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ITV’s The Party Set for Broadcast After Press Screenings

The five-part drama uses flashbacks to probe identity and class and marks author Elizabeth Day’s first novel adapted for television.

Overview

  • Press screenings this week confirmed Luke Evans as lead actor and an executive producer, with Tom Cullen, Sarah Solemani and a supporting cast that includes Lindsay Duncan, Douglas Hodge, Joanna Scanlan and Lydia Leonard.
  • Sarah Solemani wrote and created the series for ITV and also appears on-screen as Martin’s wife, Lucy, while the production intercuts a disastrous birthday party, a police inquiry and flashbacks to the characters’ shared pasts.
  • Elizabeth Day called the adaptation ‘‘almost a decade in the making’’ and said seeing scenes performed on set gave her ‘‘absolute shivers,’’ and she makes a brief cameo as an extra.
  • ITV has scheduled the series to air on ITV1, STV and the streaming service ITVX later in 2026, though an exact release date has not been announced.
  • The project’s star-driven cast and Solemani’s role as showrunner are likely to broaden the book’s audience and raise expectations for ITV’s autumn drama slate.