Line of Duty star Vicky McClure is set to star in a new factual drama about the IRA Warrington bombing of March 1993.
Called Mother’s Day, the BBC2 90-minute film will focus on the events, aftermath and public response of the attack on a shopping street that injured 56 people and killed two children.
McClure will play Susan McHugh, the Dublin housewife and mother of two who organised one of the largest peace rallies in Irish history in the wake of the explosion. The rally saw thousands take to the streets, laying down flowers and signing a condolence book outside the General Post Office.
McClure 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.”
The drama will also star Anna Maxwell Martin (Julie from Motherland) as Wendy Parry, a mother whose 12-year-old son Tim who died in the Warrington attack.
Daniel Mays (who has also starred in Line of Duty) will play Tim’s father Colin and David Wilmot (Black Sails) will play Arthur McHugh, Susan’s husband. The cast also includes Simone Kirby (Peaky Blinders) and Conor Mullen (Red Rock).
Maxwell Martin said, “I know that many will recall the bravery and dignity shown by the families affected by the Warrington bombings. It’s a real honour to be telling their story.”
From Susan and Wendy’s perspectives, the BBC will tell the story through “two ordinary women living either side of the Irish Sea, brought together in the wake of the tragedy.”
The drama, which has just started filming, also has a personal connection to writer Nick Leather (who also penned Broken). “As someone who grew up in Warrington and was on my way into town on the day of the bombing, bringing this astonishing story to the screen has been a career-long mission,” he said.
