The Wives Channel 5: Yorkshire actor Angela Griffin best known for roles in Coronation Street and Waterloo Road to star alongside Eastenders actors Jo Joyner and Tamzin Outhwaite in new thriller series

The six-part mystery domestic thriller The Wives is produced by Gaumont and will star soap actors Angela Griffin, who is from Leeds, Jo Joyner and Tamzin Outhwaite.

It follows the untangling of a family in a summer that changed their lives. In the previous year, four sisters-in-law and their families escaped to their Maltese holiday flats, as they’ve done every summer for 15 years.

Sylvie Morgan, portrayed by Tamzin Outhwaite (The Tower, Ridley Road, New Tricks), was happily married, Natasha Morgan, portrayed by Angela Griffin (White Lines, The Serial Killer’s Wife, Waterloo Road), was very wealthy, and Beth Morgan, portrayed Jo Joyner (For Her Sins, Shakespeare & Hathaway, Stay Close), and Annabelle Morgan, played by Christine Bottomley (Sherwood 2, Back to Life, End of the F***ing World), were very close. But this year, as they come together again, everything is different. Sylvie’s now single and loving life, Natasha’s hiding a desperate financial situation, Beth is barely keeping her life together and Annabelle is dead.

When Annabelle’s widower Charlie, portrayed by Jamie Bamber (Strike Back, Cannes Confidential, Battlestar Galactica), arrives with a new woman with him, Beth tries to be happy for them, but she grows more suspicious. Charlie’s new girlfriend Jade, played by Katie Clarkson-Hill (Trust Me, Grace, Hanna), looks exactly like Annabelle.

Beth’s plans to have a great summer are quickly thwarted by Charlie’s odd behaviour, and her suspicion that there is more to Annabelle’s death is piqued. With lies coming to light and evidence building up, the women work together and against each other to unravel the mystery and bring the culprit to justice. But with corrupt officials, drug cartels and career criminals closer to home than ever expected, they may have bitten off more than they can chew.

Further cast include: Ben Willbond (Ghosts, There She Goes, Good Omens), as the eldest Morgan brother and Beth’s husband Frankie Morgan, Jonathan Forbes (Catastrophe, Fearless, Dublin Murders) will play Natasha’s loving husband Sean Morgan, Catriona Chandler (The Rivals, Enola Holmes 2, Pistol) as Annabelle and Charlie’s daughter Sky Morgan, Louis Boyer (Shadow and Bone, Wreck, The Ledge) as charming local businessman Luca Vella and Ajay Chhabra (Phoenix Rise, This England, Rough Diamonds) as consulate official Vinay Taneja.

On filming the new series, Jo Joyner said: “I’m so pleased to be working with Gaumont and in Malta again on The Wives, an exciting female led thriller.

“I’ve become so fond of Malta and its warm and welcoming people, coupled with working with this great cast, not least of all Angela Griffin and Tamzin Outhwaite, this is going to be a fantastic piece. I can’t wait to get started.”

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Angela Griffin said: “What a dream to work on The Wives. With Tamzin Outhwaite and Jo Joyner on screen, and Helen Black, Claire Tailyour and Paulette Randall part of the creative force, the incredible female presence in front and behind the camera was a huge draw.

“The scripts are full of warmth, female friendship, humour, with a huge whodunnit in the middle…. And on top of all of that it’s set in Malta. I feel really lucky to be a part of this project and to be playing Natasha, who has found herself carrying a secret she’s desperately trying to hide.”

Tamzin Outhwaite said: “I am thrilled to be playing Sylvie alongside the rest of this brilliant cast! The Wives is set to be filled with lots of drama and even more beautiful Malta scenery, I can’t wait for Channel 5 audiences to be swept away on the adventure.”

They have started filming The Wives and it is set to air on Channel 5 later in 2024.