Suranne’s perfect nightmare

A spellbinding new drama follows a mother whose apparent dream life is threatening to come apart at the seams...

Meet Victoria (Suranne Jones, left), a woman who seems to be living a life that most of us can only dream of. As her day begins in the pristine house she shares with her husband Chris (Ashley Walters), she puts her impressively athletic physique through a strenuous workout, and afterwards cools down in a bracing shower, adding a skin-care regime to die for. Then, having stepped into the bedroom of her two beautiful daughters to say good morning, she settles down to work on a lucrative property project in her perfect home office.

‘I’m really happy, I’ve got a lovely home, I’ve got a nice job, I’ve got a husband and kids,’ she declares – but it’s not long before we realise that her declarations of bliss ring all too hollow. Barely beneath the surface, her mental state is on the verge of unravelling, and in her desperation Victoria clings to every vestige of control, however small, from carefully arranging the cushions on the bed to forbidding the girls to wear leggings just to go shopping. Soon she’s forced to confront the reality of her problems – or risk losing everything she holds dear.

In the opening one-off drama of three in the returning series by writer-director Dominic Savage, Jones is astonishingly good as a woman whose nervy fragility leaves us worried for her very survival. It’s a performance of astounding impact in its depiction of the way in which mental health problems can beset even those with the surface gloss of success.

But Jones is just one of three brilliant acting talents in the series, along with Lesley Manville (Mum) and the fast-rising Letitia Wright (Black Panther, Small Axe).

Each of the stories is a standalone drama, but all centre on female characters grappling with life’s unpredictable, wrenching vicissitudes. Bafta-winning filmmaker Savage has lured the stars with his empowering method, inviting them to develop the stories around the issues they feel strongly about, and allowing the cast to improvise dialogue.

The enthralling, emotionally raw results bring the story home with a rare and potent energy you might otherwise experience only in stage performances.

Tune in to All4 immediately after this week’s episode to see Manville and Wright’s films.