McCrory lands Mother of all roles next to Gere

HELEN McCRORY will star with Hollywood’s Richard Gere in a British thriller-drama for the BBC.

The pair will join Billy Howle in eight-part series MotherFatherSon, by novelist Tom Rob Smith.

McCrory (left), who has appeared in Peaky Blinders, the Harry Potter films, Skyfall and The Queen (she portrayed Cherie Blair), faced formidable competition for the part of Kathryn, the former wife of tycoon Max (Gere).

Kathryn is a British blueblood who was married to ruthless media magnate Max. They are divorced, but are forced to reunite years later as a result of an incident concerning their son, Caden (Howle), a young man who is drawn to danger.

All three characters engage in the kind of sexual practices and dizzying social behaviour that will ensure viewers stick around for every minute of the eight episodes, the first two of which are being directed by James Kent — who made the film Testament Of Youth with Alicia Vikander.