have been available to the production team throughout the script-writing process.
“Mavis was devoted to her husband, Dennis, their enduring love for each other clear to see to all," Wilton said in a statement. "They lived life on their own terms, and when the time came, she wanted to respect his wishes. The fact that she then faced the very real prospect of spending the rest of her life in prison for acting out of love is simply unimaginable. To be asked to bring her experience to life is a huge responsibility and true honor.”
The series' commission arrives at a fraught moment politically, as controversial legislation that would legalize assisted dying is currently making its way through the U.K. parliament.
Here's the series' synopsis.
Much to the anguish and upset of their adult children, Kevin and Joy, Mavis and Dennis decided to end their lives together when 81-year-old Dennis received a terminal cancer diagnosis and declined treatment to avoid prolonging his suffering. He’d had cancer twice before and knew the gruelling toll the invasive treatment would take on him and his family life.
Truly heartbreaking events unfold as the family desperately try to dissuade Dennis and Mavis from taking a lethal cocktail of medication, but they remain steadfast in their belief that they should leave the world together.
Having taken an overdose together, they are both rushed to the hospital, where Dennis passes away, but Mavis survives. Following a confused and disorienting interview with hospital staff, the Police are alerted, and Mavis is arrested.
In an intriguing twist, it is Grantchester star Tom Brittney who first earned the trust of the Eccleston family and brought their story to producer Corestar Media, who acquired dramatic rights.
“When I first read about Mavis and Dennis in 2018, I was struck by the extraordinary love at its heart and the profound injustice their family endured," Brittney said. "I felt their story, told with care and humanity, could be a powerful drama and a worthy contribution to a debate that remains urgent and deeply complex."
Chris Lang (Unforgotten) will pen the series' four episodes, with Bruce Goodison (Doctor Foster) directing and Kate Cook (The Cure) producing. Lang is also an executive producer, alongside Richard Hart for Corestar Media, Ross Murray, Brittney, and Goodison for Indefinite. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel author Deborah Moggach wrote the first script for the development.
Mavis Eccleston will begin filming in Bristol in June, with further casting to be announced. No American distributor is attached as yet, but with that casting pair and the number of well-known artists behind the project, that should be resolved soon
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