How is Life linked to Doctor Foster?
VIEWERS are already hooked on new BBC drama Life.
But some fans have been left wondering how the show is connected to hit TV series Doctor Foster.
How is Life linked to Doctor Foster?
Doctor Foster ran on the BBC from 2015 to 2017 and starred Suranne Jones as the leading lady.
Viewers would be right to think that Life is connected to Doctor Foster.
Eagle-eyed fans have spotted something rather familiar that connects on Life.
Lucky for you we have all the answers to why this new series is in fact a spin-off to Suranne’s show
The writer
Firstly, Life is from the team that brought you Doctor Foster and was created by the same writer, Mike Bartlett.
He has revealed how Life came about in the first place, drawing from his own experience of living in a flat that was part of a divided up house.
Speaking to the BBC he explained: “I wanted to write about isolation and its opposite – community.
“About how we crave being connected to other people but at the same time often end up feeling lonely, or disconnected.
“I used to live in a flat that was part of a divided up old house. You could hear intimate details of your neighbours’ lives, but when we passed in the corridor we barely exchanged two words.
“I was fascinated in that apparent contradiction. Also, quite simply, I wanted to write about how amazing people could be, when faced with the difficulties and tragedies of life.
Characters
Life also features characters from Doctor Foster, which makes it a sort of spin-off show.
Victoria Hamilton reprises her role as Anna Baker, who now goes by the name Belle Stone as is a Pilates teacher.
The actress’ character in Doctor Foster lived opposite Gemma Foster (Suranne) with her then husband Neil, but she decided to move to a new city and start again at the end of season two, which is where her story is picked up again in Life.
Explaining why he decided to continue the character’s story, writer Mike said: “When I was writing some of her final scenes in Doctor Foster, the character surprised me when she said she was moving completely away to a new city. Starting again.
“That felt like a story full of potential and one I hadn’t necessarily seen – a woman in her mid-forties, married for a lot of her adult life but now divorced, and keen to start again.
“I also found Belle’s voice came very easily when writing, and that’s a good sign there’s lots of fun to be had with the character.”
He added: “Secondly I wanted to work more with Victoria Hamilton.
“She’s one of the finest stage actors there has ever been, and I wanted to write a leading role on screen for her to get her teeth into.”
Speaking about playing the same character again Victoria said: “I played her in Doctor Foster and, when you meet her again in Life, she’s recently divorced from Neil and she’s struggling to keep everything together, whilst appearing to be fine on the outside.
“But as the series goes on, you realise that Belle’s got a lot of struggles.”
Later in the series Doctor Foster fans will be reintroduced to Belle’s ex husband Neil, who is played by Adam James.
Will Suranne Jones appear in Life?
Fans would love to see Suranne’s charcter Gemma pop up in the show.
But we hate to disappoint you, Doctor Foster will not appear in Life.
This new series focuses on Anna’s (Victoria) life away from Parminster.
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When is BBC’s Life next on TV?
The next episode will air on October 6, 2020.
You can catch it at 9pm on BBC One.
But if you can’t wait until then, all six episodes are available NOW on the BBC iPlayer.