For better or WORSE

SEAN BEAN and NICOLA WALKER on playing a couple approaching their 27th wedding anniversary…

After creating Mum starring Lesley Manville as a widow dealing with bereavement, BAFTA-winning writer Stefan Golaszewski turns his attention to the simmering tensions in a long-term marriage in BBC1’s four-part drama Marriage, airing in weekly double bills.

Sean Bean and Nicola Walker star as Ian and Emma, whose 27-year marriage is on the verge of imploding. Ian is fragile following the death of his mother and his recent redundancy, while Emma is falling for her younger boss, Jamie, who invites her to an overnight conference.

Here, Time star Sean, 63, and Unforgotten’s Nicola, 52, tell us why working together was a match made in heaven…

Where do we find married couple Ian and Emma at the start of the series?

SEAN Ian isn’t very sure of himself. He used to be, when he was in a relatively high-up position as a moderator at his firm. But that’s gone, and he’s also recently lost his mother. Emma’s working and going places. There’s a younger man on the scene. So when you add that all together, Ian’s suspicious, vulnerable and unsettled. Lots of little things begin to stir up into a big pot of worry!