‘Compelling’ period drama based on 107-year-old novel is your next must-watch

Jennifer Saunders, Lily Allen and Timothy Spall are among the cast of the upcoming romantic drama, Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day

inema-goers are in for a treat this summer as the anticipated romantic drama, Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day, is coming to the big screen.

With a seriously impressive cast of British icons, including Jennifer Saunders, Lily Allen and Timothy Spall, this “fun and contemporary” take on Virginia Woolf’s 1919 novel is not to be missed.

The cast of Virginia Woolf's Night & Day© Vue Lumière/WestEnd Films
Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day boasts a star-studded cast of British icons

Penned by Justine Waddell and directed by Tina Gharavi, the story is billed as an “un-romantic comedy about a passionate astronomer Katharine Hilbery, who does everything she can to avoid romantic love and marriage”.

Keep reading to find out more…

What is Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day about?

The film is set in London at the start of the 20th Century, against the backdrop of the suffragette movement, advances in science and technology and crumbling Edwardian patriarchy.

It tells the story of Katherine Hilbury (Haley Bennett), a young woman who does everything she can to avoid the patriarchal attitudes of the day. Determined to pursue her passion for astronomy, Katharine resists her parents’ plans for marriage.

Haley Bennett as Katherine Hilbery in Virginia Woolf's Night and Day © Vue Lumière/WestEnd Films
Haley Bennett plays Katherine Hilbery

The synopsis continues: “When her controlling father, Mr. Hilbery (Timothy Spall), forces her into an engagement with family friend William (Jack Whitehall), Katharine’s carefully guarded independence is threatened.

“Her world begins to expand when she befriends spirited suffragette Mary Datchet (Lily Allen) and crosses path with working-class editor Ralph Denham (Elyas M’Barek), who is assisting her mother, Mrs. Hilbery (Jennifer Saunders) with a family biography.

“As romantic loyalties shift, Katharine is pushed to question everything she has been taught about love, ambition, and how to claim her space in the world. “

Maya Amsellem, of production company WestEnd films, described the script as “incredibly compelling, fresh and funny”.

The cast of Virginia Woolf's Night & Day© Vue Lumière/WestEnd Films
Jennifer Saunders, Jack Whitehall and Timothy Spall also star in the film

Meanwhile, director Tina Gharavi (via The Hollywood Reporter) added: “Virginia wrote a rom-com, and I’m thrilled to bring it to the screen because women still need to decide between ambition and love… but can love ever allow a woman to also be her best self.”

Who stars in Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day?

The film boasts a seriously impressive cast, led by Haley Bennett (Cyrano) as Katherine Hilbury.

She’s joined by Jack Whitehall (Malice) as Katharine’s constant confidant, Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous) and Timothy Spall (Death Valley) as her parents and Sally Phillips (Bridget Jones’s Diary) as Cousin Joan.

Lily Allen also stars in the romantic drama© WireImage
Lily Allen plays fearless suffragette Mary in the romantic drama

Rounding out the stellar cast are Misia Butler (KAOS) as her rebellious cousin Cyril, Elyas M’Barek (Nightlife) as radical book editor Ralph Denham and Lily Allen (Dreamland) as straight-talking, fearless suffragette Mary.

When will the film be released?

Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day will be released in UK and Irish cinemas on 19th June 2026.