Slow Horses and Peaky Blinders stars join dark period drama about “most infamous romantic villain”
(BBC)
A dark new period drama audio production based around Wuthering Heights’ Heathcliff has been announced. Simply titled after the character, the Audible project is described as a “feverish re-imagining of literature’s most infamous romantic villain”.
Announced as part of the cast are Peaky Blinders and Wake Up Dead Man’s Daryl McCormack as Heathcliff alongside Slow Horses’ Charlie Rowe, The Pass’ Arinzé Kene, The Lady from the Sea’s Gracie Oddie-James, Industry’s Sagar Radia, The Brutalist’s Raffey Cassidy and Silo’s Tanya Moodie.
Heathcliff will explore the character’s missing years in London in the Emily Brontë novel “before his descent into monstrous revenge”, a time of “possibility, freedom and a different kind of love”.
“With Cathy’s rejection burning hot in his ears, Heathcliff flees the moors and arrives in London, seeking distraction and oblivion,” the synopsis reads. “There he is rescued by Sir Francis Barber, the Black adopted son of Samuel Johnson who urges him to forge his own path.
“Along the way he meets the reckless gambler, Lord Montgomery and the beautiful courtesan Rhoda Pascal, and begins to chart a path towards fortune, and belonging. In growing closer to Rhoda, he starts to untangle the mystery of who he is, but Cathy’s ghostly presence, calling to him like a siren song, draws him ever back to his own dark nature, and the bewildering memories of Wuthering Heights.”
(BBC)
The drama comes from the team behind Audible’s Pride and Prejudice, with Oddie-James writing and The End We Start From’s Mahalia Belo directing.
“Heathcliff is one of the most complex and interesting individuals in literature, which made this such an intriguing role to play,” McCormack said.
“This original story follows him on his missing years and his journey of self-discovery and internal redemption, which I think will allow the listener to have compassion for him despite his flaws. He truly is the epitome of an anti-hero, and in our ‘Heathcliff’, I think your heart may break for him.”
(Apple TV)
Heathcliff comes ahead of the anticipated new big screen adaptation of Wuthering Heights, which will star Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff.
The Emerald Fennell film has already caused controversy over the choice of Elordi for the role, with his character described as “dark-skinned” in the original novel, though Robbie recently defended the casting.
Heathcliff will be available from 12 February, 2026 via Audible.
SOURCE: AOL
