Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators is back for its fifth season, with Jo Joyner and Mark Benton reuniting as the popular crime-fighting duo.

They play Stratford-upon-Avon sleuths Lu Shakespeare (Joyner) and Frank Hathaway (Benton). It originally started on BBC1 in 2018, but now its new 10-part run will be premiering on U&Alibi.

It’s been nearly three years since the last series. Here’s everything we know about the new one…

Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators season 5 release date

Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators begins on U&Alibi at 8 pm on Wednesday, September 24. It will come to the BBC at a later date.

Plot

All is not well between the dynamic duo when we join them. Lu has started her own investigation business. "Obviously, it's Lu’s fault," says Mark. Jo: "No, it’s Frank’s fault! We’ve always felt they’re like a couple who’ve been married for 30 odd years - they missed all the romance and went straight to the low-level bickering. The idea is it finally broke them and Lu stormed off and now she’s got herself a nice, bright office full of young people."

Mark adds, “Frank doesn’t want him and Lu to be apart, but he’s so stubborn. He’s always been scruffy but, without her, his whole world disintegrates.”

It’s not good news for their assistant Sebastian, who ends up secretly working for both of them! Jo explains: “Yes, poor Sebastian is running between the two of them, and they both think he’s sided with them! Lu and Frank end up working the same case for two different clients, and they eventually realise that two minds are better than one."

The first case involves feuding married social influencers.

Cast

Jo Joyner and Mark Benton return as Lu and Frank. Patrick Walshe McBride returns as Sebastian Brudenell. In the first episode, The Wives’ Christine Bottomley and Protection’s Andrew Knott guest as married couple Rina and Preston Shrewsbury.

Is there a trailer?

No, not yet.

Will there be another series?

Nothing is confirmed as yet but the cast are hopeful. Jo says: "Honestly, I would love to do this forever. We've got lots more ideas, so fingers crossed!"

After its first season was a smash hit, High Potential season 2 is currently airing, and we'll help you figure out a way to watch it, wherever you live.

High Potential centers on an incredibly smart mother-of-three who finds herself working for the Los Angeles Police Department, using her vast repository of knowledge and ability to outthink police training to solve crimes.

An adaptation of French series HPI, High Potential stars Kaitlin Olson in the main role with Daniel Sunjata, Judy Reyes, Deniz Akdeniz and Javicia Leslie all members of the Major Crimes unit she works with.

In this second season of High Potential we're expecting to see Morgan solve further crimes, and also learn more about the disappearance of her partner Roman and contend more with the serial killer introduced in the first season's finale.

Here's how to watch High Potential season 2 when it comes out.

How to watch High Potential season 2 in the US

If you live in the US, you can watch the latest season of High Potential either on TV or online.

Episodes release first on cable: ABC to be specific. You can see them on Tuesdays from Tuesday, September 16 at 10 pm ET/PT on the channel, and we don't know at the time of writing whether there will be a mid-season break like last time.

Your other option is to stream episodes online. Each will land into the Hulu library the day after it airs on ABC, so weekly from Wednesday, September 17.

A subscription to Hulu starts at $9.99 per month for ad-enabled streaming or $18.99 for ad-free.

How to watch High Potential season 2 in the UK

If you live in the UK, you can watch High Potential season 2 using the streaming service Disney Plus. This is where the first 13 episodes of the show are already available to stream.

Episodes will hit the streamer every Wednesday, with the first having landed on the 16th of September.

A subscription to Disney Plus starts at £4.99 and you can find prices below.

How to watch High Potential season 2 in Australia

As in the UK, High Potential will air on Disney Plus in Australia.

Episodes will hit the streaming service weekly from Wednesday, September 17, following the US release schedule.

The first season of High Potential is also available to watch on Disney Plus right now.

How to watch High Potential season 2 everywhere else

If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch High Potential, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your favorite show or other content even if you're not there. We've got a round-up of the best VPNs for streaming which you can use to make a decision.

Cosy crime drama Sister Boniface Mysteries is back for fourth season with Lorna Watson reprising her role as the scooter-riding crime-solving nun who knows her way around a Bunsen burner and this time there are eight new mysteries to solve in the picturesque Cotswolds village of Great Slaughter.

Once again, the bespectacled wimple-wearing sleuth, who has her own forensics lab at St Vincent’s Convent, will be assisting DI Sam Gillespie (Max Brown) and DS Felix Livingstone (Jerry Iwu), along with WPC Peggy Button (Ami Metcalf), as they face more baffling murder cases in this new run of the Father Brown spin-off.

Sister Boniface Mysteries season 4 release date

The UK premiere of the eight-part series was on U&Drama on Friday, September 26 at 9 pm. New episodes will air in the same place on a weekly basis, but you'll also be able to stream all episodes of Sister Boniface Mysteries season 4 on U.

Sister Boniface Mysteries season 4 began streaming on BritBox in the US on August 19, 2024.

Sister Boniface Mysteries season 4 cast

Lorna Watson as Sister Boniface

Lorna plays the forensic-scientist Catholic nun who is a big fan of Agatha Christie, rides about in a motorbike-and-sidecar combination and has a host of other talents that come in handy while solving mysteries in Great Slaughter.

Comedian and actor Lorna Watson first played the forensic-scientist nun in the first series of Father Brown in 2013. She appeared in the second episode of the 10-part run, "The Bride of Christ", which saw her help the sleuthing priest as he investigated the murder of two nuns.

From 2012 to 2013, Lorna and her comedy partner Ingrid Oliver appeared in the sketch show Watson & Oliver on BBC2. They co-wrote the series with Black Books writer Kevin Cecil and comedian and actor Alex Lowe, best known for his comedy character, medium Clinton Baptiste, who first appeared in Phoenix Nights.

Lorna has also appeared in Lead Balloon, Horrible Histories, The IT Crowd, The Catherine Tate Show and Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators.

Max Brown as DI Sam Gillespie

Max plays the detective inspector who has an eye for the ladies – especially journalist Ruth Penny – and relies on Sister Boniface to help him crack cases.

Max made his television debut in 2001, playing heart-throb Danny Hartston in long-running children’s drama Grange Hill.

He went on to have roles in Crossroads, Hollyoaks, Doctors, Casualty, Mistresses, Spooks, Foyle’s War and The Tudors.

In the first Downton Abbey film (2019), he played Richard Ellis, the valet of King George V, who came to stay at the stately home with his wife Queen Mary. Richard was a romantic interest for butler Thomas Barrow.

Jerry Iwu as DS Felix Livingstone

Jerry plays the detective sergeant who travelled from his home country Bermuda to join Scotland Yard in London, but found himself in Great Slaughter by mistake. Initially, he planned to leave as soon as he could, but later couldn’t bring himself to leave the Cotswolds village and its oddball residents.

Jerry’s previous TV credits include 5’s police procedural drama Intruder, ITV1 crime drama Innocent and Netflix hit Sex Education.

He also appeared in the 2017 film Halal Daddy.

