Entertainment

Vicky McClure unrecognisable in first-look pictures from drama Mother’s Day

The Bafta-winner will play one of the leading roles in BBC Two’s new factual drama about the Troubles.
The Bafta-winner will play one of the leading roles in BBC Two’s new factual drama about the Troubles. The Bafta-winner will play one of the leading roles in BBC Two’s new factual drama about the Troubles.

Vicky McClure looks unrecognisable in first-look pictures from the BBC’s new factual drama Mother’s Day.

The Line Of Duty star plays peace rally organiser Susan McHugh in the dramatisation of the events, aftermath and public response to the Warrington bombing of March 1993.

She is joined in the 90-minute programme by fellow Line Of Duty star Daniel Mays, along with Anna Maxwell Martin and David Wilmot.

Vicky McClure and David Wilmot
Vicky McClure and David Wilmot Vicky McClure and David Wilmot as Sue and Arthur McHugh in Mother’s Day (BBC) (Steffan Hill)

A new picture from the one-off broadcast, which will air on BBC Two in the autumn, shows Bafta-winning McClure with short, curly hair and large glasses.

Susan McHugh was the Dublin mother-of-two who was so outraged by the loss of young life in the bombing 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.

Maxwell Martin plays 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.

Wilmot portrays Susan’s husband, Arthur McHugh.

The drama focuses on the two ordinary women living either side of the Irish Sea who are brought together in the wake of the tragedy.

Mother’s Day, written by Murdered For Being Different screenwriter Nick Leather, started filming in Belfast earlier this year.

Daniel Mays and Anna Maxwell Martin as Colin and Wendy Parry.
Daniel Mays and Anna Maxwell Martin as Colin and Wendy Parry. Daniel Mays and Anna Maxwell Martin as Colin and Wendy Parry (BBC) (Steffan Hill)

McClure previously 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.”