This one's moving: Baby Reindeer star’s new Netflix show lands Downton Abbey & Andor actors

Here we go again: Netflix is betting big on a new drama called Feral, and it’s shaping up to be one of those shows with a cast list that reads like someone raided half the BAFTA guest list. Headlining is Jessica Gunning (you might know her from Baby Reindeer, and, yes, the internet’s still divided on whether she was too convincing). She’s joined by Genevieve O’Reilly (Mon Mothma in Andor, for anyone who prefers their sci-fi earnest), Michelle Dockery (obligatory Downton Abbey reference for anyone’s gran), Quintessa Swindell (Prime Target), and Dolly de Leon (Maximus Pleasure Guaranteed, which may get you strange looks if you google it at work). The full ensemble only deepens the intrigue, considering the plot is already giving off major 'posh people in peril' energy.

The series adapts Shirley Conran’s 1987 novel Savages and is being written by Jude Mack (she popped up in Ted Lasso as Katie Quinn, if you’re keeping scores at home).

Cast, Characters, and That Savage Source Material

So what's the set-up? The original novel drops five women on a tropical island with their mining exec husbands. Things escalate (mining rarely ends well in fiction), and our group of mismatched women end up fighting for survival — against the jungle and, perhaps less surprisingly, each other. The series keeps that rough skeleton but focuses on a main four. Here’s how the cast lines up, according to Deadline:

• Michelle Dockery as Julia
• Genevieve O’Reilly as Silvana
• Quintessa Swindell as Suzy
• Dolly de Leon as Elena
• Jessica Gunning as Annie

The show’s been commissioned for seven episodes, which feels about right for a story that involves 'getting lost, going feral and airing grievances loudly'. Warner Bros. International TV and Hera Pictures are producing, with Emma Freeman directing the lot. Liza Marshall, founder of Hera, happily told Deadline that these women 'will be pushed to extremes, behave deliciously badly and have a whole lot of fun along the way.' Can't fault her for aiming high.

Jungle Drama with an Edge

The story kicks into gear with a dodgy deal that goes badly sideways, and leaves the women to fend for themselves while their husbands presumably have existential crises (or just get out of the plot’s way). The action is headed to Australia soon, where the show will film – presumably because nothing says danger quite like the local wildlife and extortionate coffee prices.

Jude Mack, in typically upbeat press release mode, said, 'It’s a complete dream to be carrying Shirley Conran’s torch alongside Hera and Netflix. I can’t wait for people to meet these funny, brutal, bold women. I’m obsessed with them and hope audiences will be too.'