Published Feb 11, 2026, 2:55 PM EST
Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys.
Although Natalie Dormer is perhaps best known on television for her time in Game of Thrones as Margaery Tyrell, she's also no stranger to playing very real royal women. Her breakthrough role was as Anne Boleyn on Showtime's The Tudors, bringing to life the second wife of King Henry VIII to critical acclaim at the time. It paved the way for a fruitful career that would also take her to the big screen as a key player in both parts of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay and beyond. Now, fittingly, she's set to take on a royal new role that may be the perfect fit for those missing The Crown.
BritBox has announced that its new four-part drama, The Lady, will premiere on March 18. Based on real events, it casts Dormer as the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, though the real star of the show will be her royal aide, Jane Andrews, played by Seven Dials star Mia McKenna-Bruce. Andrews' tale was initially one of rags to riches, as she started as a working-class girl from a northern town who, after answering an advertisement, found herself surprisingly rising to the role of royal dresser at Buckingham Palace. Her fairytale story seemed to be going perfectly as she blended in with high-society social circles and seemingly found her place, until after nine years of service, she lost her job. Although she seemingly bounces back somewhat from her fall from grace when she begins a new romance, cracks soon begin to form with disastrous consequences looming for Andrews.
Accompanying the release date is an official trailer that teases Andrews' downfall. It opens with the aide not in Buckingham Palace, but in an interrogation room, being played a tape from the Duchess of York addressing her firing. Quick flashes show that her life spirals out of control to the point of being the key suspect in a murder case, but first, it provides a look at how things got to such a disastrous low. Initially going nowhere in life, the missive from the palace changes everything for Andrews as she finds herself not just in the world of the royals, but actively endearing herself to Ferguson with her "spirit." Her life is perpetually upbeat and more like that of a princess, especially when she meets charismatic businessman Thomas Cressman (Ed Speleers). The facade quickly cracks when their passionate romance sours into fighting and, eventually, murder. Now labeled in the media as a "femme fatale," the perspective on Andrews shifts as authorities try to track her down and bring her to justice.
Who Else Is Involved in 'The Lady'?
Accompanying the trio of McKenna-Bruce, Dormer, and Speelers is a starry supporting cast featuring Philip Glenister, Claire Skinner, Laura Aikman, Ophelia Lovibond, Mark Stanley, Daniel Ryan, and Sean Teale. This partly fictionalized royal scandal drama also fittingly comes from Left Bank Pictures, the multi-award-winning production banner behind The Crown, and features plenty of creatives with other British hits under their belts. Debbie O’Malley, who has previously written for Payback, All Creatures Great and Small, and Harlots, penned all four scripts for the series and served as an executive producer, while Passenger and A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story director Lee Haven Jones directed each episode.
The Lady premieres on BritBox on March 18. Check out the trailer in the player above.
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