ITV unveils "explosive" first-look trailer for "gripping" Luke Evans thriller with October release

ITV has released a first-look trailer for The Party, the upcoming thriller series starring Luke Evans and Tom Cullen. With a release coming next month, anticipation is building, and this trailer will only increase the hype.

The five-part series is based on Elizabeth Day's 2017 novel of the same name, and charts the decades-long friendship between working-class journalist Martin Gilmour (Evans) and wealthy politician Ben Fitzmaurice (Cullen).

With plenty of shared history, Ben invites Martin to his 40th birthday party, and outlines his intention to become the leader of the Conservative Party. Martin, however, doesn't think that's a good idea due to various secrets they share.

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With the premiere coming in October, we now have a minute-long trailer to digest, with the "explosive" clip beginning as a blood-soaked Martin is questioned by the police following the events at the party venue.

From there, various clues are teased, with the police officer confirming that a shooting took place. We also get several mysterious conversations, with Ben urging Martin to "forget all the nonsense of the past for one night".

Martin hints that a story from their past could bring Ben down, and also remarks that his "childhood was stolen". Ben stresses that they've always been in it "together", but what secrets are they hiding?

In addition to Evans and Cullen, the stacked cast for the "gripping" series includes Joanna Scanlan, Lydia Leonard, Lindsay Duncan, Douglas Hodge and Sarah Solemani. Solemani, who portrays Lucy Gilmour, also writes and produces the series.

Evans, who also serves as an executive producer, had previously explained why he connected with his character, noting: "There were moments where I was emotionally connected on a very deep level with Martin."

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"I felt the pain, the confusion and the complexity of the life he'd created in this very fragile house of cards," he added. "I understood him and felt I could bring authenticity to him. That's probably why I resonated with the story in the first place."

The actor, known for his role in The Hobbit franchise, also hinted at what viewers could expect from the thriller, quipping: "It's full of sex, betrayal, secrets, closeted love and some very, very bad behaviour. So, naturally I felt right at home!"

The Party will come to ITV1 and ITVX in October.

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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media.  His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.