Doctor Who's Jenna Coleman cast in new World War II series

Victoria star Jenna Coleman has signed on to play an unsung World War II hero in a new drama series titled The War Rooms.

The actress, who is also known for Doctor Who and most recently appeared in BBC One's The Serpent, is on board as Joan Bright.

Bright is the woman who ran Winston Churchill's secret Whitehall bunker and is thought to have inspired the character of Miss Moneypenny in Ian Fleming's James Bond novels.

Oscar winner David Parfitt, Jamie Carmichael and David Chidlow are the show's creators, who will be able to draw on Bright's memoir The Inner Circle: A View of War at the Top.

Pascal Le Segretain//Getty Images

"Joan Bright was never going to live a conventional life – a young woman who lived her war days under the official secrets act, undercover and underground in the war rooms," Coleman commented.

"This story is so compelling not only because of her unique and liberal mind, wryness of spirit and curiosity to live, but because of the opportunity to examine this endlessly fascinating period of time through an intimate and human lens.

"The closeness and proximity of days and nights lived within this small space, the carriers of the truth amidst the oblivion of propaganda above. The beauty and fragility of human connection when living through a time when no-one knows what tomorrow will bring.

"I'm so excited to unearth these hidden lives and at a time where it feels so shockingly relevant right now."

jenna coleman as moniquemarie andrée leclerc, the serpent

BBC

Jenna Coleman in The Serpent

Meanwhile, Carmichael and Parfitt went on to share in a statement: "Jenna is one of the UK's most loved and lauded actresses, whose career has seen her constantly stretch and redefine herself. As our lead actor and executive producer, she has been instrumental in bringing The War Rooms to life.

"Our intention is to build a series that takes a truly fresh view on a significant part of our collective history. A show that isn't polite or reverential, but raw, confronting and offers fresh experiences, perspectives, narratives and faces. Ones that speak directly to our current, turbulent times and, critically, to an audience thirsty for tales of hope that help frame and make sense of today and tomorrow."

Coleman has recently been filming the darkly comic whistleblower movie Klokkenluider alongside Strike star Tom Burke.

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