Suranne Jones is set to star in a new, three-part ITV drama called Maryland from Monumental Television.

Jones has created the drama that is written by Anne-Marie O”Connor. It centres on two sisters, Becca and Rosaline, who have grown apart as they have forged ahead with family lives and careers.

But when the body of an older woman is discovered at sunrise on Laxey Beach in the Isle of Man, it brings devastating news for the sisters.

Each sister flies out to the Isle of Man to discover and repatriate the body of their mother, Mary, who they learn has been living a double life, leaving their father Richard at home in Manchester, whilst creating another world for herself… Maryland.

Jones said of the commission: “I”m so excited to be working with Anne Marie on this project. We both immediately knew how we wanted this story to unfold and to have the support from ITV and Monumental Television to let us tell it in our own way has been a breath of fresh air.

“Maryland delves into family dynamics and the way in which we ‘label” each other, sometimes never letting ourselves or our siblings break free from those roles. We look at how we grow apart from one another and how sometimes we don”t really know anything about the people we call our own.”

Suranne will also executive produce the drama, which is a co-production with her company, Teamakers Productions, alongside O”Connor, Alison Owen, Debra Hayward and Katie Kelly.

The drama is the first UK drama commission for O”Connor, who said: “I”m thrilled to be working with Suranne and Monumental on Maryland and for ITV to have given us the opportunity to write a character-led show, at the heart of which is a love story about two sisters.

“From the start, Suranne and I have wanted to tell a story about the roles that are ascribed to us in families – especially as women – and to look at the legacy of a woman who decided to step away from the traditional role but wasn’t honest about her decision.”