Ex-Casualty star Adele James, who played villain Tina Mollett, is to lead the cast of Netflix's new docu-drama, Queen Cleopatra.
Adele takes the title role alongside a number of soap stars, with EastEnders' John Partridge as Julius Caesar, Craig Russell (Riches) as Marc Antony, and Michael Greco (EastEnders) as the Queen's younger brother, Pothinus.
Hollywood actress Jada Pinkett Smith has executive produced the new docuseries exploring the lives of prominent African Queens, and the first season revolves around the titular Egyptian ruler.
Cleopatra is arguably one of the most famous women in history, though her romances with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony have often overshadowed her own life story when it comes to popular retellings of her own life. This new series aims to foreground her own intellect and strategic insight first and foremost by dramatizing her life and featuring insight from real academics.
In Casualty, Adele James played Tina Mollett, a nurse who joined the series as a minor character in 2020. However, as she got more air time, she became a love interest for a popular main character, nurse Jacob Masters (Charles Venn). Once the pair got together, it was revealed that Tina had a darker side to her, as their relationship became increasingly more toxic and eventually escalated to mental and physical abuse until she was taken away by police in 2021.
Speaking to WTW at the time, Adele revealed that behind-the-scenes the storyline had been in the works far longer than viewers might have known. She said: "I actually knew from when I first auditioned, way back in 2019! We wanted it to be a slow burn because more often than not with domestic abuse cases it is a death by a thousand cuts. I had to really play the other side of her, that very sweet, kind, empathetic, warm, talented nurse.”
The storyline made such a big impression that it’s still occasionally referenced on the show. In fact in February 2023, Casualty episode "Fight or Flight" included flashbacks to Jacob’s time with toxic Tina. Jacob, who is now a paramedic, continues to be haunted by Tina's abuse, attends support meetings, and is often extremely protective of anyone in a similarly vulnerable position — something which is currently playing out on screen now, and may lead to his undoing!
The expectation that Tina Mollett could one day be released from prison and make an unexpected return to Holby has never quite left fans of Jacob Masters.
Queen Cleopatra releases exclusively on Netflix on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. All four episodes will be available at launch, with each episode lasting roughly 45 minutes. If you're looking for more shows to stream, check out our recommendations for the best Netflix shows to stream right now.
