Mission to Mars
Astronauts are off to the Red Planet in C4’s new sci-fi drama…
Fast forward to the year 2031, and humans are about to land on Mars. As viewers join epic new C4 drama The First,a manned rocket is due to zoom into space, but charismatic astronaut Tom Hagerty, played by two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn, is kicked off the mission at the last minute…
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Meanwhile, the woman heading up the project, aerospace magnate Laz Ingram, is preparing for the biggest moment of her career. But it doesn’t all go to plan…
‘Tom was originally commander of the ship and she tells him he can’t go up on the mission,’ says Natascha McElhone, who plays Laz. ‘But as we see, she’ll have to go back to him, cap in hand, as she needs his help.
‘Tom is the heart of the show and Laz is the brains – her story isn’t about emotions or relationships, as you may often associate with female characters. It’s about what she can accomplish, and the cost and jeopardy. She has the same issues as the astronauts.’
The production team worked with futurists to conceive what the world might look like in 13 years’ time, and the actors consulted real-life astronauts.
‘We hung out with Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian to walk in space!’ says Natascha. ‘We did lots of research and we all went to the Kennedy Space Center. It was incredible.’