Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
ITV’s high-stakes psychological thriller The Party makes its official terrestrial debut tonight at 9pm on ITV1, but for viewers eager to jump ahead, the entire five-part series dropped on ITVX this morning. Adapted from Elizabeth Day’s bestselling 2017 novel by showrunner Sarah Solemani, this compelling opening chapter establishes an atmosphere of suffocating tension that places the series right up there with one of Harlan Coben’s slickest, high-concept Netflix dramas.
From the opening frames, The Party looks extraordinary on screen. Directed with a crisp, cinematic edge by Viviane Andereggen, the production contrasts the polished, sun-dappled opulence of high-society country estates with a deep, encroaching sense of dread. It is stylish, glossy, and visually commanding, using sweeping camera work and rich lighting to make the setting feel as much a character as the central figures.
A Tense Narrative of Privilege and Past Sins
At the heart of the story is a toxic, multi-layered friendship built across three decades of power dynamics and buried secrets. The drama introduces Martin Gilmour (Luke Evans), a working-class journalist who earned a scholarship to an elite boarding school as a teenager. It was there that he met the charismatic, impossibly wealthy Ben Fitzmaurice (Tom Cullen)—a boy whose privileged family offered Martin the warmth, status, and sense of belonging he had lacked under his stern mother Sylvia (Joanna Scanlan).
Thirty years later, Martin is invited to Ben’s lavish 40th birthday bash at the Fitzmaurice family’s grand country seat. However, the celebration is thrown into immediate disarray by news of the Prime Minister’s unexpected resignation, tempting political star Ben to throw his hat into the ring for the Conservative leadership.
Martin panics: a high-profile political campaign will invite media scrutiny, threatening to dredge up dark, long-hidden secrets from their university and London party days. When a shock, scandal-inducing incident occurs during the festivities, a police investigation kicks into gear. Moving effortlessly between the chaos of the party, modern police interrogations, and haunting flashbacks, the narrative tempo never slows down. The storytelling is tightly wound and will have you utterly gripped from start to finish.
Stellar Performances Across the Board
The casting is exceptional, delivering first-class acting from every member of the ensemble. Luke Evans gives a career-best television performance as Martin, balancing deep-seated insecurity, fiercely protective loyalty, and a creeping, obsessive desperation to protect his place in Ben’s orbit. Opposite him, Tom Cullen effortlessly captures the casually untouchable charm of political privilege—warm on the surface, but backed by a cold, transactional steeliness.
The supporting cast is equally sharp:
- Sarah Solemani shines as Martin’s heavily pregnant, pragmatic wife Lucy, acting as the grounded moral anchor in a sea of aristocratic vanity.
- Lydia Leonard delivers a biting performance as Ben’s sharp-edged wife, Serena.
- Joanna Scanlan makes an immediate impact in flashbacks as Martin’s emotionally cold mother, helping viewers understand the psychological roots of his obsession with the Fitzmaurice family.
The Verdict
The Party masterfully blends classic British class critique with the fast-paced, addictive beats of a modern thriller. With its stylish visual palette, sharp dialogue, and impressive cast, part one sets up an irresistible mystery where loyalty comes with a devastating price tag. If you enjoy slick, character-driven thrillers filled with high-society scandal and hidden motives, The Party is essential viewing tonight.