Marchlands is the gripping story of three different families living in the same house in the 1960’s, 1980’s and present day. The families are linked by the spirit of a young girl – the 1960’s family’s daughter who died in mysterious circumstances. It’s a five-part drama from ITV Studios written for ITV by Stephen Greenhorn (Glasgow Kiss, Doctor Who).

ITVS Senior Executive Kate Lewis and Creative Director of Drama, Kate Bartlett were the executive producers, along with Stephen Greenhorn. The 5 x 60 min series was directed by James Kent (The Secret Diaries of Anne Lister, Margaret) and produced by Chrissy Skinns (Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Auf Wiedersehen Pet). It was filmed on location around London.

Alex Kingston (Doctor Who, Hope Springs, ER) and Jodie Whittaker (Cranford, Wired, Venus) star alongside Dean Andrews (Ashes to Ashes, Life on Mars), Shelley Conn (Strike Back, Mistresses), Anne Reid (Ladies of Letters, Five Days), Elliot Cowan (The Fixer, Lost in Austen), Denis Lawson (Criminal Justice, The Passion), Jamie Thomas King (Mad Men, The Tudors) and Tessa Peake-Jones (Only Fools and Horses).

Marchlands marked the first commission to come from the creative collaboration between ITV & Twentieth Century Fox.

Episode 1

The episode opens with a girl with long blonde hair and a distinctive yellow dress running through woods. She anxiously looks behind her. We move to 1968. It’s early morning and Ruth is lying in bed, staring at a photograph of her daughter, Alice (the little girl we’ve just seen.) We’re in the same bedroom, but now its 2010 the walls are stripped and there are boxes and mess everywhere. An alarm goes – a dishevelled Nisha, who is five months pregnant, is anxious to get to her scan. But her partner Mark has other ideas… We move to the same bedroom in 1987 and Eddie has similar romantic intentions.

Episode 2

The episode opens with images of a little girl, Alice, struggling underwater. We jump to the bathroom in 1968 . Paul is clearly upset. 1968: Evelyn continues to meddle by advising Paul to see their local priest, Father Boyle. Ruth is unable to refuse. When they visit he advises them of their matrimonial responsibilities and suggests that they should have another child. 1987: Following the death of the kitten, Helen persuades a wary Eddie to take Amy to see a psychiatrist. They are shocked to hear that the problem could be psychiatric or physical. 2010: Nisha is housebound due to her broken ankle. She’s lonely and finding the house a little spooky – she finds markings for a height chart for a little girl called Alice and thinks she’s left the bath running but the taps were turned off.

Episode 3

The episode opens with Robert identifying Alice’s body by the side of Blackwater Tarn. We jump to 1968 and a visibly disturbed Robert stares at his image in the bathroom mirror. 1968: Ruth is at the hospital for ongoing fertility testing. To his surprise Paul is also tested. And it turns out they are unlikely to ever conceive again due to his low sperm count. It’s a bitter blow. Alice was a miracle. 1987: Following a visit from the Social Worker, Eddie and Helen’s opinions begin to divide as to how best to deal with their daughter. Is she ill or could Alice be real? 2010: Ruth rushes to Marchlands to find a distressed Nisha in labour.

Episode 4

In 1968, Robert advises a distraught Paul to leave the village and make a fresh start with Ruth. In 1987, Eddie and Helen are still at loggerheads and Helen is horrified when Eddie employs a local priest to give their daughter’s room a blessing - then Amy goes missing. In 2010, an exhausted Nisha is increasing unsettled by strange goings on at Marchlands.

Episode 5

In 1968, Paul asks a tearful Ruth to leave Marchlands with him, while things come to a head between Robert and Evelyn. In 1987, Eddie takes Amy to Alice’s grave and Scott has another seizure. In 2010, Nisha is shocked to find Mark lied to her about the history of Marchlands. An emotional Ruth finally discovers what happened to her daughter all those years ago.

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ITV Series Marchlands staring Alex Kingston & Jodie Whittaker

The story of three families living in the same house in the 1960’s, 1980’s and present day

Starring Alex Kingston, Jodie Whittaker, Dean Andrews, Shelley Conn, Anne Reid, Elliot Cowan, Denis Lawson & Tessa Peake-Jones

Photograph of the cast of ITV’s Marchlands series