A decade ago, Suranne Jones and Jodie Comer’s hit thriller Doctor Foster landed on the BBC and with it, captured the nation.
The five-episode first season wowed fans, scoring an impressive 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, and easily securing itself as one of the most compelling thrillers of the past decade.
Not an easy feat when there’s a new one on the horizon every other week.
And it’s hardly surprising when you factor in the sheer talent fronting the show with the phenomenal Suranne (dominating the thriller genre with hits like Vigil) and effortlessly charismatic Jodie Comer, years before she became a household name with Killing Eve.
For those who need a recap, Doctor Foster follows a trusted local GP Gemma Foster, portrayed by the Gentleman Jack star, whose life is blown apart when she discovers her husband Simon (Bertie Carvel) has been having an affair with local Kate.
Whip-smart and fuelled by revenge, our titular character begins untangling the web of her marriage – and with it is driven to extreme action.

The show, created by Mark Bartlett, clearly had widespread appeal, drawing in 10 million viewers at the time. Not only that, but its popularity sustained into the second season, which aired in 2017.
Critics had nothing but praise at the time, with The Guardian calling it a ‘brilliant and gripping portrait of a marriage’.
The Times called Suranne ‘one of the most emotionally uninhibited actresses in television’ while The Independent quipped most people ‘probably lost a bit of sleep after watching this.’


Viewers echoed similar sentiments.
‘Over-the-top and intense, it’s a great show to lose yourself in,’ Google reviewer Leslie wrote.
‘Dr. Foster unfolds into a fascinating, unpredictable woman. She’s positively wild!’ Carlye Samatas echoed.
‘The first season [was] a binge-worthy program, full of surprises and not at all predictable. You get hooked on the cause and really feel for the characters,’ M H agreed.
The show launched a spin-off in 2020 called Life about ‘loneliness in big cities’ starring Victoria Hamilton.
At the time, Mike confirmed there would not be a third run of the original show.

‘We’re definitely done and we’re all doing — certainly they are doing — amazing things.
‘Each of the two series feel like two different novels to me, so it’s not like there’s anything incomplete.
‘It would only come back if we had the right story to tell in the right way — and I don’t have a burning desire to find that story,’ he told The Sun.
Meanwhile, discussing the show with Marie Claire, Suranne shared exactly why she thought it had made a mark.
‘Maybe it’s the fear of knowing that could actually happen to you in real life. It’s not a thriller, it’s not a murder, it’s something that feels more tangible.
‘A lot of people have experienced a relationship betrayal, even if it was when they were 16 and with their first love.
‘It could also be the fear that your beautiful, happy marriage could break down at any point when someone else comes along and taps into things that people can’t control.’
Doctor Foster is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.


