POWER PASSION and

Julianne Moore plays an ambitious aristocrat in a real-life royal saga

NEW DRAMA Mary & George Tuesday, 9pm, Sky Atlantic & Sky Showcase (box set, Sky Box Sets/NOW)

Hollywood star Julianne Moore adopts her best English accent this week when she plays Mary Villiers, a mother-of-four determined to secure her family’s future, in Sky’s seven-part drama Mary & George.

When she learns that King James (Tony Curran) is in a sexual relationship with his adviser, the Earl of Somerset (Laurie Davidson), Mary realises she could gain considerable power and influence if her son George (Nicholas Galitzine) becomes the King’s new favourite.

‘Mary is from a kind of middling aristocratic family,’ explains Moore, 63. ‘She’s living in less-than-ideal circumstances, looking for a way to educate her children and keep herself alive. The only way she’s really able to do that is through her relationships with powerful men.’