Keeley Hawes has said “it was a joy,” to work with her husband and fellow actor Matthew Macfadyen on their latest project, TV drama Stonehouse.

The 46-year-old, who is best known for her roles in Line Of Duty, Bodyguard and The Durrells, has been married to Succession star Macfadyen, 47, since 2004.

Speaking about working closely together in Stonehouse, Hawes told The Guardian that she and Macfadyen “just had far too nice a time”.

Succession world premiere – BFI London Film Festival 2021
Keeley Hawes and Matthew Macfadyen at the world premiere of Succession in London in 2021 (Ian West/PA)

The series follows the bizarre true story of British politician John Stonehouse, played by Macfadyen, who attempted to fake his own death in Florida in 1974.

Hawes, who plays Stonehouse’s first wife Barbara, added: “There’s this feeling of ‘they’re married, how’s this going to be?’

“Ultimately, he’s an actor that I would have loved to work with anyway. So yes, it was a joy.”

Bafta-winner Macfadyen, who starred alongside Hawes in BBC drama Spooks earlier in their careers, gained significant global recognition for his portrayal of Tom Wambsgans in hit HBO series Succession – a role he has played since 2018.

Speaking about her more imminent project, Crossfire, which is coming soon to BBC One and BBC iPlayer, Hawes reflected on the misconception that as female actors approach middle-age they begin to slow down.

“I thought, well, if I want to keep working, I’m going to have to be proactive about it,” she told The Guardian.

“I’m lucky enough to be in a position where I can talk to writers and do what I’m doing, but it’s still about creating work for me and other women my age, and being as diverse as possible.

“Because we still need change in the industry.”

Hawes, who also co-produced Crossfire through her own production company, revealed how “gruelling” her role in the project was.

She said: “It was the most gruelling project I’ve ever been part of.

“Just the weight of that horrible gun.

“It’s like picking up a weight in the morning and running around with it all day long, in the heat.”

In the new drama, Hawes plays Jo – a forty-something woman holidaying with her husband, their children and two other families.

While former police officer Jo is in her hotel room texting her lover, she hears gunshots from the nearby pool where her children are playing and soon finds herself working to defend the luxury Canary Islands resort, which is under siege.

Hawes stars alongside Josette Simon and Anneika Rose in the BBC One drama.