The Wives creator explains how Daphne du Maurier inspired the thriller

Speaking about the inspiration behind the series, creator and writer Helen Black (Time) cited Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 novel Rebecca, which was later adapted for Netflix by Alfred Hitchcock and much later by Ben Wheatley.

“The previous wife is spoken of with great awe and seen as an angel, but strangely enough the husband soon finds a new partner, which arouses suspicion,” Black said.

“One dynamic I find interesting is the age at which some friends are divorced or widowed and have a new partner come along.”

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Black then praised Katie Clarkson-Hill’s performance as her new partner Jade, who replaces Annabelle.

“I love Jade on The Wives because she so unashamedly goes into that group and sees them as crazy,” she said.

“She’s so disinterested in them and Katie is fantastic at playing disinterested. Jade sees the family for what they are.”

Tamzin Outhwaite as Sylvie Morgan, Jo Joyner as Beth Morgan and Angela Girffin as Natasha Morgan in The Wives. They are sitting at the edge of a pool and there is a body floating in it, a woman in a red dress — Tamzin Outhwaite as Sylvie Morgan, Jo Joyner as Beth Morgan and Angela Girffin as Natasha Morgan in The Wives Channel 5

In the series, “the women work together and against each other to unravel the mystery and bring the perpetrator to justice,” as “lies are exposed and evidence mounts,” according to the official synopsis.

“But now that corrupt officials, drug cartels and career criminals are closer to home than ever imagined, the question is whether they have bitten off more than they can chew.”

In addition to Griffin, Outhwaite and Joyner, the cast includes Jamie Bamber (Beyond Paradise), Ben Willbond (Ghosts) and Jonathan Forbes (Catastrophe).

The Wives starts on Monday September 16 at 9pm on Channel 5 and My5.

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