Luke Evans says his new ITV thriller 'The Party' shows how Britain's class system remains dominant: 'The idea of being born with a silver spoon is alive and well.'

Luke Evans has said that his new ITV thriller 'The Party' 'offers a glimpse of Britain's class system' that 'is especially visible in Britain.' Evans said the adaptation of Elizabeth Day's novel, which aired on ITV last night, shows how the class system is 'far more common here than in almost any other country.' […]

Luke Evans has said his new ITV thriller The Party "offers a glimpse into the British class system" which is "particularly visible in Britain".

Evans said the adaptation of Elizabeth Day's novel, which aired on ITV last night, showed how the class system was "more prevalent here than in almost any other country".

The Sarah Soleimani-adapted thriller sees Evans play Martin Gilmour, a journalist who develops a lifelong friendship with wealthy and charismatic politician Ben Fitzmaurice (Tom Cullen). After meeting at an elite boarding school, Martin and Ben form an unbreakable bond. Three decades later, Martin is invited to Ben's lavish birthday party at the Fitzmaurice estate, but Martin fears that Ben's proposed campaign for the Tory leadership will reveal the secrets of their past, with tragic consequences. Related News First video for Princess Diana series Unheard of: Broadcaster to be released as 'Diana: Her Secret Confessions' News 'Number 10' Steven Moffat Finds European Producer

The Hobbit star Evans, who grew up in a village in Wales and comes from a working-class background, says it's "about the way Martin climbs the ladder and maneuvers his way into the upper echelons of society". Watch on Deadline

"The idea of a silver spoon birthday is very much alive and well," says Evans. "Other countries may have class divisions, but ours is particularly visible. The show shines a light on a world I didn't know. Mostly as a working-class boy."

Evans said this scrutiny of Britain's class system will serve the party well when ITV Studios is shopping it around for global buyers, as he spoke to Deadline at MIPCOM, where it's one of the distributor's key titles alongside shows like Steven Moffat's Number 10.

Indeed, it was Evans who brought the hit novel from the How to Fail podcast host to ITV World Productions, who had worked with him on the hit ITV drama The Pembrokeshire Murders.

Evans read The Party during the pandemic and thought it had "great material for a great drama". His company Stoic Productions has production credits.

"I've always loved the behind-the-scenes and development aspect of projects because you learn so much about how to turn a book into a screenplay," he said. Being on the production side of a project taught me that you really have to believe in people. There are peaks and troughs. "As an actor, I look at things differently than someone who isn't in that position, so I think I was able to bring value to the post-production process."

He said Evans is constantly keeping an eye on buzzy IP, reading "stories, newspaper articles, ideas or anything that inspires me."

He was drawn to Martin's character because he is "complex, deep and thoughtful." "I understood Martin very quickly," he added. "I thought he would be a great character to play and an interesting journey to go on. He's ambitious and compassionate, but with danger, tragedy and consequences. Martin is covered in scars and secrets, and it all makes for a compelling story."

The party launched last night on ITV with over 1.5 million viewers and is likely to get even more on ITVX. ITV Studios is selling The Party at MIPCOM.

Get our breaking news alerts and keep your inbox happy.