There is a very recognisable face on screen in new ITV drama Maryland and the appearance of Grease icon Stockard Channing got viewers excited before the show had even begun, with many blown away at finding out her age.
When Maryland was first announced by the broadcaster, it was the name and picture of lead actress Suranne Jones that immediately grabbed the attention, as the Doctor Foster and Vigil actress takes on another high profile TV role, as well as having a big hand in creating the new three part series.
But the Maryland cast list required a second look when Stockard's name appeared on it, 45 years years since she lit up the big screen Rizzo in movie musical smash Grease. In Maryland, which launches on ITV on Monday night, Stockard plays the rather mysterious Cathy, who provides some answers when sisters Becca and Rosaline are told that their mother's body has been found on the Isle of Man.
READ MORE: ITV's Maryland cast as highly anticipated Suranne Jones drama launches
Having been distant for years, the two must confront their own fraught relationship while confronting the fact that they really didn't know their mum at all.
While of course ex Coronation Street star Suranne, who plays Becca, is superb in everything she's in, it's Stockard who had many viewers talking when they saw her in the Maryland trailer.
Born on February 13, 1944, Stockard is now 79-years-old, although she definitely doesn't look it! While she has had an illustrious career, it is of course her role as Rizzo that she is most famous for, starring alongside the likes of John Travolta and late icon Olivia Newton John in Grease, back in 1978.
The film took the world by storm and, since then, Stockard has gone onto star in films like Up Close and Personal, Too Wong Foo and Practical Magic, as well as receiving an Emmy for her part in hard-hitting TV movie The Matthew Shephard Story, with her also getting an Emmy for her role in hit TV series The West Wing.
Reacting to the casting for Maryland, one excited viewer took to Twitter to declare: "Stockard Channing tooo!!!!! Seriously what a freaking gift Maryland is going to be!!!" A second tweeted: "I like the look of Maryland. Stockard Channing's in it"
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