{"id":28044,"date":"2023-01-02T10:00:04","date_gmt":"2023-01-02T09:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1758064"},"modified":"2023-01-03T02:48:22","modified_gmt":"2023-01-03T01:48:22","slug":"meet-the-cast-of-stonehouse-and-their-real-life-counterparts","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/meet-the-cast-of-stonehouse-and-their-real-life-counterparts\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the cast of Stonehouse and their real-life counterparts"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By David Craig\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 02 January 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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One of the strangest political scandals of the 1970s is put to the screen in ITV1 drama Stonehouse<\/a>, which tells the story of a politician who faked his death in a bid to start a new life abroad.<\/p>\n

Succession<\/a> star Matthew Macfadyen plays John Stonehouse, Labour MP for Wednesbury and Walsall North, who was at one point one of the party\u2019s most promising up and comers.<\/p>\n

This three-part series, written by A Very English Scandal<\/a> author John Preston, delves into Stonehouse\u2019s marriage to Barbara Smith, affair with assistant Sheila Buckley and even an alleged stint spying for the Czech secret service.<\/p>\n

All threads lead into a pivotal moment in the politician\u2019s life, when he left a neatly folded pile of clothes on a beach in Miami, Florida, and disappeared in an apparent drowning.<\/p>\n

In actual fact, he had snuck away and flown to Australia under a forged identity, but his elaborate ruse wouldn\u2019t hold for long. Here\u2019s your full introduction to the Stonehouse cast and the real-life figures they\u2019re playing.<\/p>\n

Matthew Macfadyen plays John Stonehouse<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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John Stonehouse (left) and Matthew Macfadyen in Stonehouse (right)<\/span><\/figcaption> Roger Jackson\/Central Press\/Hulton Archive\/Getty Images\/ITV<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Who is John Stonehouse?\u00a0<\/strong>John Stonehouse was a Labour MP between the years of 1957-1976, representing first the constituency of Wednesbury and later Walsall North. As a charismatic and relatively young figure in the party, he gathered early momentum in his political career, securing positions including Minister of State for Technology and Postmaster General. However, that promise fizzled out when Stonehouse became embroiled in a bizarre scandal, having attempted to fake his death and start a new life in Australia. Later, allegations emerged that he had been an informant for the Czech secret service.<\/p>\n

What else has Matthew Macfadyen been in?\u00a0<\/strong>Recently, Macfadyen has become known the world over for his acclaimed performance in business drama Succession, where he plays hapless executive Tom Wambsgans. Previously, he had major roles in Spooks, where he met eventual wife Keeley Hawes, and crime thriller Ripper Street, while more recently he portrayed Major Charles Ingram in comedy-drama Quiz<\/a>. On the big screen, he recently appeared in Colin Firth war flick Operation Mincemeat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Keeley Hawes plays Barbara Stonehouse<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Barbara Stonehouse (left) and Keeley Hawes in Stonehouse (right)<\/span><\/figcaption> Evening Standard\/Hulton Archive\/Getty Images\/ITV<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Who is Barbara Stonehouse?\u00a0<\/strong>Barbara Stonehouse is John\u2019s first wife, with whom he had a 30-year marriage and three children. She was left devastated by his apparent death just off a beach in Miami, Florida, and was blindsided when it emerged that the tragedy had been faked. Barbara and John divorced in 1978, shortly after his conviction on fraud charges.<\/p>\n

What else has Keeley Hawes been in?\u00a0<\/strong>Hawes has previously acted opposite real-life husband Matthew Macfadyen in BBC One\u2019s spy thriller Spooks. She may be better known to viewers for her powerhouse performance in crime drama Line of Duty<\/a>, where she played enigmatic cop Lindsay Denton. She reunited with Jed Mercurio for his suspenseful series Bodyguard, while other recent projects include The Missing, The Durrells, Honour, Finding Alice<\/a> and It\u2019s A Sin<\/a>.<\/p>

Emer Heatley plays Sheila Buckley<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Sheila Buckley (left) and Emer Heatley in Stonehouse (right)<\/span><\/figcaption> Peter Cade\/Central Press\/Getty Images\/ITV<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Who is Sheila Buckley?\u00a0<\/strong>Sheila Buckley is John\u2019s assistant, who works closely with him during his days as a sitting member of Parliament. It isn\u2019t long before the two of them start having an affair, which is exposed to the public following John\u2019s arrest in Australia after a botched attempt at faking his death. Following his divorce from first wife Barbara, Sheila and John married and stayed together until his death in 1988, having one child of their own.<\/p>\n

What else has Emer Heatley been in?\u00a0<\/strong>Heatley is a relative newcomer to the screen with only one other credit to her name, that being the role of PC Cutts in recent crime drama Showtrial<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kevin R McNally plays Harold Wilson<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Harold Wilson (left) and Kevin R McNally in Stonehouse (right)<\/span><\/figcaption> Evening Standard\/Hulton Archive\/Getty Images\/ITV<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Who is Harold Wilson?\u00a0<\/strong>Harold Wilson was initially Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for six years between 1964 and 1970. After a stint in opposition, he was returned to the office from 1974 to 1976, which proved to be a tumultuous time in British politics.<\/p>\n

What else has Kevin R McNally been in?\u00a0<\/strong>McNally has previously portrayed Harold Wilson in 2015 crime biopic Legend, which starred Tom Hardy as the notorious Kray Twins. He is probably better known for his recurring role in Disney\u2019s Pirates of the Caribbean<\/a> franchise, where he played Joshamee Gibbs, a frequent ally to lead character Captain Jack Sparrow. He is also known for roles in Unforgotten<\/a>, Catherine the Great and The Crown<\/a>, where he portrayed another political figure in Bernard Ingham, press secretary to Margaret Thatcher. He also played Professor Eustacius Jericho in Doctor Who: Flux<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dorothy Atkinson plays Betty Boothroyd<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Betty Boothroyd (left) and Dorothy Atkinson in Stonehouse (right)<\/span><\/figcaption> Evening Standard\/Hulton Archive\/Getty Images\/ITV<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Who is Betty Boothroyd?\u00a0<\/strong>At the time of the Stonehouse scandal, Betty Boothroyd was the Labour MP for West Bromwich West and serving as assistant Government Whip. She would go on to have a successful career in politics which continues to this day, when she sits as a crossbench peer in the House of Lords at age 93.<\/p>\n

What else has Dorothy Atkinson been in?\u00a0<\/strong>Atkinson currently plays Diana Brompton on Channel 5 drama All Creatures Great and Small<\/a>, while she also appeared earlier this year in BritBox\u2019s Magpie Murders<\/a>. Her other recent projects include DC Comics thriller Pennyworth<\/a>, period drama Harlots<\/a> and acclaimed sitcom Mum, the latter two both co-starring Lesley Manville.<\/p>\n

Richard Dillane plays Mackenzie<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Richard Dillane plays Mackenzie in Stonehouse<\/span><\/figcaption> ITV<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

What else has Richard Dillane been in?\u00a0<\/strong>Dillane is probably best known for playing Hemberg in Netflix\u2019s Young Wallander<\/a>, but viewers may recognise him from guest roles in high-profile dramas including Andor<\/a>, The Crown, Call the Midwife<\/a>, The Last Kingdom and Outlander<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Stonehouse is coming to ITV1 on Monday 2nd January 2023. Check out more of our\u00a0Drama<\/a>\u00a0coverage or visit our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Streaming Guide<\/a>\u00a0to find out what\u2019s on.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Christmas double issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/strong>subscribe now<\/strong><\/a>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the\u00a0<\/strong>Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

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