Luke Evans Says ITV Thriller The Party Takes On British Class
Luke Evans says his new ITV thriller is about class, power and who gets let in.
The five-part political thriller — a story told across five episodes — launched on ITV on Sunday 11 October. It is called The Party.
Evans plays journalist Martin Gilmour. Tom Cullen plays politician Ben Fitzmaurice. The series adapts the bestselling novel by Elizabeth Day, adapted for television by Sarah Solemani, according to ITV and Deadline.
Speaking at MIPCOM, the annual international television market, Evans said the series offers a glimpse into the British class system. He said that system remains particularly visible in the UK, and more prevalent there than in almost any other country.
He put it bluntly. The idea of being born with a silver spoon is very much alive and well, he said.
Evans said he feels close to the story. He described himself as a working-class boy from a village in Wales. He said he relates to Martin climbing the ladder into the upper echelons of society.
What makes this stand out is how personal the project was for its star. Evans read the novel during the pandemic. After working with World Productions on The Pembrokeshire Murders, he took the book to that team.
World Productions is owned by ITV Studios. Evans's own company, Stoic Productions, has a production credit, meaning it is formally recognised among the programme's producers.
The launch drew a solid overnight crowd. The first episode reached a peak of nearly 1.5 million viewers, Deadline reported on 12 October.
ITV Studios was selling The Party to international buyers at MIPCOM alongside Number 10, the new drama from Steven Moffat. ITV published an official press pack for The Party in October 2026, as listed by ITV.
