Irish actress Sharon Horgan will star alongside Michael Sheen in the BBC's brand-new four-part mini-series Best Interests.
The Bad Sisters creator, best known for her comedy acting, will show us how serious she can get in a drama centred around a couple whose young daughter gets diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, as they battle it out to keep her alive.
The show, written by BAFTA winner Jack Thorne sees the Irish actress delve deep into a personal struggle she had of her own in real life, whereby her daughter fell very ill at 16 months, and she wasn't sure if she was going to make it.
Read More: Who is Sharon Horgan? Together with James McAvoy to air on BBC Two
Who is Sharon Horgan?
Sharon's mother Ursula comes from County Kildare while her father, John, is from New Zealand.
Although born in Hackney in London, when she was four, the family moved to Bellewstown in County Meath to run a turkey farm.
Young Horgan used to help with the plucking and this was something she drew on for her episode of the popular Sky Arts show Little Crackers, in which she played her own mum and Katherine Rose Morley played her as a teenager.
She is one of five siblings and one of her brothers is former rugby player Shane Horgan.
Best Interests and Sharon's personal struggle
She told OK! Magazine that she felt "really connected" to her character Nicci, adding that thankfully her daughter is now 19, with her attitude as a mother always being to do everything in her power to keep her alive.
Despite the raw emotion, seriousness and heartbreaking theme of the show as Nicci and Andrew (Michael Sheen) go to court separately to fight a battle to keep their daughter alive, Sharon conceded that they had a lot of fun and laughs on set.
Although not wanting the part as she was working on Apple TV+'s series Bad Sisters at the time, Sharon decided to take it due to her connection to Nicci's character.
Michael Sheen told The Guardian that the show is "difficult to watch" due to the heartbreaking theme. His character Andrew doesn't back Nicci's legal challenge against doctors, who want to end their daughter's life due to illness.
The opening scenes show the happy couple full of love and high on life, with each episode showing their relationship deteriorate further and further.
Young Irish actress with disability to star alongside Sharon Horgan
A young Irish actress from Dublin is set to star alongside Sharon Horgan and Michael Sheen, as she looks to spread awareness for other actors and people with disabilities.
Niamh Moriarty, 16, has a goal to encourage disabled actors who may feel they do not fit in the industry and hopes to change this thinking by her work . She also wants to encourage a disabled audience, young and old, to be the change they want to see.
Niamh diagnosed with a form of Cerebral Palsy in her legs called Spastic Diplegia aged three and uses a wheelchair.
She stars as the daughter, Marnie, who is caught in the middle of the legal battle about her life. She also stars alongside Alison Oliver from Conversations With Friends', who plays the eldest daughter.
Where and when to watch?
Best Interests begins on Monday 12th June, 9pm, BBC One and will run for four consecutive nights. It is expected to grip viewers in the UK, as well and Ireland and around the world.
