Downton abbey’s penelope wilton set to star in ann summers drama

The Downton Abbey star will star alongside Sophie Rundle, Angela Griffin and Sharon Rooney in the new show, which follows four women looking for happiness and fulfilment in the early 1980s.

She will play Pauline, who is introduced to Ann Summers parties by her cleaner Steph as a way to salve her loneliness. As she builds relationship with the Ann Summers girls, she slowly steps

out from the shadow of her husband. Steph (Sophie Rundle) meanwhile feels invisible until she discovers the parties come into her life and she begins planning them. It ignites an ambition

she never knew she had and she grows in confidence as she meets the other girls and starts a new career. She meets Nita (Angela Griffin) as she drops her son at school which “kick starts a

sequence of events that will change both their lives”. Dawn is the final lady who discovers the parties are a great way to make cash so she can start a new life with her fiancé after feeling

trapped at home following her mother’s death. Speaking of the drama, director of Drama Steve November said: “Brief Encounters is a refreshingly different domestic drama taking us back to

the wonderful world of the 1980s. “We’re really excited by this commission - it’s full of heart, story and great new characters.” Executive producer Arabella McGuigan added: “We’re delighted

to have on board such a wonderful, inspiring cast to bring Brief Encounters boldly to life. “Our four female characters, their associated menfolk,mothers and friends are strong, reliable,

surprising and funny and they’ll leap off the page in the hands of out stars. We can’t wait to see the first results.”