Line Of Duty stars Vicky McClure and Daniel Mays will both appear in a new factual drama about the events and aftermath of the Warrington bombing in March 1993, the BBC has announced.
Mother’s Day, which has started filming in Belfast, will also star Anna Maxwell Martin and David Wilmot and has been written by Murdered For Being Different screenwriter Nick Leather.
The one-off 90-minute drama will focus on two ordinary women living either side of the Irish Sea who are brought together in the wake of the tragedy.
Martin will play Wendy Parry, the mother of Tim Parry, 12, who was one of two boys killed in the IRA attack on March 20. Mays will play his father Colin.
Martin said: “I know that many will recall the bravery and dignity shown by the families affected by the Warrington bombings. It’s a real honour to be telling their story.”
McClure will play Susan McHugh, the Dublin mother of two so outraged by the loss of young life that she organised one of the largest peace rallies in Irish history, leading thousands through the streets in protest at the continued violence of the Troubles.
Wilmot will play her husband Arthur McHugh.
McClure said: “Susan McHugh’s actions back in 1993 remain just as inspirational today as they were 25 years ago. I feel truly privileged to play her in this incredibly moving new film.”
Leather added: “As someone who grew up in Warrington and was on my way into town on the day of the bombing, bringing this astonishing story to the screen has been a career-long mission.
“Over the last year, I’ve been fortunate to work with a wonderfully supportive team at the BBC, including the director Fergus O’Brien, and have found the Parry and McHugh families to be even more inspiring than I did as a kid. I hope people are as moved and affected by this drama as we have been making it.”