The Girl Before: who is in cast of BBC TV series with Gugu Mbatha-Raw - and trailer, plot and release date

The Girl Before, a new psychological thriller starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, started on BBC One on Sunday 19 December and arrived on HBO Max on February 10 2022.

The series, which also stars David Oyelowo, is about a young woman who moves into a strange house that strictly controls her behaviour.

It also charts her gradual realisation about the tragedy that befell the previous tenant three years previously.

Here’s everything you need to know about The Girl Before.

What is The Girl Before about and is it based on a book?

The Girl Before is a psychological thriller about Jane, a woman who moves into a strange house where she’s expected to follow the exacting rules of the architect who designed and owns it.

The house itself also controls her behaviour – for example, it always turns off the lights at the same time each night, and will only let her use the shower after she’s filled out a short questionnaire.

As Jane gets closer and closer to the architect Edward, she starts to uncover the mystery of the previous tenant and what happened to her three years earlier.

Their two stories are intercut with one another, the two narratives unfolding at once to create suspense.

The Girl Before has been adapted by JP Delaney from his bestselling 2016 novel of the same name, and was directed by Lisa Brühlmann, who previously worked on Killing Eve.

Who is in The Girl Before?

The Girl Before stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Jane Cavendish, the woman who moves into the mysterious house at One Folgate Street.

Mbatha-Raw has previously starred in The Morning Show and Loki, as well as films Motherless Brooklyn and A Wrinkle In Time.

David Oyelowo also stars as enigmatic architect Edward Monkford. You might recognise him from Selma, Spooks, or the 2018 BBC Les Miserable. This is also the fourth time he’s worked with Mbatha-Raw, the two having previously starred together in The Cloverfield Paradox.

Former Eastenders stars Jessica Plummer and Ben Hardy also both appear in The Girl Before, Plummer as Jane’s eponymous predecessor Emma and Hardy as her partner Simon.

Where can I see the trailer?

You can find the trailer below. In it, you can see Jane and Emma each being given a tour of the house, which is both very high-tech and very minimalist.

Where can I watch it?

The first episode of The Girl Before will air on BBC One at 9pm on Sunday 19 December. The drama will continue over the next three nights, with subsequent episodes also airing at 9pm on BBC One.

The Girl Before will be available on HBO Max in the US from February 10 2022.

Will there be a second series?

We don’t know either way yet, but it’s unlikely – the four episodes of The Girl Before are set to adapt the full plot of the 2016 novel.

Why should I watch it?

Because it’s an atmospheric and evocatively made thriller, with great performances from Oyelowo, Mbatha-Raw and Plummer in particular.

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