I, Jack Wright cast and creator on the family saga and courtroom drama thriller, sparked by the reading of a Will

A death in the family. A bombshell will. A murderer in their ranks?

The apparent death by suicide of high-powered businessman Jack Wright sends shockwaves through his family.

As his many wives and children fight over the remains of his estate, a dogged police detective investigates – and uncovers the shocking truth about this well-heeled clan.

I, Jack Wright comes to iPlayer and BBC One from 12 July

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Meet the Cast and Creator

Chris Lang (Writer, Creator and Executive Producer)

What was your inspiration behind the series?

The idea came from a conversation with a friend whose mother’s Will caused huge familial ructions. Although she understood the financial reasoning behind her mother’s decisions, she was still left with a lot of unanswered questions and emotional distress, and I was struck by how potent an echo of a lived life a Will can be.

That became the foundation of the story, which I expanded into a larger family saga, a thriller and a courtroom drama, with all three of those genres interweaving throughout the story.

Can you tell us about its journey from script to screen? 

The journey from script to screen was a long one. Ideas often come to you and stay with you for a long time before they find the right form. Over time, it went through different versions as I refined it and shaped it into what it eventually became. I took the idea to production company Federation Stories and they just got it.

What happens at the reading of the Will?

The Will hearing is the event that sets the whole series in motion. I always knew it had to come at the end of episode one because it brings all the key characters together and marks the point where the main story begins. In that scene, our key characters are sitting around a table, waiting to be told their fate.

For many of them, this is a life-changing moment they have been relying on and hoping will improve their future. However, for some, the outcome is disappointing and leaves them much worse off than they expected. As a result, the will hearing creates resentment, jealousy and bitterness. While some feel good about what they’ve received, they also know the others may be coming to take it from them.

It’s the perfect starting point for the drama that follows.

How was the scene shot?

It’s a highly stylised scene that uses a range of visual devices, including freeze frames, voiceovers and flash-forwards. The sequence is complex because it reveals the characters’ psychology from multiple perspectives, showing how they feel in the moment and how those feelings evolve two years later. It allows the audience to examine the impact of the revelation in a forensic way. Ultimately, that’s what the series is about: understanding the psychology of people raised within a family led by a deeply toxic man.

Can you introduce the Wright family and its central character, Jack? 

In order to sustain the story and the series, I had to create this extraordinary character at the heart of it. Although he dies very early in the story, his presence lives on in the actions and the thoughts of every character, shaping their memories and relationships. His portrait stares down at them in their homes and the boardroom, so he appears in many scenes.

Ambitious and driven, Jack married three times and built a remarkable life, but he left behind damaged relationships and lasting hurt. At its core, the story follows those closest to him as they try to rebuild their lives in the shadow of his death.

Why have the interviews in the future been set up in a true crime style? How does it add to the story? 

I wanted to experiment with the idea of seeing the characters in two different timelines. Obviously, the body of the drama is about them in the present day, but I always thought it would be interesting to show where they end up. It’s a powerful tease and provokes endless questions in the audience’s mind about how they got there and what their journey was along the way.

Nikki Amuka Bird (Sally Wright)

Who is Sally Wright? 

Sally is the third wife of Jack Wright [Trevor Eve], and she's a very wealthy, successful lawyer and mother. Sadly, however, when she loses her husband, she also finds out that he's betrayed her and left both her and her son absolutely nothing in terms of inheritance. It sets her on a journey to find out the truth about why this has happened and to fight for justice for her family. 

How would you describe Sally? 

Sally's one of those characters that you could love to hate. She could be considered a trophy wife or perhaps even a gold digger for marrying a rich, older husband, but I was immediately drawn to her because she is completely self-made. The writer, Chris Lang came up with an amazing bible for the series that had a character study for each of the characters. We discussed Sally as having a tough background where she fought her way through foster care, was the first to go to university, and had this incredible drive to really make something of herself. She's somebody who has achieved all of her dreams. 

What do we understand about the state of Sally and Jack’s marriage? 

That was one of the first questions I had for Chris. I think she really loves Jack, but it's a complex relationship. In my research, I looked at narcissistic relationships and how someone can be seduced by somebody powerful. In Sally’s case, Jack uses that power over her to a degree. What’s so great about the way we experience the story is that Sally now finds herself struggling to know Jack, to understand why he's left her with nothing and why he's betrayed her. There's a constant search for the answers and for the truth, and to believe in the person that she loved. 

