BBC The Girl Before: Plot, how many episodes, full cast list, start date and time

The Girl Before is the latest BBC drama set to grip millions of viewers.

The series is based on the bestselling book, which has sold more than one million copies since it was published in 2016, and was announced back in March this year.

It tells the story of Jane (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who gets the chance to move into a beautiful, ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect (David Oyelowo).

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Here is everything that you need to know about the psychological thriller.

The plot

The synopsis of the show from the BBC website said : "There’s just one catch: the occupants must abide by his list of exacting rules. Jane starts to feel the house changing her in unexpected ways, but when she makes the shocking discovery about her predecessor Emma (Jessica Plummer), she’s forced to confront unnerving similarities. As the two women’s timelines interweave, Jane begins to question if her fate will be the same as the girl before..."

How many episodes and when is it on

The Girl Before premieres on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm on Sunday, December 19.

There are four episodes in total, and in case you don't want to wait for each episode to be aired individually, you can binge-watch in one sitting as the gripping drama will be available as a box set on BBC iPlayer following the first episode.

Otherwise, each instalment will be airing on consecutive nights with the series concluding on Wednesday, December 22.

The cast

Jane Cavendish - Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Jane moves into Edward’s house as his first tenant in three years after going through a personal tragedy, which prompts her to want to seek change in her life.

But as she starts to unravel the reasons for the property being empty for so long, she becomes encapsulated by owner Edward, who becomes increasingly obsessed with her.

Gugu told the BBC: "I’ve never done a psychological thriller before, and I loved the fact that it was a twisty, compelling tale with an original point of view. You also have Jane and Emma-often you have one great female lead and in this, there were two. So, the feminist in me was like 'yes, this is amazing!'"

Edward Monkford - David Oyelowo

Edward is the architect of the mysterious house, which forces its occupants to obey his very specific rules and minimalist ideas of life.

The character is completely ambiguous - is he dangerous, or merely damaged? A victim, or a killer?

David can relate to his character, as he said: "There are things about Edward Monkford that I relate to. He is a perfectionist, very particular about certain things. I like to think that I’m a milder version of that, though my wife may beg to differ."

Emma Matthews - Jessica Plummer

The former Eastenders star plays the part of Emma, a Bohemian and confident but rather chaotic character.

Emma is traumatised by two separate acts of violence – and by secrets she feels too ashamed of to confide to partner Simon.

Speaking of arriving at the set, she said: "Walking into One Folgate Street and seeing the set was breathtaking. It was probably my favourite filming location. It did feel the same way as my character described it – like a fortress. I felt so safe, relaxed and comfortable there."

Simon Wakefield - Ben Hardy

Fellow Eastenders star Ben is playing Simon, Emma’s boyfriend in the show, who is clearly very fond of her – but his insecurities soon shine through.

Deeply insecure in his masculinity, he suspects Emma is out of his league, and can’t quite believe his luck when she agrees to move in with him.

He said: "It’s a really interesting character to play for numerous reasons. I won’t give too much away but it’s interesting because he’s very much a beta to Edward’s alpha male. It was often quite uncomfortable to play that, but I think it’s quite good."

The Girl Before begins on Sunday, December 19 at 9pm on BBC One and can be streamed in full on BBC iPlayer.

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