Netflix recently shared the first trailer for the upcoming drama series Obsession featuring Irish actor Charlie Murphy and Richard Armitage. The passionate, elegant and bold four-part series is written by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and is a contemporary adaptation of Josephine Hart‘s 1991 novella Damage. Obsession will be released on April 13.

When Malcolm first pitched for the job of adapting Josephine Hart‘s novella, the feminist playwright said: "I loved the book, which is an amazing page-turning, erotic thriller, but it was written entirely from a man’s point of view."

"I said, ‘If I’m going to do this, I want to make sure I dig into Anna and why she behaves in the way she does'. I wanted to try and understand the characters in the story – and especially Anna - in a way that wasn’t just two-dimensional."

Watch Obsession's first official trailer below:

The story of the series centres on a dangerous love triangle that emerges when the enigmatic Anna Barton (Charlie Murphy) embarks on a passionate affair with her fiance's father, top surgeon William (Richard Armitage).

Intending to sustain both relationships, Anna soon faces several problems, while William is drawn into an obsessive spiral that proves to be their undoing.

The series also stars Indira Varma, Rish Shah, Pippa Bennet-Warner, Sonera Angel, Anil Goutam, and Marion Bailey. Obsession is produced by Gina Carter with Matthew Read, Frith Tiplady, and Alison Jackson as executive producers.

Anna meets William for the first time - Credit: Netflix

Charlie Murphy has received several acting awards, including two IFTA Awards for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performances in Happy Valley and Peaky Blinders. Her previous film credits include The Capture, Deadline, Misfits, and the Irish TV hit, Love/Hate.

English actor Richard Armitage gained international fame for his portrayal of the king Thorin Oakenshield in Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Hobbit. Other films and series Armitage has appeared in include The Crucible, Hannibal, Spooks, Robin Hood, Castlevania and The Stranger. On 12th October 2023, he will make his authorial debut with the publication of his first novella, Geneva.