In 1920s England, the quaint town of Littlehampton is rattled by a series of venomous anonymous letters, sparking a feud between two contrasting neighbours: the prim and proper Edith Swan (played by Olivia Colman) and the spirited newcomer Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley).

We’re back to the early 1980s with Hilary (played by Olivia Colman) who works at the fading Empire cinema in Margate. When new employee Stephen (Michael Ward) arrives to join the team, the pair forge a friendship which turns into a romance, but with her mental-health issues, and issues from the times . . . both these elements threaten to divide them.

Leda Caruso (played by Olivia Colman) is a professor on a solo holiday in Greece. She finds her past life unearthed after the arrival of a difficult family, in particular Nina (played by Dakota Johnson), a very unpredictable young mother . . .