Why did she continue working when she married Jack? She didn't need the money.

That is something that fascinated both Chris and I when we discussed it. Would someone like Sally need constant, positive affirmation? Does she have an issue around self-worth that she's trying to control by being an overachiever? I think it all points back to her not having a family. The idea of money and power was always a double-edged sword for Sally and all of the characters. Money and is such a driving force for them all. 

How does Sally fit into the wider Wright family? 

Sally is the third wife in a family with older children… how would they all integrate and accept each other? The poignant thing is that they're all very different, but they all connect based on their relationship to Jack – a husband and father who has caused them all a lot of pain and grief. Underlying their inter-relationships, there is empathy for each other. Or they would have had for each other if Jack hadn't ruined it all with the bombshells in the will. As a result, we watch the relationships between this group of people who need each other implode.

Was it fun to play a character as glamorous as Sally? 

When we first meet Sally, she's in prison at the lowest point of her life. She's lost everything. Then we meet her again in flashback to discover what’s happened to her. That’s when we see who she was. She’s a high-flyer, a jet setter, a glamorous woman in designer clothes in the most beautiful apartment in Paris. It was that juxtaposition that I found appealing; to get to play both sides of this character's journey. The costume designer (Richard Cooke) and I really played into the glamorous, rich wife. Even though she's a successful lawyer, we wanted her to enjoy all the trappings of a glamorous lifestyle with a huge, expensive wardrobe, and that was a lot of fun.

Trevor Eve (Jack Wright)

Describe Jack Wright and how he fits into the story?

Jack Wright is a Yorkshireman, born and bred and a multimillionaire patriarch. He’s an authoritarian in his patriarchal capacity, and when he speaks, he expects everyone to listen and obey. He’s probably struggling in an age that has passed him by, but he has enough money to protect him from the world. He’s pretty happy with his life.

What attracted you to this series?  

I worked with writer, Chris Lang, on a project called Lawless and on his hugely successful series Unforgotten. Chris writes characters with all their flaws, and that is fabulous to play. His characters are often pitted against one another, and that’s what’s fascinating: the psychosocial manipulation of the characters as they interact. The viewer never quite knows the intention behind the manipulation but then it gradually gets revealed.

Describe what viewers can expect from the series.

I, Jack Wright, is an exploration of the fragility and fallibility of humans. It’s a dismantling of people corrupted by money and the subsequent fallout. It’s also about the legacy of this man, Jack Wright, and what he did, what he gave and took away from the people he was supposed to love. It’s a discovery of either Jack’s benevolence or his malevolence, depending on who you are within the family dynamic.

Describe the importance of Jack’s Will.  

Jack Wright’s Will is of massive importance to all his dependants, both present and past. The stakes are huge. What he leaves them in his Will could be life-changing sums of money. The thing about money is that it’s a brutal corruptor of the human spirit, and Wills can become a source of huge unpleasantness between families. What’s interesting in this series is that those who thought their lives would be changed for the better are let down, and those who thought they wouldn’t get a look in are surprised. The story keeps spinning and twisting from the start.

What makes I, Jack Wright different? 

The quality of Chris’ writing is so compelling. It’s a complicated onion of a story with layers and layers that he makes you peel. It’s so magnificently written, always surprising, and there’s a psychological foundation to it. It’s always a real joy to work on drama that is as riveting to work on as it is to watch.

John Simm (Gray Wright)

Why did you want to be part of I, Jack Wright? 

For me, it’s always the writing that draws me to a role, and Chris Lang is a brilliant writer. The script was just a gift, and the part was appealing too. I've been playing Grace [DS Roy Grace in the ITV drama] for the last six years, so just to be able to play someone else was a real joy. Finally, I love the character; he's a tortured kind of 90s throwback, i.e. basically myself!  

Who is Gray Wright, and how does he fit into the story?

He's the oldest son of Jack Wright, and he's not in the best of places when we find him: his glory days are well behind him. He owes people money, and he's got himself into a right old pickle. Gray was a minor pop or rock star in the 90s, possibly having one or two top 10 songs, and he's now a record producer with his own label, a very small indie outfit. He wears 90s Adidas, has a Britpop or old raver kind of vibe, he's on the gear, he drinks too much, smokes, is an addict and is basically the bad apple of the family.

