ITV Unveils New Drama The Party — A Friendship, a Secret, and a Reunion That Changes Everything

ITV has announced a brand new five-part drama, The Party, promising an intense and emotionally charged exploration of friendship, class and the secrets that can shape an entire lifetime.

Based on the novel by acclaimed writer Elizabeth Day, the series stars Luke Evans and Tom Cullen and centres on a long, complex relationship that begins in school and stretches deep into adulthood. What starts as a formative friendship slowly becomes something far more complicated — and potentially destructive.

A friendship forged young — and tested by time

The Party traces the lives of two men whose bond is formed during their school years, when differences in background, ambition and opportunity are quietly established. As the story unfolds across multiple timelines, viewers are shown how early experiences and unspoken tensions continue to echo years later.

By the time the drama reaches the present day, the pair are reunited at a seemingly celebratory family gathering — a party that becomes the catalyst for buried secrets to resurface. Old resentments, unresolved guilt and long-held truths threaten to unravel not just their friendship, but the lives they have built around it.

Secrets, loyalty and class divide

At its core, The Party is a story about loyalty — and the price of it. The series explores how class differences can shape relationships in subtle yet lasting ways, influencing choices, identities and futures.

As the characters confront the consequences of decisions made years earlier, the drama asks difficult questions: How much do we owe the people who shaped us? And can a single relationship define the course of an entire life?

Elizabeth Day’s novel has been praised for its emotional insight and sharp social observation, elements that ITV promises to bring fully to the screen.

A powerhouse cast

Luke Evans and Tom Cullen lead the cast, bringing considerable dramatic weight to the roles. Evans, known for his performances across film and television, is expected to deliver a layered portrayal of a man grappling with the past he thought he had escaped. Cullen, meanwhile, brings intensity and vulnerability to a character whose life has been quietly shaped by a friendship he cannot fully let go of.

Their on-screen dynamic is set to be central to the drama’s emotional impact.

Filmed in Wales, coming soon to ITV

Filming for The Party began in Wales last year, with the location providing a striking and atmospheric backdrop for the story’s shifting timelines. ITV has confirmed the series is now firmly on its way to screens, though an exact air date has yet to be announced.

With its focus on memory, morality and the slow unravelling of truth, The Party is shaping up to be one of ITV’s most compelling new dramas — one that proves the past never truly stays buried.