Ami Metcalf as WPC Peggy Button

Ami plays woman police constable Peggy Button, who’s often referred to as the best WPC in the county - although the jury’s out if there are any other WPCs in Gloucestershire! She often has to fend off the amorous attentions of her former classmate Norman Whalley, who now works as a news reporter at The Albion Bugle.

Ami rose to fame as Sapphire Cox in BBC1’s long-running soap Doctors and won the Best Dramatic Performance from a Young Actor or Actress at the 2010 British Soap Awards.

She’s also appeared in Bad Education, Call the Midwife, Silent Witness, Father Brown and Birds of a Feather.

Sister Boniface Mysteries season 4 – Other returning cast

The main cast will be joined by the regular supporting cast, which includes Robert Dawes as Chief Constable Lowsley, David Sterne as the indecipherable Tom Thomas, Belinda Lang as B&B owner Mrs Vera Clam, Sarah Crowden as the dotty Miss Dotty Thimble, Jack Gouldbourne as Norman Walley, reporter for local newspaper The Albion Bugle, and Olivia Lovibond as journalist Ruth Penny.

Meanwhile, at St Vincent’s Convent, Carolyn Pickles returns as Reverend Mother Adrian, alongside Virginia Fiol as Sister Reg and Tina Chiang as Sister Peter.

Sister Boniface Mysteries season 4 guest stars

The first episode of the series features former Doctors star Elisabeth Dermott Walsh in a dual role as very different twin sisters, while Dan Skinner, best known for his comedy character Angelos Epithemiou, and Nathan McMullen (Misfits) play American actors Walt North and Brett Hyde, who are the leads in Batman-style show, Foxman.

Later in the series look out for Rab C Nesbitt and Two Doors Down star Elaine C Smith as Mrs Clam’s fun-loving sister Jeanie and former Holby City star Bob Barrett, who played Sacha Levy in the long-running medical drama.

Also guest-starring are, Tony Gardner (Last Tango in Halifax, My Parents Are Aliens), Gordon Kennedy (Absolutely, Robin Hood), Hotel Portofino’s Oliver Dench, Joe Tracini, who’s best known for his role as Dennis Savage in Hollyoaks, and Emily Joyce, who starred in superhero comedy My Hero, which ran for six seasons from 2000 to 2006.

Is there a trailer?

There isn't a trailer for Sister Boniface Mysteries season 4 yet, but we will post it here when there is.

Sister Boniface Mysteries season 4 episodes

During this fourth season of Sister Boniface Mysteries, a bucking bronco goes haywire on the set of a game show, a killer scarecrow stalks the streets of Great Slaughter and the diva co-star on American action series Foxman plummets to her death in a stunt gone wrong. Meanwhile, Reverend Mother Adrian is hiding a secret about the future of St Vincent’s Convent and CC Lowsley arranges a team-building exercise… Here’s more about the eight-part series.

EPISODE 1 – BIFF! POW! ZAP!

American TV show Foxman is filming its series finale at Lord Matthew Sedgewick’s (Sam Alexander) stately home. Walt North (Dan Skinner) plays Foxman, but he is less than gracious to Brett Hyde (Nathan McMullen), who plays sidekick Beaver, frequently upstaging him. To make matters worse, dedicated producer/director Hank Sawyer (David Bedella) has hired the biggest diva in England to play the Minx, Camilla Cattermole (Elisabeth Dermot Walsh). Camilla is instantly attracted to Sam (Max Brown), but he is drawn to her long-suffering twin sister and stunt double, Jane (also played by Elisabeth Dermot Walsh).

Later, when Camilla insists on doing a stunt on a zipline, the rope snaps and she plummets to her death. Swooping in to investigate, Sister Boniface discovers it was an act of sabotage. By why, and by whom?

EPISODE 2 – A MURDER OF CROWS

It’s the annual Scarecrow Festival in Great Slaughter and the locals proudly display their scarecrows hoping for a chance at nabbing the £500 cash prize.

Martin Hubbard (Tony Gardner) is the favourite to win the annual Scarecrow Festival with his effigy of Winston Churchill and will stop at nothing to come out on top.

Later, however, he’s found dead with a mouth stuffed with straw!

As Sister Boniface and Sam investigate, their main lead is Miss Dotty Thimble, who claims a scarecrow killed Martin.

She may be Dotty by name and dotty by nature, but could Miss Thimble be right? Especially after intrepid reporter Norman Whalley also spots a scarecrow seemingly coming to life.

Is there really a killer scarecrow on the loose in Great Slaughter?

EPISODE 3 – ARE YE DANCIN’?

Mrs Clam’s (Belinda Lang) sister Jeanie McIntyre (Elaine C Smith) returns to Great Slaughter after decades living in Scotland. She’s planned a surprise birthday ceilidh for Mrs Clam and has travelled down with jovial husband Angus (Gordon Kennedy) and their musician son Callum (Calum Gulvin).

They are joined by the rest of the ceilidh band; the severe John Adams (John Mackay) and his children, Jimmy (Joseph Prowen) and Maggie (Alyth Ross).

After John forbids the siblings from going out for the evening, they sneak out to the pub for a sing-song, but their furious dad soon storms in and drags them away in front of the other punters.

The next morning, John’s body is found slain under the cake table in the village hall…

With a list of suspects, including Angus, Callum, Jimmy and Maggie, to get through, can Sister Boniface locate the murder weapon and identify the killer?

EPISODE 4 – KILLER HEELS

As the launch of Groovy Shoo’s fashionable new go-go boot approaches, the women working in the factory are informed they must work longer hours by tight-fisted owner Arthur Millington (Peter Wight).

Union leader Bernice McDowell (Dani Moseley) complains that they should be paid overtime, but her hard-up friend Daisy Dunn (Amy Murphy) doesn’t want to rock the boat.

When Arthur is later found dead on his office floor, Sister Boniface smells bitter almonds and deduces that he was poisoned!

As the women’s pay dispute leads to a strike, Sister Boniface is hot on the heels of a killer as she must navigate the picket line while trying to find out who murdered Arthur…

EPISODE 5 – LET THE GAMES BEGIN

Game show Let The Games Begin is filming in Great Slaughter and CC Lowsley has his eyes on the cash prize to raise funds for the retired police dog charity.

As Lowsley pairs up with Mrs Clam, Felix teams up with spiky aspiring actress Denise (Keturah Chambers) and Norman forms the third duo with Miss Thimble.

Turns out the show’s host Freddie Fuller (Jonny Weldon) isn’t as charming as he is on TV, especially to his PA Malcolm Everett (Joe Tracini) and glamourous assistant Angela Ainsworth (Hayley Johnston). And when Freddie announces that the show is moving to the USA, producer Giles Penistone (Bob Barrett) is fuming.

When a Bucking Bronco goes out of control on the set of the popular game show, Sister Boniface finds herself investigating a murder that was intended for Freddie…

With Freddie having narrowly avoided death, can our sleuth find the killer before they strike again?

