At its heart it is a love story ... beautifully observed unsentimental and very tender

STARS KEELEY HAWES AND PAAPA ESSIEDU JOIN WRITER JACK THORNE TO TELL YOLANTHE FAWEHINMI ABOUT FALLING, THEIR NEW ROMANTIC DRAMA WITH A DIFFERENCE

- YOLANTHE FAWEHINMI

HOLY MOLY: Keeley Hawes as nun Anna and Paapa Essiedu as priest David

JACK THORNE is one of Britain's most successful and prolific TV writers - in 2025 alone, he gave us Adolescence, Toxic Town and The Hack, and his adaptation of Lord of the Flies aired on BBC1 earlier this year.

However, while he’s no stranger to hard-hitting and topical issues, he’s never written a love story - until now.

Admittedly, Falling is not your straight-forward romance. It’s about the relationship between nun Anna and priest David, who have both devoted their lives to the service of God until their paths unexpectedly cross. Their chance encounter causes them to question what they really want and raises bigger questions about who we really are and the true cost of love.

The Durells’ star Keeley Hawes and The Capture’s Paapa Essiedu play the lead roles.

Thanks to her impressive hit rate, Keeley, 50, whose previous credits include Ashes to Ashes, Line of Duty, Bodyguard and It's a Sin, can afford to be picky about her projects, so what drew her to Falling?

“It couldn't fail to speak to me because at its heart it’s a love story,” she says. “Beautifully observed, unsentimental and very tender.

“His characters are so well-drawn, and I have wanted to work with Jack Thorne for a long time.

“I was also intrigued by the fact that Jack had never written a love story. He has created something very special.”

Keeley adds: “I grew up opposite a convent, weirdly, in central London, so I saw a lot of the comings and goings - it was a beautiful convent but quite mysterious, with a very high wall.

“So, I knew as much as anybody, which is very little, but I was lucky enough to have a long conversation with a former nun.