EastEnders stars Jo Joyner and Tamzin Outhwaite head up new mystery drama

EastEnders stars Jo Joyner and Tamzin Outhwaite have signed up to lead a brand new mystery drama series, with Waterloo Road's Angela Griffin also cast in a lead role.

The trio will head up Channel 5 thriller series The Wives, a six-part drama that follows an extended family over the course of one summer in Malta that will change all their lives.

A summary of the series from Televisual reveals that Joyner, Outhwaite, Griffin and The Nest's Christine Bottomley will play sisters-in-law Beth, Sylvie, Natasha and Annabelle Morgan.

BBC

Sylvie is happily married, Natasha is "swimming in wealth", and Beth and Annabelle are incredibly close. The Morgan family have been escaping to their holiday apartments in Malta together every summer for 15 years – but this year, things are very different.

Sylvie has split from her husband and is loving the single life, Natasha is hiding a desperate financial situation, Beth is struggling to keep her life together, and Annabelle is dead.

BBC

When Annabelle's widower Charlie (Battlestar Galactica actor Jamie Bamber) shows up with a new woman, Beth tries her best to be happy for them. But she's convinced that something isn't right – especially as Charlie's new girlfriend Jade (The Couple Next Door's Katie Clarkson-Hill), looks just like Annabelle.

Charlie's odd behaviour soon convinces Beth that there's more to Annabelle's death than meets the eye, and the sisters-in-law start to work together – and against each other – to unravel the mystery.

But their quest won't be easy, as they'll have to contend with "corrupt officials, drug cartels and career criminals closer to home than ever expected".

Dave Benett//Getty Images

Outhwaite, who played Mel Owen in EastEnders, shared the exciting news on her Instagram account as she posted headshots of herself and her co-stars and wrote that she is "thrilled" to be a part of the show.

Calling the role a "dream job", she praised the "powerhouse women" that she will be working with and revealed that filming is already underway in Malta.

The Wives will also star Ghosts actor Ben Willbond as Beth's husband Frankie, Catastrophe's Jonathan Forbes as Natasha's husband Sean, and Enola Holmes 2 star Catriona Chandler as Annabelle and Charlie's daughter Sky.

They'll be joined by Shadow and Bone's Louis Boyer as a charismatic local businessman Lnamed Luca, and Phoenix Rise actor Ajay Chhabra as consulate official Vinay.

The series, which was created and written by Time's Helen Black, will air on Channel 5 later in 2024.

EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.