EPISODE 6 – THERE’S NO ‘I’ IN SLAUGHTER

Sam, Felix and Peggy aren’t exactly cock-a-hoop when they find themselves spending a weekend at an old army base,

It’s been organised by CC Lowsley with ex-cop Len Shepherd (Phil Cornwell) leading them in a series of team-building exercises.

Great Slaughter’s cops will be competing against their Stowington Police rivals, with Lowsley’s enemy, CC Horace Winthrop (Mark McDonnell), leading the team, who he frequently undermines. And it soon becomes clear he has beef with Len, too.

When Winthrop is later found dead, it looks like his death was an accident, but Sister Boniface soon finds evidence to the contrary…

EPISODE 7 – THE HAPPIEST FAMILY

Reverend Mother Adrian surprises the sisters with a wholesome weekend away. However, they soon encounter a group of naked hedonists frolicking in the swimming pool!

The house where they are staying has been double-booked with Charity Gray (Genesis Lynea) having booked her stay to celebrate her birthday with inventor Miles Fletcher (Oliver Dench), hairdresser Vivian Ashbrook (Sophie Ablett) and Dr Saatvik Bose (Jaz Singh Deol).

Surprisingly, the Reverend Mother claims there is room for all and they should continue with their plans.

Sister Reg knows Charity from her pre-nun life in Soho, and she’s not best pleased when her former acquaintance teases her about her past indiscretions.

The next day, when Charity is found dead in her bed, the evidence stacks up against Sister Reg…

Can Sister Boniface clear her fellow nun's name and find the real killer?

EPISODE 8 – AND THEN THERE WERE NUN

It looks like the end of an era for the nuns of St Vincent’s, when Reverend Mother Adrian and Lord Matthew Sedgewick hand over the keys to property developer Ronny Panesar (Alistair Toovey).

As town councillor Lynn Goodwin (Emily Joyce) reveals the model for the new housing development to Ruth Penny, Sam is devastated that this will mean parting company with Sister Boniface.

Meanwhile, Sister Boniface’s heroine, archaeologist Sister Helena (Rachel Bell), wants to document the chapel before the historic interior is ripped out, but a row breaks out between her and Lynn and Ronny, and a few hours later the sister is found bludgeoned to death in the chapel.

Can Sister Boniface catch the killer before the nuns are forced to leave Great Slaughter for good?

Q&A with Lorna Watson, who plays Sister Boniface

Hi Lorna, so you’re back as Sister Boniface, in her habit and wimple…

"Yes. I love the costume. You transform as soon as you put it on. It just changes the way you move and it changes the way you listen because everything's a bit muffled under the wimple. You get used to it but when you take it off at the end of the day, it's like hatching out of an egg. Suddenly you can hear and the world is different! I'm still getting rid of the tan line from the wimple. Even if you wear sun cream, you still get an embarrassing 'nun tan line' on your face! It's not the best, but my hair covers it, which is great."

What can you tell us about the fourth series?

"A lot happens in this series. I'm always amazed by what the writers come up with next. An overarching theme of the series is that all is not what it seems at the convent. There is this slight panic for the Reverend Mother, who goes on quite a journey in this series because it looks like we may lose the convent. She's trying to keep things running smoothly and keep a tight ship, but the nuns are none the wiser up until a certain point. ‘Nun the wiser!’ Ha!"

What can you tell us about some of the mysteries that Sister Boniface is faced with this time around?

"There’s such a diverse range of stories. Opening the series, we have this sort of homage to the 1960s Batman show called Foxman. It’s called Biff! Pow! Zap! It’s about this American series, Foxman, that is shooting its series finale at this stately home in the Cotswolds. And there's a murder, naturally, or we wouldn't bother turning up! We had so much fun filming that episode. Dan Skinner and Nathan McMullen star as the actors Walt North and Brett Hyde, who play Foxman and his sidekick Beaver, and they played those characters so brilliantly. Elisabeth Dermot Walsh [who played Zara in Doctors] plays twins in that episode, too. I don’t know how she did it. It was extraordinary. But yeah, so we had a lot of fun. It was so much fun."

Tell us about some of the other episodes…

"We also have Mrs Clam’s surprise birthday with [Two Doors Down star] Elaine C Smith playing her sister. Then there’s a game show episode where Miss Thimble, Norman Whalley, Mrs Clam and CC Lousey all have to team together, and they have to do various silly things like dancing the tango and so on. Obviously, there’s another murder. Also, the nuns leave the convent. Reverend Mother Adrian's feeling so guilty about everything that's going on, she decides to treat them to a trip. Basically, they arrive at this lovely retreat, only to find it's been double booked, and they have spend their weekend there with these people who are a bunch of people that the nuns wouldn't normally hang out with, let's just say. The nuns end up in a swimming pool at the end, which is something I never thought I’d see on this show!

"There’s also a really lovely episode where the female workers in this boot factory are sick and tired of not having equal pay and the same rights as their male counterparts. They stage a strike, and Mrs Clam gets very vocal on the loud hailer, which is just brilliant!"

Sister Boniface is often seen drifting into a daydream or a trance. Are there more of those moments in this series?

"Yes, those bits are really fun and quirky, and really quite unique. I don't know any other show that does that. But it is a fun way of showing the audience where Sister Boniface’s brain is going, and it’s nice to see it broken down in layman's terms, with visuals to back it up. It’s a good way of showing how she's linking thoughts, linking clues and so on. We don't get an insight into her brain otherwise and it’s nice to show that in a lighthearted way. It’s a little bit of light relief, a bit of silliness. We always enjoy doing them, that's for sure, and just when you think they couldn't get any dafter, they do!"

Talking of silliness, in the first episode, Sister Boniface describes Foxman as a slice of silliness. Do you think that’s a good way of describing Sister Boniface Mysteries as well?

"Yes it does. I'm a big fan of silly. My whole career has been a bit silly, really. And I like the fact that there are contrasts in the show. There are really tender moments, there are dramatic moments, there are edge of your seat moments and there are serious moments. And to sandwich those moments with a slice of silly I think is good for the show. It's nice for the audience, and I think it also is what helps this show have that more palatable. It is about murder at the end of the day!"

You were just talking about ‘tender moments’ and in the first episode there’s a lovely moment where Sister Boniface voices what Sam means to her…

"I really loved that. And there is another tender moment between Sam and Sister Boniface later in the series, too. Until now, they have this unexpected but lovely working relationship and friendship. It's really nice to explore what they mean to each other. They're not usually very demonstrative, but they definitely have each other's backs. He’s very protective of her, and she looks out for him. To have an episode where they put it into words is very lovely to see and certainly lovely to play. We both enjoyed exploring that. I hope I wasn't too snotty nosed!"

A running joke of the series is Miss Thimble and her horrendous culinary creations. And she's at it again with more bizarre fare, including a three-tier birthday cake with a layer of liver and onion meatloaf! Has anyone ever been tempted to sample her wares?

