Lily James’s Pursuit of Love isn’t going too well, judging by the look on her face.
The actress, 32, stars as Linda Radlett in the new three-part BBC One drama based on the 1945 Nancy Mitford novel, alongside Emily Beecham who plays her cousin, Fanny Logan.
In this exclusive picture from the show, which starts at 9pm on Sunday, the lovesick pals are annoyed by the lack of eligible young men at the coming out ball of Linda’s big sister, Louisa.
Linda and Fanny are on the hunt to snare the ideal husband, but take increasingly different paths which threatens to wreck their friendship.
Downton Abbey star Lily said she is similar to her carefree character as they both follow their “heart and gut”.
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“The choices she makes at times feel harsh and brutal but I instinctively feel I understand her and love her deeply,” she said.
“I recognise a lot of myself in her.
"Having to play someone from 17 to her early 30s is a real challenge.
"She doesn’t change a huge amount – she just always lives for love.”
While Mitford’s novel was a frivolous romp, the drama, directed by Emily Mortimer, caused a stir before it finished filming when James was photographed cuddling married co-star Dominic West on a scooter in Rome in October.
West plays Linda’s dad, known as Uncle Matthew.
James broke her silence over the photos this week when she was asked about the media storm they created.
She said: “I’m not really willing to talk about that.
"There is a lot to say, but not now, I’m afraid.”
Writer Mitford’s own life was deeply unhappy.
The eldest of six sisters, Nancy was engaged on and off to a man called Erskine who ditched her for another woman, despite being gay.
She wed Peter Rodd in 1933 but the marriage was disastrous due to his constant cheating, and she was later heartbroken by French air force commander Gaston Palewski.
Two of her younger sisters were Nazis – Diana married British Union of Fascists leader Oswald Mosley in Joseph Goebbels’ house and spent three years in prison, while Unity was a close friend of Adolf Hitler.
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