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Lindsay Duncan has replaced Dame Julie Walters in the upcoming British drama series Truelove owing to Walters' severe back pain.

Deadline reports that shooting on Truelove was halted nine months ago due to Walters' health issues. Production will now resume in Bristol, Southwest England later this year with A Discovery of Witches alum Duncan in the role previously occupied by Walters. She joins Clarke Peters in a drama about two old friends, Peters' Ken and Duncan's Phil, who make a pact to give the other a dignified death in the event of debilitating illness in their old age.

Clerkenwell Films, the production company behind the series, said in a statement: “Last year, filming on Truelove was paused while Julie Walters sought medical advice and attention for severe back pain. Subsequently, Julie has decided to step back from the project to focus on her recovery and recuperation, and so will not be returning to the role of Phil."

The statement continued: "We wholeheartedly support her decision, and the entire cast, crew, and production team wish her the very best and a speedy recovery. We are delighted that Lindsay Duncan will be stepping into the role of Phil. We’re excited to see what she brings to this complex and captivating character when we restart filming later this year."

Meanwhile, Duncan said of the project: "It’s so well written, exploring what we face when age becomes a factor. How do we want to live, die and love with the remaining years? It tells a compelling story with humanity and very dark humor. The cast is terrific. It's original and ambitious. Excited is an overused word in this context, but I really am.”

Truelove would have been Walters' first live-action role since the 2020 movie The Secret Garden. That year, she revealed that she had undergone chemotherapy treatment after being diagnosed with stage III bowel cancer. Happily, she also said that she had been given the all-clear, but told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire that she intended to take on fewer acting roles from now on.

"It would have to be something I’m really engaged with,” she said of future projects. “I’m not saying I’ll never act again. But I certainly don’t think I can go back to [working] six days a week, five in the morning till seven o’clock at night.”

Walters has won eight BAFTA awards and a Golden Globe during her prolific career, as well as picking up two Oscar nominations. You can read our British Icon feature celebrating her here.

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