"I seem to recall a Thimble spread of strange delicacies in the first episode. There was all sorts going on. Never at any point did I feel tempted to try any. But it is a running joke that I love and I’m always intrigued to see what they come up with. I don’t think they are safe for human consumption."

Tell us about filming the series in the Cotswolds. You must miss it when you're not there?

"It's really magical and I think, because we're four seasons in now, we are like a massive family and it’s a big old reunion every year. Everyone knows each other very well now, cast and crew. It's a really lovely working environment. I mean the guest cast often comment on it actually. They say how friendly, warm, funny, fun it is to work on the show. And that backdrop, it just never gets old. It's so beautiful there. We do work long hours, but who cares? You're in the Cotswolds, in the sunshine and it’s lovely. I can't complain. I feel very lucky."

Richard Osman has revealed that the next book in his "Thursday Murder Club" series has a cheeky nod to Netflix's recent adaptation of his first novel.

The hugely popular star has just penned the fifth in the series, "The Impossible Fortune", which will be released later this month.

And Richard told The Times there’s a saucy little reference to James Bond legend Pierce Brosnan, who plays Ron in the film version. Recurring character Connie, who's a drug dealer, is asked about her top Bond actor, and she replies: “Pierce Brosnan. I'd climb that man like a tree."

Richard revealed in the chat that it was his one nod to the movie. “They're different universes for me, but I had to at least acknowledge it."

Setting up the new book, publishers Penguin say: "Who's got time to think about murder when there's a wedding to plan?

"It's been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favourite criminal.

"But when Elizabeth meets a wedding guest who fears for their life, the thrill of the chase is ignited once again. A villain wants access to an uncrackable code and will stop at nothing to get it. Plunged back into their most explosive investigation yet, can the gang solve the puzzle and a murder in time?"

As for the movie, there’s been a mixed reaction from critics and fans. The film has a largely positive critical reaction on Rotten Tomatoes, but it only has a 53% rating from audiences.

Asked about the general response to the movie, which also stars Helen Mirren, Celia Imrie and Ben Kingsley, Richard replied: "Do you know what I make of it? Absolutely nothing because it isn’t anything. We’ll find out if it’s good because people will watch it and enjoy it, or people won’t watch it and enjoy it."

There’s no official news yet on a sequel, but it’s hard to imagine Netflix not making more Thursday Club Movies.

You can watch the movie on Netflix now.

The new series of Beyond Paradise, airing next year, will feature Morris dancers and dragons, the show's makers have teased.

Beyond Paradise season 4, which again stars Kris Marshall as DI Humphrey Goodman, is currently shooting in the fishing village of Looe in Cornwall, which doubles for Shipton Abbott.

The show's executive producer, Tim Key, explains that they are told stories and legends about the area, which they like to include in the plots.

Talking on BBC’s Morning Live, Tim said: "We are filming one at the moment set around the Morris Dancing world and the legend of the Knucker Hole dragon, which is a real thing.

"We've done things before, the Devil on the Rocks, which is a sort of sea-faring legend."

The Knucker Hole dragon legend dates back hundreds of years and involves a dragon known as the Knucker living in a bottomless pit and terrorising unfortunate victims. We're sure Humphrey will come up with a more rational explanation about what’s happening in Shipton Abbott!

Meanwhile, Kris Marshall teased a bit about the new series: “We are welcoming back a very well-loved character from season 1, and we’re doing some scenes with him today.”

Asked what he enjoys about making the Death in Paradise spin-off, Kris commented that he loves the fact that he gets to surf before filming every morning. “I should add the scripts are great and I love coming to work and doing this wonderful job,” he said.

Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton star again in the new series. Also in the cast are Zahra Ahmadi (The Bay, Tracey Ullman's Show, EastEnders) as DS Esther Williams, Dylan Llewellyn (Big Boys, Derry Girls) as PC Kelby Hartford and Felicity Montagu (This Time with Alan Partridge, Landscapers, Vanity Fair) playing office support civilian, Margo Martins.

Beyond Paradise season 4 will air on BBC1 in early 2026.

Netflix has added The Dead Girls, based loosely on the true story of serial-killing brothel owners in Mexico.

An adaptation of Jorge Ibargüengoitia's acclaimed 1977 novel, which used dark humor to reinterpret the real events, Netflix says the series "fictionalizes the rise and fall of the sisters Arcángela and Serafina Baladro".

In the 1960s, the fearsome pair open a successful brothel in a small town, and as their wealth grows, they set about expanding, opening more and more brothels.

However, things begin to go wrong, and girls start to vanish. The book it's based on is described as black comedy, and judging by the trailer below, that tone is pushed even further in the six-part Netflix version

A policeman is heard saying, "In all the cases I had to handle in my career, nothing ever took on the proportion of the Baladro sisters and their brothels."

We then see the glitzy Casino Del Danzon, where we hear one of the women declaring, "the most important thing is for customers to feel comfortable so they'll spend as much as possible.” We see men ogle and clap as the girls perform on stage.

And then we hear shots, and two bodies crash to the ground. The police take action, closing down the Casino Del Danzon as the order goes out that all brothels in the state are to be shut down.

Considering the dark subject matter, the tone appears very light-hearted.

Mexican actor Paulina Gaitán, who plays Serafina Baladro, said of her character that she "is strong, crazy, intense, passionate, has so many nuances that, I think, in the end all actresses want to do a character like her."

Showrunner, producer, and director Luis Estrada said: "Ever since I read the novel, I wanted to film it. Throughout my career, I tried to acquire the rights but couldn’t."

He adds: "For me, it was very important that whoever knows the book recognizes it in the series, and whoever sees the series and then reads the book, recognizes it more."

Over 150 actors took part in the series, and 220 sets were built in the mammoth project.

Is The Dead Girls worth a watch?

Yes, it's a fascinating story, and clearly a lot of love has been thrown at bringing it to the screen. Also, if you like dark humor, this is sure to appeal.

The Dead Girls is on Netflix now. Please check out our best shows on Netflix guide for more series to enjoy.

The Acronia from Only Murders in the Building has been central to the hit show starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.

Only Murders in the Building season 5, which has just landed, sees the team investigate the murder of doorman Lester in the courtyard fountain.

"Lester was the beating heart of the building, and in a way, we took him for granted. Without him, it's falling apart," Michael Cyril Creighton, who plays Howard, told us.

Lester was found lying in a bloody fountain following Oliver's (Short) wedding to actor Loretta (Meryl Streep) in the finale of season 4.

So, what’s the real story behind The Arconia?

Is The Arconia from OMITB a real New York apartment?

While The Arconia isn't called that, it is a real building. Lester's death and other key scenes are filmed at Manhattan’s swanky real-life building The Belnord, which stands in as the show's fictitious Arconia.

Built in 1908, the block’s famous residents have included Hollywood star Walter Matthau, and you can pick up a luxury apartment in The Belnord for a few million dollars.

