Following on from the multi-award winning The Politician’s Wife comes the story of marriage, power and politics with The Politician’s Husband.

David Tennant (Fright Night, Dr Who, Hamlet, Casanova) and Emily Watson (Appropriate Adult, War Horse, Oranges and Sunshine) star in Paul Milne‘s new three-part political drama ‘The Politician’s Husband’.

The story follows husband and wife Senior Cabinet Minister, Aiden Hoynes and junior minister Freya (Tennant and Watson) as the balance of power shifts in their political marriage and the ensuing consequences when Freya becomes more successful than her husband.

When we meet Aiden he is a rising star in Westminster. He went into Parliament driven by idealism, but after his son Noah was diagnosed with Aspergers he allowed himself to be sucked into the power games of Westminster, which provided him with a place to hide.

Freya Gardner (Watson), although equally able, has put the brakes on her own political career in order to provide stability for the family. But even as a Junior Minister, most recognize she is a political star in the making.

Writer and creator Paula Milne (White Heat, Small Island) says: “It is said that all power corrupts but the power balance within a marriage can be unspoken and subtle whereas the power games in politics are more overt and manipulatory. The drama explores the personal realm of a political marriage played against the ruthless hubris of Westminster politics – and what can happen when those two realms collide.”

Upstairs Downstairs Ed Stoppard also stars as Bruce Babbish; one of Aiden’s closet friends. Bruce chose a political career, not out of ideology but because it suited his Machiavellian nature and lust for power and its trappings. For him the fun lies in the chase, in second guessing his opponents. Bruce is ambitious and even Aiden isn’t immune from his friend’s ruthless streak.

The stellar cast also includes: Jack Shepherd (The Nativity, WyCliffe) as Aiden’s Father Joe; Roger Allam (The Queen, The Thick of It) as Chief Whip Marcus Fitzwallace and Oscar Kennedy (Toast, Great Expectations, Hunted) as the Hoynes’ son Noah.

The Politician’s Husband began shooting this month on location in London, and will be produced for BBC Two by Daybreak Pictures and directed by Simon Cellan Jones (Our Friends in the North, The Borgias, Boardwalk Empire) produced by Hal Vogel (The Promise, Endgame). Executive producer for the BBC is Lucy Richer.