BBC to revamp Hitchcock thriller

Keeley Hawes is to star in a new BBC adaptation of Hitchcock thriller The Lady Vanishes, which will air this Christmas. The 90-minute psychological thriller for BBC One will start filming on location in Budapest later this month. It tells the story of wealthy young 1930s socialite Iris Carr, who finds a woman has disappeared from her train while travelling across Europe. The cast also includes Stephanie Cole and Julian Rhind-Tutt. Writer Fiona Seres has adapted the script from Ethel Lina White's novel The Wheel Spins, which also inspired Hitchcock's 1939 film The Lady Vanishes. Relative newcomer Tuppence Middleton plays socialite Carr, who is comforted by Miss Froy after fainting on a train platform, before waking up to discover her good Samaritan has vanished. "Fiona's adaptation of The Wheel Spins deftly weaves together the intriguing stories of a psychologically complex group of characters... played out against the tense backdrop of the Balkans in the 1930s," said BBC Drama's Kate Harwood. Several British TV stars will appear in the drama, including Spooks' Gemma Jones, Selina Cadell from Doc Martin in the role of the vanishing Miss Froy and Silk star Tom Hughes as fellow traveller Max. Hawes, who previously starred in BBC dramas Ashes to Ashes and Spooks, will play Mrs Todhunter, with The Hour star Rhind-Tutt as Mr Todhunter. From: BBC