A different kind of haunted house
Psychological drama is a thrilling ride
The Girl Before tells the story of Jane (Gugu MbathaRaw), who gets the chance to move into a beautiful, ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect (David Oyelowo). There’s just one catch: the occupants must abide by his list of exacting rules. Jane starts to feel the house changing her in unexpected ways, but when she makes the shocking discovery about her predecessor Emma (Jessica Plummer), she’s forced to confront unnerving similarities. As the two women’s timelines interweave, Jane begins to question if her fate will be the same as the girl before...
Gugu Mbatha-Raw says: “I first read the script and I was aware that it was a best-selling novel by JP Delaney. I thought it was intriguing reading it at the time, in the height of the pandemic with lockdowns and everybody being in their homes. For me, it was quite interesting to think about home and the house and how everybody’s relationship to their environments has changed in the last year or so.
“So, that was an interesting concept for a script like this. I’ve also never done a psychological thriller before, and I loved the fact that it was a twisty, compelling tale with an original point of view.”
David Oyelowo says: “It’s going to sound odd, considering his questionable nature, but one of the things I was drawn to with The Girl Before is that there are things about Edward Monkford that I relate to. He is a perfectionist, very particular about certain things. I like to think that I’m a milder version of that, though my wife may beg to differ. But he also has this fascinating condition called repetition compulsion. In speaking to some therapists for research, I found that we all have a certain degree of this going through life and either making the same mistakes or making some of the same choices – basically habitually finding ourselves in situations that may or may not be healthy for us. And you know, I just found all those elements of him very human, but it’s sort of turned up to a hundred with him.”
The Girl Before BBC One, Sun-Weds, 9pm