Keeley Hawes will take the title role in “Finding Alice,” a drama series for ITV about a woman who loses her husband in a freak accident only to find he has left her to unravel a trail of secrets, debt and criminality.

Hawes, who is hot off her star turn in Emmy-nominated “Bodyguard,” created the project, which will trace Alice’s darkly comic journey, with writer-director Roger Goldby and Simon Nye, one of the U.K.’s top TV scribes.

The six-parter picks up events after Alice’s partner of 20 years, Harry, falls down the stairs and dies soon after the couple move into the dream home he designed. Alice discovers that some men, including her late ex, hide stuff that they don’t want to deal with, and that Harry was worse than most.

ITV’s head of drama, Polly Hill, commissioned the series. Production will start early next year. Nicola Shindler’s U.K. shingle Red Production Company is producing in association with Goldby’s Bright Pictures TV, Nye’s ITV-backed Genial Productions, and Hawes’ recently minted Buddy Club Productions. It is the second green light for Buddy Club after “Honour,” in which Hawes will play a detective investigating a so-called honor-killing. That is also for ITV.

Hawes, Nye and Goldby will all exec produce. The project reunites the trio, who were all on ITV’s popular series “The Durrells,” which played on PBS in the U.S. “I am relishing tackling a big, emotional, contemporary subject,” Nye said. “And who better to do it with than the amazing Keeley and legendary director-writer Roger Goldby, having survived working with them on ‘The Durrells.’”

“I am absolutely delighted to be working with the brilliant Simon Nye and the hugely talented Roger Goldby on a project that means so much to all of us,” Hawes added. “I have been a huge fan of Nicola Shindler for many years, and I’m thrilled to be working with her at last on ‘Finding Alice.’”

Goldby will direct the first three episodes and Juliet May (“Motherland”) the remaining installments. “I think there is something so particular and compelling about watching a strong female-led drama,” Goldby said. “We are so lucky to have Keeley playing Alice. She has an incredible depth of performance combined with a pitch-perfect instinct for comedy.”

Studiocanal will sell the series internationally.