BBC’s Maryland Is An “Artistic Response” To Violence Against Women

Adapted from Lucy Kirkwood’s Royal Court play of the same name, BBC’s Maryland tackles the violence that women are forced to deal with in their everyday lives, and is billed as an “artistic response to recent real-life events.” To learn more about the 30-minute adaptation, find everything there is to know about BBC’s Maryland below.

Maryland Plot

Co-directed with acclaimed documentary-maker Brian Hill, BBC’s Maryland grapples with violence faced by women and takes inspiration from recent real-life events, including the tragic murders of British women Sarah Everard, Bibaa Henry, Nicole Smallman, and Sabina Nessa.

The plot centres on two individual Marys who cross paths at a police station following their respective sexual assaults. The pair are guided through this difficult process by police constable Moody and his colleague, PC Eddowes. “They are supported by a cast of Furies who rail against the injustices the women face, both in the events of the play and in the wider world,” a BBC synopsis adds.

Maryland Cast

The cast of Maryland is headlined by The Marvels star Zawe Ashton and The Essex Serpent’s Hayley Squires, each of whom will take on the lead roles of the two Marys. Meanwhile, Line of Duty star Daniel Mays and Justine Mitchell will portray the characters of police constable Moody and PC Eddowes, respectively.

Speaking of the TV adaptation of her original play, Lucy Kirkwood revealed that she hopes the BBC’s Maryland will breathe new life into the story. “I wrote the original play as a howl against the way we have normalised violence against women as something to be accommodated by women themselves, rather than protested by all of us … I hope the film will give new oxygen to that protest, but I wish it was not still such an urgent conversation.”

Maryland Release Date

Maryland will air on July 20 at 10:05 p.m. on BBC Two and will be available on the BBC iPlayer after that.