Everything You Should Know About 'Mrs. Wilson'

Most fans of actress Ruth Wilson know her as either Alice Morgan, the antagonistic foil to Idris Elba in Luther, or as the titular character in the 2006 BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre. This year, however, viewers will get to see her tackle the most personal project she's ever taken on, Mrs. Wilson, the story of a woman named Alison Wilson, who discovers upon the death of her husband Alec that he was living a secret double life, including an entire second family with a wife and children.

Except Alison Wilson isn't just anyone. She's Ruth's grandmother, and the story of what happened is based in reality.

Alexander Wilson, Ruth's grandfather, didn't just have two wives, he had four altogether, though, over the course of the story, Alison doesn't find all of them. His work in the British Secret Intelligence Service, where Alison met him, was far more undercover than she ever knew. These marriages and relationships were all tied up in the work he was doing as a spy for the U.K., and to this day the full files on him are still deemed too sensitive by the Foreign Office to release to the extended families. It wasn't until 2007 that the full sets of Wilson relations from his various marriages all met for the first time.