The BBC are introducing a lesbian couple to the new series of the period drama Upstairs Downstairs.
The pair will be portrayed by former ER actress Alex Kingston and Emilia Fox.
Kingston will play Dr Blanche Mottershead, the younger sister of Lady Holland and love interest of novelist Lady Portia Alresford.
At a screening of the first episode, writer Heidi Thomas said: “The pair certainly bring a whiff of scandal. They’ve been living abroad and now arrive in London. They try to be covert about their life. The series is set in 1938, where life was far less sexualised. When it gets exposed, though, they find a surprising ally.”
Ex-Coronation Street star Sarah Lancashire will also be amongst the new cast members.
Upstairs Downstairs is due to return to BBC1 next month.