However, we soon realise that there's a reason he's like that. He was lacking love, affection and affirmation throughout his life. The whole family is screwed up by something, but he's especially messed up.  

What was he hoping for from the reading of the will, and how does it affect him? 

He was hoping for a substantial amount of money, seeing as he's the oldest son, and he doesn't get it. He immediately smells a rat and thinks something is going on.

What was his relationship with his dad when he was alive? 

It's quite complicated because we don't really know their relationship at the start of the series. You have to piece it all together to try to work out what’s happened. When you first meet Gray, you think he's a waster, especially compared to his brother John, who's very straight and business-like, but Gray has been battered over the years by drugs and hedonism.

He constantly seems to be on a come-down or with a hangover. He’s a damaged soul who feels hard done by. He needed that money more than anybody, and his dad hadn’t provided for him at all. They had a tricky relationship which we learn about throughout the series.

What is his relationship like with his mother?

His relationship with his mum, Rose, played by Gemma Jones, is no better. She’s at the end of her tether because she's constantly lending him money, and he's just not very nice to her in return. He’s also estranged from his daughter Emily, and I think he's genuinely gutted about that. In fact, he's got a tricky relationship with most of the people he’s desperately trying to cling to.

He's got a younger girlfriend whom he promises he will make a star, and I do genuinely, genuinely think there's love there between them. He's pushing his luck all the time, and his luck must run out at some point.

What references did you use for the character? 

I didn't base him on anyone in particular, but I may have been thinking of a friend of mine for his physicality! He's from Manchester, and I know that world very well, plus I was in the music industry in the 90s. They were Gray’s golden days, and I can relate to that. I was 20 in 1990, so I just had a ball throughout all that time in that world. I was in a band back then, and so Manchester looms large in my life.

In fact, by some weird sort of serendipity, Liam Gallagher and John Squire released an album together just as we started filming on the first series. I use music a lot for characters, and I just thought this was like a gift from heaven. It was a joy to tap into all that again.  

Gemma Jones (Rose Wright)

Who is Rose? 

Rose is Jack Wright’s first wife, and my feeling is that they fell madly in love when they first met. I think theirs was definitely a love match and nothing to do with money.

When Jack’s Will is read, how does Rose react? 

I think Roes is quite comfortable in her life, and obviously, she's very happy with her lovely Bobby, who is her new partner and friend. I don't think having money is a big issue for her.

How does Bobby differ from Jack? 

Bobby is obviously a very different personality from Jack, very caring and patient, and it's obviously a very happy relationship. The same was true on set: James and I had worked at the Royal Shakespeare Company together, so we had a very easy working relationship, which was nice.  

How about with her children? How does she get on withGray for example? 

Gray is a difficult and troubled character, and he's caused her lots of problems. I don't think there's any long-lasting animosity. He’s just like a difficult child whom she obviously loves but finds complicated. 

What’s her relationship to Sally, Jack’s third wife?

She’s quite sympathetic to Jack’s younger wife, and they have quite a good relationship. They're not friends, but I think she's quite sympathetic to her predicament, and they share having had a great love for this complicated man. 

Do you think Rose feels any guilt for how things have turned out? Particularly with Gray? 

I think she probably does feel some guilt, as any mother would. I don't think she ever comes to any conclusion with Gray just because he had a very difficult father. I think she probably puts more blame on Jack. 

What was it that appealed to you about Chris Lang's script for I, Jack Wright? 

The script was unusual in that it was entirely retrospective, and Jack’s relationships with his ex-wives are intriguing. My role was beautifully drawn but not densely filled in, and I loved that – it was up to me to invent a lot of it, at times to improvise and fill in the gaps. It’s an intriguing script. Chris is very good at making domestic situations real. The family dynamics were brilliantly conveyed, and the whole series was surprising, because it starts as a domestic drama then evolves into a murder thriller. 

Daniel Rigby (John Wright)

Describe John Wright?

John is the second son of the eponymous Jack Wright. He is all set to take over the family firm, which is this hugely successful brick-baking business. John has spent his whole life trying to please his dad and wanting to do right by the family.  

What is he like? 

