If you’re a fan of Nicola Walker, you’ve probably already binged your way through the likes of Unforgotten, Last Tango in Halifax and The Split. But did you know she also has a pretty outstanding period drama that you can stream in full now? If you haven’t yet heard about Mary & George, the Sky series features one of Nicola’s most underrated performances as a fierce rival to the show’s titular characters – and we highly recommend binge-watching it tonight.

Inspired by a true story, Julianne Moore is Mary Villiers, the woman who moulded her son to seduce King James I and improve the fortunes of her family – quite significantly – in the process. Nicola Walker plays Lady Elizabeth Hatton, the lady-in-waiting for the Queen consort Anne of Denmark and her performance as Mary’s adversary is something very special indeed.

With the period drama now available to stream, here’s everything you need to know about Mary & George before you tune in, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.

What is Mary & George about?

The seven-part series is based on the true story of Mary Villiers, who used her son, George, to worm her way into the higher echelons of English society. How? By orchestrating a relationship (or sorts) between George and King James I. While not entirely faithful to the real story, Julianne Moore plays Mary while Nicholas Galitzine is George, the latter of whom became the King’s all-powerful lover.

The series portrays Mary as the woman who was always the smartest person in the room, and how she saw an opportunity to take advantage of the King’s voracious appetite for fine wine and fine men. Through outrageous scheming (and seduction on George’s part), Mary and George claw their way to the centre of Court to become the most powerful family in England. But as George grows in power, his relationship with his mother will be pushed to its limits.

Julianne Moore told IndieWire what attracted her to the role of Mary, explaining: “The character leapt off the page. This person who didn’t seem to have any kind of filter at all. She speaks everything that she’s feeling, which is unusual. It had this tone to it that was almost comedic at times, but where the stakes were really, really high.

“She felt incredibly disadvantaged, in the sense that she had no purchase in life except through the men she was married to, or her male children. She was quite marginalized as a female. It had this wildly ambitious tone to the language, and then historically she ended up buried in Westminster Abbey. All of it felt incredibly challenging and daunting as well.”

Nicola Walker plays Lady Elizabeth Hatton, the lady-in-waiting for the Queen consort Anne of Denmark, wife to King James I, and a fierce rival to Mary and George. For Julianne, working with Nicola was extraordinary, she told IndieWire. “Nicola Walker is a phenomenal actor,” she said. “The day that she showed up on the set she was sitting at the other end of the table. All I could think of was, ‘I just want to go sit next to her so I could talk to her.’”

Who’s in the cast of Mary & George?

The cast of Mary & George includes:

• Nicola Walker (The Split, Unforgotten)
• Julianne Moore (Still Alice, The Room Next Door)
• Nicholas Galitzine (Cinderella, Purple Hearts)
• Tony Curran (Mayflies, Your Honour).
• Niamh Algar (Malpractice)
• Trine Dyrholm (Queen Of Hearts)
• Sean Gilder (Sherwood, Slow Horses)
• Adrian Rawlins (Chernobyl)
• Mark O’Halloran (The Virtues)
• Laurie Davidson (Masters of the Air)
• Samuel Blenkin (Atlanta)
• Jacob McCarthy (The Tragedy of Macbeth)
• Tom Victor (Consent)
• Alice Grant (Anthem at Almeida Theatre)
• Amelia Gething (Emily, The Amelia Gething Complex)
• Mirren Mack (The Nest)
• Rina Mahoney (Happy Valley)
• Simon Russell Beale (The Death of Stalin)

Is there a trailer for Mary & George?

Yes, you can watch the trailer for Mary & George below.