The Singapore Grip on ITV - Start date, cast and everything you need to know

The Singapore Grip
(Image credit: ITV)

The new series is based on the satricial novel...

The Singapore Grip, set during World War Two, is a lavish new drama starting on Sunday 13th September at 9pm.

This brand new series is based on J. G. Farrell's satirical novel of the same name, published in 1978.

But what is it about? And who's in it? Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming drama...

What is The Singapore Grip about?

The Singapore Grip ITV

The Singapore Grip boasts a great cast including David Morrissey

The series follows a British family living in 1940s Singapore at the time of the Japanese invasion.

They're dealing with their fair share of personal threats as well, as they find their trading company at risk.

“Reluctant hero and innocent abroad” Matthew Webb and “ruthless rubber merchant” Walter Blackett are the major characters in this series.

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ITV's official synopsis adds, "With Webb’s health failing, Walter needs to ensure the future of their firm is secure. He decides Webb’s son Matthew is the perfect match for his spoilt daughter Joan (Georgia Blizzard).

"Matthew’s idealism leaves Walter increasingly suspicious as Matthew himself falls under the spell of Vera Chiang (Elizabeth Tan), a mysterious Chinese refugee.”

Screenwriter Christopher Hampton adds, "Matthew Webb, our bespectacled protagonist, an idealistic innocent abroad, lands in the middle of all this, to find himself fiercely pursued by two beautiful women – an English heiress and a Chinese adventurer – and his story, with its tumultuous backdrop, is told in a style with echoes of Tolstoy and Evelyn Waugh, but still, unmistakably, the unique voice of Jim Farrell.”

The Singapore Grip ITV

The Singapore Grip is coming to ITV this autumn

Who stars in The Singapore Grip?

There's a great cast in this new drama, including Olivier Award-winning actor Luke Treadaway, known for his role in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Luke plays protagonist Matthew Webb in the series, and stars opposite David Morrissey, who plays Walter Blackett.

“Walter is a schemer, an industrialist, a capitalist, and even though there is a war about to happen, he’s completely ignorant of that. He doesn’t see war as a reason to stop trading - he sees it as an opportunity,” says David.

Additional cast includes Charles Dance as Mr Webb, Georgia Blizzard as Joan and former Coronation Street star Elizabeth Tan as Vera Chiang.

The Singapore Grip ITV

Elizabeth Tan as Vera Chiang in The Singapore Grip. (Credit: ITV)

 

When can we watch it?

ITV has now confirmed that The Singapore Grip will start on Sunday 13th September at 9pm (see our TV Guide for full listings).

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Now she works for our sister site TechRadar in the same role. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.

She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress