Jenna Coleman weeps in emotional first-look pictures from forthcoming psychological thriller series The Cry.

The Doctor Who and Victoria actress plays Joanna, a woman who travels with her husband Alistair and their baby from Scotland to Australia to see Alistair’s mother, in the four-part BBC One drama.

While there, they try to fight for custody of his daughter Chloe against his Australian ex-wife.

However, Joanna and Alistair are faced with a devastating tragedy that changes their lives forever, and marks the catalyst for a journey into the disintegrating psychology of a young woman, exposing the myths and truths of motherhood.

The Cry
Jenna Coleman as Joanna in The Cry (Lachlan Moore/BBC)

Coleman stars opposite Australian actor Ewen Leslie, who plays Alistair, with the cast also including Stella Gonet, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Asher Keddie, Alex Dimitriades, Markella Kavenagh and Shareena Clanton.

Filming has begun in Melbourne and in Glasgow.

The series, adapted from the novel by Australian author Helen FitzGerald, has been penned by Jacquelin Perske.

Elizabeth Kilgarriff, BBC Drama senior commissioning editor, and Gaynor Holmes, BBC Drama commissioning executive, said: “We’re very excited to have started filming in Australia and to have such an incredible array of Australian talent joining Jenna and Ewen, topped off with some of Scotland’s most accomplished actors.

“Watching them bring Helen FitzGerald’s gripping, page-turner novel and Jacquelin Perske’s wonderful scripts to life is a joy and we can’t wait for BBC One audiences to see The Cry.”

The Cry is the first scripted TV commission for Scottish-based production company Synchronicity Films.

Claire Mundell, executive producer for Synchronicity Films, said: “The start of shooting marks an incredible moment for our company as we start production on what is a truly international drama with Scottish roots.

“We could not be more thrilled to be shooting the show in the incredible Australian light of Melbourne, and contrasting that with the beautiful West End of Glasgow.”