The Handmaid’s Tale: cast, locations and four other things you need to know about the new adaptation

The series depicts the dark and disturbing world of Gilead, where women are kept as child-bearing slaves  
Talked about: The Handmaid's Tale finally airs in the UK on Channel 4 Hulu/Channel4
Hulu/Channel4

With US streaming service Hulu’s adaptation of the Margaret Atwood novel one of the most talked about TV shows of the year, viewers on this side of the pond were left wondering if and when the series would be broadcast in the UK.

Earlier this month Channel 4 snapped up the rights and the first episode will air this weekend.

Here’s what to expect:

1. It stars Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss

Moss plays Offred, the Handmaid at the centre of the story who’s separated from her husband and her child, enslaved and given to a barren couple to bear children on their behalf.

Though externally subservient, Offred rebels in her mind and her rich interior monologue provides the series’ narration.

2. It’s adapted from Margaret Atwood’s seminal 1985 novel, The Handmaid’s Tale

The ground-breaking novel won several awards after it was released including the Booker Prize and was adapted into a film in 1990 and an opera in 2000.

The creators of this year’s series have collaborated closely with Atwood on the project and the author has given the show her seal of approval, so expect a relatively faithful rendering of the original.

3. The new series couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time

With a former reality TV star who’s notorious for making deeply disturbing comments about women in the White House, the timing of the series seems eerily apt.

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However, though there may be some disconcerting parallels, the frightening near future world of Gilead is still far enough from contemporary society to make the series watchable.

4. Alexis Bledel from Gilmore Girls plays a handmaid with rebellious spirit

Bledel (who’s best known for playing Rory in the well-loved mother-daughter drama Gilmore Girls) stars as Ofglen, a handmaid who dreams of escaping her entrapment.

5. It’s directed by Reed Morano who was the cinematographer Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade

The Margaret Atwood novel is one of director and cinematographer Reed Morano’s favourite books and she was so determined to work on the project she “begged her agents to get [her] a meeting.

6. The series was filmed in Canada

Scenes were shot in various locations in Ontario, which unfortunately for Canada would seem to suggest that the producers think it’s a dystopian version of the US.

The Handmaid’s Tale will air on Channel 4 at 9pm on Sunday 28.

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