{"id":549496,"date":"2026-04-25T05:06:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/549496\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T05:06:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:06:21","slug":"the-gold-star-teases-corrosive-and-toxic-themes-in-itvs-new-drama-set-to-be-special-tv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/549496\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gold star teases “corrosive and toxic” themes in ITV’s new drama set to be ‘special TV’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Gold star Tom Cullen<\/a> has teased “corrosive and toxic” themes in his upcoming ITV drama The Party. Adapted from Elizabeth Day’s novel of the same name, the series follows the relationship between working-class journalist Martin Gilmour and rich politician Ben Fitzmaurice. <\/p>\n

The pair first met at boarding school, where they forged an unbreakable bond and, 30 years later, they reunite at Ben’s extravagant birthday bash. But their unflinching loyalty is put to the test that night, when Ben (played by Cullen) announces his plans to run for the newly vacant role of Conservative party leader. <\/p>\n

Martin (Luke Evans) is terrified about the increased attention Ben’s campaign will generate, as their past is guaranteed to be put under the spotlight. The story unfolds over five episodes, exploring their complicated history, the party itself, and the police investigation that follows.<\/p>\n

\"tom<\/p>\n

ITV<\/p>\n

Related: Best streaming services<\/a><\/p>\n

“It’s about these two boys that fall in love with each other, and about the world crashing under them and them being forced into the shadows and it’s in those shadows that that relationship becomes corrosive and toxic,” Cullen told press at ITV Showcase.<\/p>\n

“And I think, at its heart, it’s a show about the corrosive nature of not being able to live your life authentically.” <\/p>\n

The relationship drama wouldn’t be complete without input from the pair’s starkly contrasting families. The series features Martin’s mum Sylvia (Joanna Scanlan), Ben’s parents \u2013 Lady Katherine (Lindsay Duncan) and Lord George Fitzmaurice (Douglas Hodge), as well as Ben’s wife, Serena (Lydia Leonard). <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Sarah Solemani, who wrote the show, stars as Martin’s pregnant wife Lucy, with Amaka Okafor, Bally Gill, Sally Scott, Sam Troughton, Sin\u00e9ad Matthews and Rakie Ayola rounding out the cast.<\/p>\n

\"luke<\/p>\n

ITV<\/p>\n

Related: Michelle Keegan praises team of ITV’s “brilliant” new crime thriller after “daunting” return to work<\/a><\/p>\n

“From the moment I read Elizabeth Day’s novel, I knew it had the makings of something truly special for television,” Evans previously said<\/a>. “To now be bringing The Party to life \u2013both as an actor and as an executive producer through Stoic Productions \u2013 is incredibly rewarding.<\/p>\n

“Sarah Solemani’s adaptation captures the emotional depth and tension of the story perfectly, and to collaborate once again with World Productions and ITV, alongside such an extraordinary cast, is a real privilege. The Party is a gripping exploration of loyalty, class, and the truths we hide, and I can’t wait for audiences to experience it.”<\/p>\n

The Party will air on ITV1 and ITVX, with a release date yet to be announced.
<\/p>\n

The new edition of Living Legends, a 100-page all-colour celebration of Sir David Attenborough, is here! Buy Sir David Attenborough in newsagents or online<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Lettermark\"<\/p>\n

Divya is a freelance writer with experience in entertainment and lifestyle news. Described as a “telly addict” since childhood, Divya was able to translate her interests into a BJTC-accredited, Honours degree in Journalism and Media. After working in communications and marketing, Divya joined Digital Spy<\/a>\u00a0as a Freelance News Reporter. She has also written for various publications including\u00a0Metro<\/a>,\u00a0Asian World News\u00a0and\u00a0TwitCelebGossip;\u00a0as well as interviews, features and reviews on her own blog. Divya prides herself on her TV,\u00a0film<\/a>\u00a0and showbiz knowledge, always offering (not so) fun facts to her long-suffering friends and family. From\u00a0soaps<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0superheroes<\/a>, Divya is the go-to person for tailored recommendations\u00a0and up to date information.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Lettermark\"<\/p>\n

Soaps Writer, Inside Soap and Digital Spy<\/p>\n

Lily joined Inside Soap as Junior Writer in 2024 after studying Politics and History at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). While studying, Lily\u2019s work for LSE’s student newspaper was shortlisted by the Student Publication Association<\/a> for its Best Feature award. Promoted to Writer in late 2024, she regularly interviews talent from Britain\u2019s favourite soaps and much-loved dramas. Her highlights include interviewing the stars on the red carpet at the Inside Soap Awards, visiting the Coronation Street cobbles and working alongside Albert Square legends (yes, Big Mo was there!) on an exclusive photo shoot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Gold star Tom Cullen has teased “corrosive and toxic” themes in his upcoming ITV drama The Party.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":549497,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[147950,379,189147,381,96,1156,189146,391,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-549496","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-collection-latest-news","9":"tag-content-type-news","10":"tag-contentid-5424d24b-8cc2-44bd-811e-d8723a5cd347","11":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-locale-gb","14":"tag-shorttitle-the-gold-star-teases-toxic-themes-in-new-itv-drama","15":"tag-tv","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom","18":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=549496"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549496\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/549497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=549496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=549496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=549496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}