Screenwriter Danny Brocklehurst brings his new six-part drama Adultery to ITV1 and ITVX on October 25, 2026. The series stars Dominic Cooper and Romola Garai as two married parents whose lives unravel when they embark on an intense, secret affair behind the backs of their families.
The six-part drama explores the tangled fallout that occurs when family boundaries collapse. At the center of the story are Tom Kirkman, played by Dominic Cooper, and Beth Brookes, portrayed by Romola Garai. Both characters are established in marriages with children when an unexpected family encounter sparks a volatile connection.
How Tom and Beth Cross Paths in the North West
Tom works as a middle-class GP, while Beth juggles part-time work as a zumba teacher and fitness trainer alongside family responsibilities. Their worlds collide when Beth inadvertently knocks Tom off his bicycle with her car, leading to an immediate and intense bond.
Complications multiply quickly because their teenage children, Jess and Ollie, have already become romantically involved with each other. As the younger couple enjoys the simple novelty of teenage romance, their parents plunge into a deceptive rollercoaster of an affair. Production teams filmed the series extensively across the North West of England, utilizing settings in Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Bolton, alongside dramatic roadside sequences captured in the Peak District.
British Television Stars Portray Two Fractured Families
The ensemble brings together familiar faces from across British television to portray the two fractured families. Shelley Conn stars as Tom’s betrayed wife, Hannah, while Matthew McNulty plays Beth’s husband, Neil.
- Johnny Sanpher plays teenager Ollie, the son of Beth and Neil.
- Leila Khan, known for her role in Netflix’s Heartstopper, plays Tom and Hannah’s daughter, Jess.
- Andrew Knott appears as Dave, the ex-husband of Beth’s best friend, whose death serves as an emotional tipping point for Beth.
- James Murray and Charley Webb portray Paul and Leah Kirkman, Tom’s brother and sister-in-law.
Danny Brocklehurst on Class, Grief, and Moral Gray Areas
Series creator and screenwriter Danny Brocklehurst originally conceived the project under the working title Play With Fire before opting for the bolder, more visceral title Adultery. Brocklehurst shaped this story as a character study rather than a straightforward narrative with clear heroes and villains.
An affair is a good way to tell stories about modern families, about social media, about grief, about class, about loneliness.
Danny Brocklehurst, Writer and Creator via The Bolton News
For Garai, portraying Beth meant exploring a woman driven to rebellion following the death of her best friend.
Behind the Psychological Discomfort of Filming
Both lead actors acknowledged that inhabiting characters who willingly dismantle their own families proved to be an emotional experience during production. Cooper noted that exploring the mechanics of temptation forced them to confront difficult realities about human behavior.
Adultery: Dominic Cooper and Romola Garai lead scandalous new ITV drama starting tonight https://t.co/6hwh5y553x via @Wheretowatchtv
Romola and I spoke at length about actually portraying these people – that was quite hard at the beginning to see whether anyone would feel for them actually. What they’re doing, the betrayal and the level of that and doing as they please, it was frightening.
Dominic Cooper, Actor via Suaragarut
The drama addresses how modern technology facilitates secrecy, examining the precise moment a character chooses to cross a line. The series premiered on ITV1 and ITVX on October 25, 2026, with subsequent episodes broadcasting on Sunday and Monday nights, while the full six-part run became available for streaming on ITVX.
More on Dominic Cooper
Dominic Cooper and Romola Garai are talking all things love, secrets and complicated relationships in their new series, ‘Adultery’ 👀💘Don’t miss it!⁰https://t.co/vuzUQEaiZA 👈 pic.twitter.com/fdbAeM9UHv
Love, lies and complicated family ties… 👀💘 Dominic Cooper and Romola Garai join us to talk about their brand-new series, ‘Adultery’.Got a question for them?⁰https://t.co/vuzUQEaiZA pic.twitter.com/iErNt0qPfb
Two families. Two teenagers dating. One spectacularly ill-advised affair. 😬ITV's 'Adultery', starring Dominic Cooper and Romola Garai, has its October premiere date! All 6 episodes also land on ITVX.https://t.co/6Q8Ru6CQ9p