Andrew Davies' adaptation of Anthony Trollope's novel follows the breakdown of a young couple's marriage, due to the husband's insecurity and jealousy.
Louis (Oliver Dimsdale) and his wife, Emily Trevelyan (Laura Fraser), are madly in love. Emily's a strong woman seeking to make her own decisions, but Louis is a fragile man who can't stand up to her. Through mistrust and lack of communication they head inexorably for disaster.
Notorious womaniser Colonel Osborne (Bill Nighy) drives a wedge between the two by visiting Emily too frequently and causing gossip.
The confrontation between Louis and his beloved wife over her liaisons with Colonel Osborne drives Louis into a vortex of misery and, ultimately, madness.
"Trollope moves the story with extraordinary speed for a 19th century novel," reveals producer Nigel Stafford-Clark.
"He switches the point of view between the two protagonists. Since it's a tiny misunderstanding that causes the marriage to founder, it's obviously important to see how both sides think - the title is clearly ironic."
"It feels startlingly modern," adds screenplay writer Andrew Davies, who also teamed up with Nigel for 2001's The Way We Live Now and 2005's Bleak House.
"It's Trollope's take on the Othello story, and the subject of sexual jealousy is a timeless and universal one. Almost all of us have had experience of it by the time we've grown up."
An all-star supporting cast includes future Doctor Who David Tennant, ex-EastEnder Patsy Palmer, plus veteran drama stars Geoffrey Palmer, Geraldine James, John Alderton, Joanna David and James Bolam.
Locations used during the making of the show include country houses West Wycombe Park, Waddesdon Manor and Disraeli's house, Hughenden Manor, plus areas of the West Country.