"For our story and our fictional Arconia, I knew we needed a home that carried enough history and elegance to hold a world of mystery and intrigue — and one that could also serve as a fitting backdrop worthy of our legendary cast," said John Hoffman, who co-created the series with Steve Martin, to House Beautiful.

To reflect its exclusivity, The Belnord has its own website! It says: "The grandest of the Upper West Side apartment houses, palatial, beautifully proportioned, the Belnord is as ageless as its limestone sisters elsewhere in Manhattan.

"It retains its special distinction as a cosseting, private haven in the midst of its vibrant, lively Upper West Side neighborhood."

It continues that the 13-storey building has six residential lobbies, each one with three entrances and a private lift for residents.

In short, the real building is flashier than The Arconia. The real apartments also appear to be bigger, and there seem to be fewer apartments per floor than there are in Only Murders. The real building generally only has two apartments per floor.

Is the inside of The Belnord used for filming?

Alas, no, the inside shots are filmed in a studio. This is very common practice. It's quite unusual for a building to be used for both the external and interior shots.

But if you're in New York, you can at least pop along to 225 West 86th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan to give yourself the Only Murders vibe. Just be careful, though, a lot of mysterious deaths seem to happen around there!

Only Murders season 5 is available on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.

Rachel Shenton (All Creatures Great And Small) stars as mum, Joanna, who has uprooted her life in London for a fresh start in the quiet suburbs of the functional town of Flinstead, in Five’s new psychological thriller, The Rumour.

"On her first day in a new job Joanna stumbles across a post on an online forum that claims a woman called Sally McGowan, who was convicted of murder when she was a child, is living there under a new identity", says Rachel.

However, when Joanna brings up the rumour with a group of school mums there are devastating consequences for the community and Joanna herself as the whispers grow louder and suspicions spiral.

Here in an exclusive interview, Rachel tells us more about the five-part thriller which is based on the bestselling novel by Lesley Kara….

The Rumour starts on Channel 5 on Wednesday, September 10 at 9 pm. Episodes two and three air on Thursday, September 11 and Friday, September 12 at the same time. The remaining two episodes air on Wednesday, September 17 and Thursday, September 18.

I Will Find You is the new Harlan Coben adaptation for Netflix - and although it isn't due to land on our screens until next year, we have been treated to some new behind-the-scenes images from filming - and you can already tell this is going to be a cracker of a series.

I'm a huge fan of Harlan Coben's novels, and sometimes when you love a book so much, the TV adaptations can be a bit of a letdown - but that definitely isn't the case with Harlan Coben and Netflix. Every adaptation the streaming site has made of Harlan's novels so far has been transferred from page to screen with perfection - and I have every belief that I Will Find You will be no different.

The story follows an innocent father, David, who is wrongfully serving a life sentence for murdering his son.

But when he receives word that his son may actually be alive, David must embark on a truth-finding mission that leads him out of prison and into a world of deceit and despair.

As with all of Harlan's other Netflix series, I Will Find You boasts an all-star cast, with Sam Worthington as the main character, David Burroughs, Britt Lower as Rachel Mills, David’s ex-sister-in-law, and Milo Ventimiglia as as Hayden, Rachel’s ex-boyfriend.

“The cast we’ve assembled is nothing short of phenomenal,” showrunner Robert Hull told Tudum. “Any one of these incredible artists would be a dream on their own. The fact we’ve somehow drawn them all in is a testament to the power of Harlan’s storytelling and the incredible support of everyone at Netflix. I cannot wait to watch them bring these roles to life.”

The behind-the-scenes images released today, Friday, September 5, show the series is well into filming, and on track for the 2026 release that has been confirmed by Netflix.

The series follows in the footsteps of hugely successful Harlan Coben shows like Fool Me Once, Safe, Missing You, Stay Close, Shelter, Caught and the much-anticipated Run Away, which is the next UK-based adaptation to land on the streaming site.

I Will Find You will be available worldwide on Netflix in 2026.

The Rumour is a new five-part thriller, based on the bestselling novel by Lesley Kara, and is set to have you on the edge of your seat from the very first epsiode.

The story follows Joanna, played by Rachel Shenton (All Creatures Great And Small), who has uprooted her life in London for a fresh start in the quiet suburbs of the functional town of Flinstead.

However, when a chilling rumour about a convicted child killer spreads throughout a small town, a wave of suspicion and paranoia is unleashed.

Here's everything you need to know about The Rumour...

The Rumour release date

Five-part series, The Rumour, starts on Channel 5 on Wednesday, September 10 at 9 pm. Episodes two and three air on Thursday, September 11 and Friday, September 12 at the same time.

The remaining two episodes air on Wednesday, September 17 and Thursday, September 18.

As soon as we get a US release date, we will update this guide.

The Rumour plot

On her first day in a new job, Joanna stumbles across a post on an online forum that claims a woman called Sally McGowan, who was convicted of murder when she was a child, is living there under a new identity.

However, when Joanna brings up the rumour with a group of school mums, there are devastating consequences for the community and Joanna herself as the whispers grow louder and suspicions spiral.

"I loved the ordinariness of Joanna," says Rachel Shenton, who plays her. "You see these shows all the time on TV where a character will be brilliant at something, a brilliant detective, a brilliant doctor, but with Joanna what I found intriguing was there is none of that. She doesn’t have a particularly good job, house, wardrobe or lifestyle. She is just trying to make her life work like everybody else, she’s very relatable.

"You see her becoming completely obsessed trying to work out the truth. It’s like an itch that she can’t help but scratch. Her relentless pursuit of the truth becomes a major part of the story. People get hurt and lose their lives because of hearsay. The story shows just how much damage gossip can do."

The Rumour cast

A who's who of the chilling crime thriller...

Joanna - played by Rachel Shenton
Joanna has recently moved to the suburbs and is desperate to fit in with the new community and make new friends.

Bea - played by Joanne Whalley
Bea is Joanna’s mum, who has a close but sparky relationship with her daughter and who Joanna moves to be near.

Michael - played by Sam Anderson
Sam is the father of Joanna’s son Alfie, who is shocked when she decides to uproot her life from London.

Debbie - played by Emily Atack
Debbie is the queen bee school mum who is an influencer, lives in a huge fancy house, and loves to gossip.

Rachel - played by Lucy Speed
Rachel is a prison guard and also the school mum whom Joanna forms the closest connection with.

The Rumour trailer

The trailer for The Rumour sees Joanna arriving in her new town and starting to make friends, only for things to spiral out of control as gossip spreads...

Behind the scenes and more on The Rumour

Much of the series was filmed in Budapest, Hungary which doubles as Flinstead.

"It was my first time there and I wish I’d had some more downtime to explore," says Rachel. "On the occasional day off I had a wander along the Danube, which was very beautiful. I was pregnant with my son at the time and so was probably a bit more tired than usual but I was lucky that I wasn’t suffering from morning sickness. The cast managed a couple of dinners out together."

Only Murders in the Building season 5 sees our favourite podcasters-turned-amateur sleuths tackle their trickiest case to date.

The return of the award-winning comedy drama — airing on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK from Tuesday September 9 — finds tetchy actor Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), level-headed artist Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez), and neurotic director Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) looking into the demise of Lester (Teddy Coluca), the doorman at their Manhattan apartment complex The Arconia, who was found lying dead in a fountain in the last series’ finale.

While the police believe it was an accident, the gang suspects murder, and connections emerge to a group of enigmatic billionaires and also to the underworld. And trying to help Charles, Mabel and Oliver unravel the mystery along the way is their quirky, animal-loving neighbour Howard Morris, played by Michael Cyril Creighton.

Here, in an exclusive chat with What to Watch, Michael Cyril Creighton reveals all about Only Murders in the Building season 5…

Only Murders in the Building is back! What can you reveal about the aftermath of Lester's death?

“There's a lot going on! Lester was the beating heart of the building, in a way that we took for granted. Without him, it’s falling apart. And the mystery of his murder brings us down disparate roads…

"We're touching on organised crime and billionaires. Who runs New York? Is it the old school mob, or the new school mob, which is [the world of] money. It's satisfying exploring that, as I'm from New York and there's a whole storyline this season about bids for casinos. That’s really happening in our city right now, so it's timely.”

The first three episodes of Only Murders in the Building season 5 air from Tuesday September 9 on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK. The season then airs weekly.

If you watch one show this autumn, make it Slow Horses season 5, which has just got a dramatic new trailer.

Gary Oldman's Jackson Lamb and his very unhappy band of washed-up spooks return for a new series on Wednesday, September 24, on Apple TV Plus. And it's set up to be another cracker, judging by the trailer (below), which reveals the big shock that Ho has a girlfriend. Yep, you read that correctly!

Computer nerd Ho, who's just about the biggest idiot there is in Slough House, and that's against some very strong competition, boasts he's finally met someone. But then in the trailer, it appears that Ho’s girlfriend isn't everything she seems.

As Lamb gently puts it, "Nothing raises my spider-senses as much as hearing a woman is happy to spend time with you."

We then see Lamb's boss, Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas), declare she's taking Ho into her custody.

Teasing the series, the makers say: "In season five of Slow Horses, everyone is suspicious when resident tech nerd Roddy Ho has a glamorous new girlfriend, but when a series of increasingly bizarre events occur across the city, it falls to the Slow Horses to work out how everything is connected. After all, Lamb knows that in the world of espionage, the London Rules — cover your back — always apply."

This season is based on the Slough House series book "London Rules".

The trailer also sees London rocked by explosions and Taverner talking about how 11 people have been killed.

But as ever the real joy of Slow Horses is not the action but the sharpness of the scripts. There's a wonderful little scene between Lamb and a very weary-looking Taverner where the slob spook says on her arrival at Slough House: "If this is an on-the-spot performance review, I have to tell you I am absolutely killing it right now."

We also get a glimpse of Ted Lasso's Nick Mohammed, who guest stars.

If you’ve not seen Slow Horses, please sign up now to Apple TV Plus and give it a watch; it’s arguably the best thing on television.

Slow Horses season 5 premieres on Wednesday, September 24, worldwide on Apple TV Plus. The first two episodes of the six-episode season will be available immediately, followed by one new episode a week on subsequent Wednesdays until the season concludes on October 22.

Death in Paradise is the best crime drama on telly!

If you love sun, sand, and lots of mind-boggling murder mysteries, then this is the show for you. There have even been two spin-off shows, and Death in Paradise continues to be hugely popular around the world.

But just how well do you know the show? Are you worthy of taking up the post of DI on Saint Marie? Well, now's your chance to prove it!

All questions below are multiple choice, and there's no time limit to the quiz. Hints are available, in which you'll remove one of the possible answers, boosting your odds of making the right guess. Hints are available for each question. Have a crack and hopefully you turn out to be a Death in Paradise expert...

We hope you enjoy the quiz, and we also have a best Death in Pardise episodes article, which lists our favourite episodes.

We also have a number of other quizzes that are available, including a Not Going Out quiz, a Superman quiz, and a Naked Gun quiz. Please share our Death in Paradise quiz with family and friends to see how they get along.

You can watch every series of Death in Paradise now on BBC iPlayer. If you've never seen it, it's well worth starting right back at the beginning, as to be honest, no one has quite topped Ben Miller as DI Richard Poole. He'll always be the best Death in Paradise detective for me.

Good news, as Death in Paradise is still being made and Death in Paradise season 15 will hit our screens in 2026. Before then, there is a festive episode lined up.

Death Valley season 2 is officially on the way, which means more cases for Wales’s most unlikely crime-fighting duo.

Timothy Spall returns as retired actor John Chapel alongside Gwyneth Keyworth as detective sergeant Janie Mallowman.

Timothy says: "I'm delighted that the show has been received so well, and audiences have embraced the warm and eccentric nature of John and Janie's partnership. I'm really looking forward to revisiting this unlikely duo with the brilliant Gwyneth Keyworth as they take on more crime-solving escapades in Wales."

Gwyneth says: "I'm so chuffed Janie and John get to bicker their way through some more deadly crime scenes. Thank you so much to everyone who watched and supported the show! I can’t wait to be back ‘corpsing’ with Timothy and the gang for series two!”

Here’s everything we know...

Death Valley season 2 release date

Death Valley season 2 is filming now, so we'd expect it to be shown in early 2026. But the BBC is yet to confirm this.

Death Valley season 2 plot

Spoilers ahead if you've not seen season 1!

We'd expect season 2 to explore John's relationship with Janie's mum! It was revealed at the end of Death Valley season 1 that the pair had started dating, which Janie wasn’t too impressed about. Janie's mum, Yvonne (Melanie Walters), is a great character.

Hopefully, we also might get to see a bit more of Tony the desk sergeant (Mike Bubbins) and Janie's pathologist pal Baxter (Alexandria Riley), who wasn't given a huge amount to do in the first series. Might we also see some romance for Janie? The first series had some great guest stars, including Car Share's Sian Gibson and Ghosts actor Kiell Smith-Bynoe, so we’d expect more top names for season 2.

Hopefully, we will also see more of another Ghosts actor, Jim Howick. He popped up very briefly in the first series as Constable Atkins in John's TV show Caesar.

Death Valley season 2 cast

Timothy Spall and Gwyneth Keyworth return alongside regular cast Alexandria Riley (Helen Baxter), Steffan Rhodri (DCI Barry Clarke), Melanie Walters (Yvonne Mallowan), and Rithvik Andugula (DC Evan Chaudhry). No guest stars have been named yet.

Death Valley season 2 behind the scenes and more

Death Valley season 2 is six parts with each episode 45 minutes long. It is a BBC Studios Comedy in association with BritBox for BBC One and iPlayer. It is written and created by BAFTA-nominated Paul Doolan, with additional material by Sian Harries

Here's our TV tonight picks for Saturday, August 30 (for more information about what's on TV, see our TV Guide)...

Annika, BBC1, 9.10 pm

'Nothing says a relaxing holiday like a mobile homicide unit!’ Annika (Nicola Walker) is staying at a Perthshire eco resort with her father Magnus (Sven Henriksen) when he drily makes this observation following his daughter’s discovery of a body in the stream near their cabin. There are more of Annika’s to-camera eye-rolls than usual as she’s wearing a blood-pressure monitor and reckons her strained relationship with Magnus is sending the readings rocketing. Meanwhile, Morgan (Silvie Furneaux), who’s doing work experience at the resort, is keen to play happy families, but she’s still unaware that a vital piece of that particular puzzle is imminent…

Casualty, BBC1, 8.20 pm

Jan (Di Botcher) channels her inner Miss Marple as she sets out to unmask the morphine thief. We know Sunny is the culprit, but can she keep Jan, and Holby’s terrifying drug dealers, at bay by setting up pharmaceutical driver Terry (Bill Fellows) – who may prove tragically essential in bringing the city’s illegal activities to a grinding halt? If variety is the spice of life, this episode is a peppery mix of detection, deceit and, randomly, drama involving a deadly scorpion.

You Bet! on Tour, ITV1, 8 pm

Stephen Mulhern takes his popular show on the road in this new series as he travels the UK and gets people to take on more ‘brilliantly bonkers and amazing challenges’, which could see them win £5,000 as a You Bet! champion. He’ll also be joined by celebrities including Rylan Clark, Holly Willoughby, Alison Hammond, Zoe Ball and Oti Mabuse as they try to predict how each of the challenges will turn out. Tonight’s panel features Alesha Dixon, Josie Gibson and Josh Widdicombe. How accurate will their predictions be?

The Hit List, BBC1, 5.45 pm

Following a run of regular episodes, Rochelle and Marvin Humes are hosting celebrity specials of their music-based quiz, which this week sees former Boyzone star Shane Lynch and his wife Sheena White, star of the reality show The Real Housewives of Cheshire, take on Radio 1 presenters Matt Edmondson and Jeremiah Asiamah and The Great Pottery Throw Down’s Keith Brymer Jones and comedian Sophie Duker. The three teams attempt to name songs and artists in quirky rounds such as You’re the First, You’re the Last, where the title is in either the opening or last lyric of a song. The winners will get the chance to win £10,000 for their chosen charity.

There's great news for Dept Q fans as Netflix has announced today, Tuesday, August 19, that the Edinburgh-based crime drama has been commissioned for a second series.

It has also been confirmed that the main cast from Dept Q season 1 will be back, including Matthew Goode as lead character DCI Carl Morck and his team of misfits – Alexej Manvelov as Akram, Leah Byrne as Rose and Jamie Sives as Hardy.

The first season, which was made up of nine episodes, followed Carl as he was tasked with opening Department Q, a new branch of the police department that reopened unsolved cases after taking time off work following a shooting that left his partner paralysed and a younger officer dead.

His first case saw him investigate the disappearance of a prosecutor called Merritt Lingard, but little did Carl know he was digging into a world much darker than he could have ever imagined, and soon the case threw his entire world into turmoil.

Season 2 will see Carl and his team opening another cold case that has previously been deemed unsolvable, once again working to unearth the truth while delivering a series of darkly humorous one-liners.

The first season saw fans fall in love with the complex mysteries not just of the cases but of the detectives themselves as they fought to find out what really happened to Merritt - leading to the series spending 6 weeks in the Global Top Ten on Netflix earlier this year.

Speaking about returning for a second series, Matthew Goode said: “I'd like to thank Netflix for giving us the opportunity to further investigate Department Q's storylines. We have a wonderful cast and crew, headed by our resident genius Scott Frank. I cannot wait to read what comes from his magic quill!”

While Mona Qureshi and Manda Levin from Netflix added: “We are raring to return to Carl Morck and his band of glorious misfits at Dept. Q. Scott Frank brought us best-in-class storytelling and thrilled Netflix audiences worldwide. We can’t wait to see what Morck and the gang uncover in season 2…. Edinburgh, we’re back.”

All episodes of Dept Q season 1 are available on Netflix now.

Glenn Close is to star as an old lady who just happens to be a serial killer in a new Channel 4 series.

Based on "An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good" and "An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed" by Helene Tursten, the six-part series sees the legendary actor play Maud Oldcastle in the drama currently under the working title of Maud.

The character is teased as being "hilariously brusque, cantankerous, and ruthless… and those are her nice qualities. She's also a killer with a tortured past."

Teasing the plot, the makers say: "Determined to break from a lifetime spent caring for her sister, Maud sets out to claim a long-overdue second act… but a suspicious detective and an unrelenting world built for youth may soon discover just how far she'll go to protect her freedom.”

Glenn Close said, "I am honoured to be working with Channel 4, Sony and Playground to bring this highly original series to life. Nina and Moses Raine are deliciously brilliant writers and Maud Oldcastle is not like any character I have played before. I am thrilled to be a part of such a stellar team."

Gwawr Lloyd, Acting Head of Drama, Channel 4 said, “Maud is a deliciously dark and daring drama and the amazing Glenn Close will bring a thrilling complexity to the role. We're delighted to be working with Nina, Moses, Playground and Sony Pictures Television to bring this unique character to life and we can’t wait for audiences to meet Maud Oldcastle.”

The book "An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good" was first published in 2018, and in the stories, the character is 88! The tales were set in Sweden, but as Maud is being shot in London, it appears the setting is being moved to the UK for the television series. The tone of the stories appears to be light-hearted and fun. They were originally written in Swedish before being translated into English.

It's certainly an interesting idea to have an old lady as a serial killer!

Maud will be filming in London later this year and will hit Channel 4 next year. Check out our best Channel 4 dramas guide for more series to enjoy.

Michelle Keegan leads an all-star cast in The Blame, an upcoming ITV drama that dives into the secrets, suspicion and systemic corruption of a quiet town.

Keegan plays DI Emma Crane, who begins an investigation with her partner DI Tom Radley (Douglas Booth) after the mysterious death of a teenage girl.

The six-part series, which boasts a stellar support cast including Ian Hart and Ceallach Spellman, is based on the debut novel of the same name by Charlotte Langley. It will be adapted for the screen by Megan Gallagher.

"Megan is such a wonderful and clever writer," said ITV's Director of Drama, Polly Hill. "The Blame is a brilliant new crime thriller full of surprising twists and a compelling investigation that also cleverly tackles police corruption, exploitation and misogyny as the thriller unravels."

Here's everything we know about The Blame...

The Blame release date

ITV has confirmed The Blame is scheduled to begin filming in and around London in the summer of 2025.

As such, we think it will probably premiere on ITV at some point in 2026. We'll let you know as soon as a broadcast date is confirmed.

The Blame plot

The six-part series is set in the town of Wakestead, which is rocked by the murder of a teenage girl. An official synopsis from ITV reads as follows...