He’s a people pleaser and has put his own needs and desires second to everyone else's around him. In some ways, his whole life is almost a reaction to his older brother Gray, who's more wayward and has addiction issues. John's always been the straight guy who’s gone into the family business, works hard and is all set to take over, but there are surprises for John on the way!  

Is he the right man to take over? 

I think he's lived his life always convincing himself he’s on the right path, which I believe we're all capable of doing. He convinces himself that his own desires are in tune with what other people want. As he's got older, he’s realised that the original ambitions he had were quashed. He might have been more creative and artistic, which he feels reflects who he really is. He doesn't value the things that other people around him seem to value, like money and the need to have your portrait hung on every wall in the office, as his father does.

When the Will is read, what does that mean for him and for his wife? 

For John, it represents a lack of appreciation from his dad. He feels it's an insult to him and everything that he has put into his life. He's dedicated his life to this business at the cost of his own dreams, and his dad, who has never really been able to show his appreciation, has rounded things off with the ultimate insult. I think to his wife, Georgia it represents the loss of finance, potential income and professional standing. It's equally devastating for her, but for very different reasons.  

What do we understand was the nature of John’s relationship with his father when he was alive? 

Jack Wright is a classic, overbearing, high-functioning narcissist, and there isn't a lot of space for other people in his life who aren't somehow orbiting around him. Therefore, his son's feelings aren't high on Jack’s list of priorities. He's not a touchy-feely dad or particularly loving. John, by contrast, is a very sensitive person who wears armour to protect himself because at any moment he's likely to get hurt by his dad. That’s the dynamic.

How does John get on with Gray? 

With Gray in particular, I think there's a lot of love there. Gray’s personal troubles put a constant strain on their relationship. He’s constantly lending him money and bailing him out, and at some points, John has had to step back from Gray, just for his own security and sanity. Underneath it all, there's a lot of love and a deep understanding. They've come from the same father who’s had such a hugely negative influence on them.

Ruby Ashbourne Serkis (Emily Wright)

Who is Emily Wright?

Emily Wright is the sole grandchild of the Wright family. Her dad is Gray Wright, and she's been living in California for the last few years, setting up her own social media platform business with her fiancé Kyle. She comes back from living abroad and becomes very much embroiled in the chaos that is the aftermath of Jack Wright’s death. 

What were Emily’s relationships like with the various Wright family members beforehand? 

The Wrights are a dysfunctional family. She's estranged from her dad. She lost her mum when she was young, and her dad's always been an absent father who only turned up when he wanted something. She was close to Jack Wright, her grandad, when she was little. Jack and Rose took her in and were the closest family to her. Rose continues to be that person. Sally has always tried to make her feel like she was part of the family, and they've been close at times.

However, it becomes apparent they no longer have that strong foundation. Her relationship with her Uncle John has always been a little awkward and odd, but throughout the series, they have a moment where they join forces, become allies and actually really enjoy spending time together. However, as with every relationship in this series that doesn’t last, but at least they enjoy a brief moment of alliance and friendship! 

Emily’s business and life seem to be going great in the US. She doesn't need the money, so what is her motivation? 

Emily is totally making it happen for herself. I think that's probably something that she's inherited from her grandfather, Jack Wright; a determination to make her own way. She's created a booming business, and she's only 23.

At the beginning, you don't feel that money is a motivation. I think she’s incredibly lonely and just wants to be loved by her family and her dad. I think Kyle does a good job of making her feel comfortable, but he doesn't make her feel truly alive. For most of the characters, there are blurred lines between them, desiring Jack Wright's money when it's really his love that they need. 

How did you respond when you first read Chris Lang’s scripts? 

Chris is so good at writing incredibly high-stakes drama and yet making it feel naturalistic. He grounds these characters in such a sense of reality that whatever happens to them, they feel like they're real people. I always find that if dialogue is easy to learn, that tends to mean that the script is really good. Chris’ characters are so multi-dimensional and complex so I knew it would be great fun to sink my teeth into. 

The show quickly turns into a mystery-thriller. How is Emily involved? 

We learn that something has come between her and her grandad Jack Wright which has caused a huge rift between them. So much so, that Emily doesn’t want anything to do with him. However, she is happy to take his money despite having plenty of her own and we will discover in the second series what caused that rift.

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