In this, the companion piece to Stephen Poliakoff's 'Joe's Palace', Poliakoff takes his characters into a dark and terrifying exploration of the past. Dame Maggie Smith, in the title role, is taken back to the time when she was a brilliant writer and critic, remembering parties and functions with the cultural elite. She is haunted by the memory of a supremely charming but subtly evil man, Greville (David Walliams), who feigned friendship, but had a devastating effect on her life. As in 'Joe's Palace', Danny Lee Wynter plays the role of Joe.

Joe’s Palace, A Real Summer and Capturing Mary are three linked dramas by Poliakoff that centre on a large Georgian house in London. Sumptuous pieces, beautifully shot to feature-film standards for the BBC. A Real Summer, included here, is a 45-minute bridging piece - a monologue for the actress Ruth Wilson who, as Mary, stars again in Capturing Mary.

Includes Poliakoff's A Real Summer