"The series begins when the body of teenage figure skater Sophie Madsen is discovered, sending shockwaves through the town of Wakestead.

"As DI Emma Crane (Keegan) and DI Tom Radley (Booth) dig deeper, what starts as a tragic death, spirals into a tangled web of lies, institutional cover-ups, and moral compromise.

"As the clock ticks and trust fractures, Crane must navigate both a murder investigation and the treacherous politics inside her own team."

The Blame cast

Michelle Keegan leads the cast as DI Emma Crane. Viewers will recognise her from recent roles as nurse Kate Thorne in Ten Pound Poms, Brassic and Fool Me Once.

She stars alongside Douglas Booth (And Then There Were None, That Dirty Black Bag and The Sandman), who plays her partner, DI Radley

The rest of the cast is as follows...

• Ian Hart (The Responder, The Last Kingdom) plays DCI Kenneth Walker.
• Nathan Mensah plays DC Lewis
• Nigel Boyle (Line of Duty,  Peaky Blinders) is digital forensic technician Brett Shergill.
• Joe Armstrong (Gentleman Jack, Black Mirror) plays ice-skating coach Kyle Frasier.
• Matilda Freeman (How to get to heaven from Belfast, Passenger) plays Sophie Madsen
• Gavin Spokes (House of the Dragon, Slow Horses) plays DC Joel Stevens.
• Josh Bolt (Masters of the Air, Last  Tango in Halifax) plays DC Douglas James.
• Ceallach Spellman (Cheaters, White Lines) PC Callum Drummond. 

The Blame trailer

With filming yet to begin, there's no trailer for this one just yet. We'll be sure to post it here as soon as it lands.

There's some edge-of-your-seat drama landing on Channel 4 today (Tuesday, August 12) as new psychological thriller, In Flight, lands.

The six-part series, which will air today, Wednesday and Thursday evening this week and the same next week, also lands on Channel4.com as a box set, ready for you to binge at your leisure.

The series stars Coronation Street and Mr Bates vs The Post Office star Katherine Kelly, as single mum Jo Conran, who works as a flight attendant.

However, Jo's world is turned upside down when her 19-year-old son Sonny is jailed in Bulgaria for killing a lad in a drunken brawl - a murder he swears he didn’t commit.

Things take a horrifying turn when Jo’s approached by hardened gang leader Cormac (Stuart Martin), who warns her that Sonny will be killed in jail unless she uses her job as cover to smuggle vast quantities of heroin from Istanbul and Bangkok.

But as Jo’s coerced into carrying out the crime syndicate’s orders, risking everything in the process, she gets pulled into a violent world of corrupt cops and brutal assassins while desperately trying to keep her son alive. But Jo will do anything to protect her family.

Jo’s customs officer ex Dom, is possibly the only one who can help Jo out of her hellish predicament. But as the series progresses, can anyone – even Jo’s son – be trusted?

Speaking of her new role, Katherine told us: "Jo will do anything to save her son. She’s an ordinary woman, yet by the end of episode two she’s got a gun to somebody’s head! Not only did I not expect the twists and turns, but they also came thicker and faster than any other series I've ever been in. Roller coaster is a very overused word for a thriller, but I’m struggling to think of one better!

"Every actor’s process is different, but I’m a homework kind of girl and, luckily, a friend of mine works at an airline, so I spent a day there with him. You’ve also got to let your imagination go to some dark places because it’s a dark topic. But I don’t hold on to anything, otherwise I’d just burn out. I have a good on-off switch!"

In Flight starts on Channel 4 on Tuesday, August 12 2025, at 9pm.

There are three episodes per week from Tuesday to Thursday, all at 9 pm, so the series ends on Thursday, 21 August.

Few movies have freaked yours truly out quite like The Silence of the Lambs—in case you somehow missed it these past four decades, the 1991 Jonathan Demme-directed horror classic stars a spine-chilling Anthony Hopkins as the captured cannibalistic murderer Hannibal Lecter, whose homicidal insights are sought out by young FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) to help hunt down a serial killer known as "Buffalo Bill" (Ted Levine). While the psychological thriller is filled with terrifying scenes, none are quite as hair-raising as the one-on-one interrogations between Starling and Lecter, with the former bravely trying to get inside the mind of a monster.

And the only thing scarier than fiction is real life. At the center of Hulu's new true-crime docuseries Ted Bundy: Dialogue with the Devil is a very The Silence of the Lambs-esque premise: A series of conversations between the notorious American serial killer Ted Bundy and investigator Robert Keppel that took place while the murderer was serving on death row in Florida from 1984 to 1989, in the hopes of catching the Green River Killer, a phantom who murdered 49 women in the same Seattle area where Bundy claimed many of his victims a decade earlier.

Bundy's own crimes have been heavily documented over the decades, from Netflix's Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes to HBO Max's Ted Bundy: Mind of a Monster to Prime Video's Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer. But the new six-part Hulu doc, which premiered on August 7, has a unique perspective in that it contextualizes Bundy's horrific actions and uses his twisted expertise to delve deeper into serial killer psychology as a whole.

And just like in Demme's drama, it's those unsettling direct conversations between the killer and the detective that provide the real horror, with their cat-and-mouse talks playing out until Bundy's execution in January 1989.

"Exclusive elements in the form of never-before-heard audio tapes and interviews combine to make Ted Bundy: Dialogue With the Devil the definitive deep dive into one of history’s darkest minds—seen through the steadfast gaze of the detective who refused to look away," per the streamer.

You can tune into Ted Bundy: Dialogue with the Devil exclusively on Hulu. Current subscription options on Hulu include the "With Ads" plan for $9.99 per month or the commercial-free "No Ads" plan for $18.99 per month. The service also offers a 30-day free trial, so new subscribers can watch the Bundy-based docuseries for free.

Check out the official trailer for Ted Bundy: Dialogue with the Devil before tuning into the gripping new docuseries on Hulu.

In the same summer that she played Sue Storm in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Vanessa Kirby takes on another kind of hero’s journey in Night Always Comes. Though how they go about it is quite different, Kirby’s Sue and her character Lynette in the Netflix original movie both have the same drive — doing what has to be done to save their family.

Kirby and Netflix have been in a good partnership in recent years. She starred in the first couple of seasons of the Netflix original series The Crown as Princess Margaret, earning an Emmy nomination, and the Netflix movie Pieces of a Woman, for which she received a Best Actress Oscar nomination. Will this new pairing between Netflix and Vanessa Kirby lead to another hit on the streaming service?

Before we figure that out, here’s everything you need to know about Night Always Comes.

Night Always Comes release date

Night Always Comes premieres exclusively on Netflix on Friday, August 15. A Netflix subscription is required to watch the movie.

Night Always Comes cast

Vanessa Kirby stars as Lynette in Night Always Comes, a woman who goes on a harrowing journey over the course of one night to secure her family’s future. We’ve already mentioned some of Kirby’s biggest roles in Fantastic Four, Pieces of a Woman and The Crown, but she’s also starred in the Mission: Impossible franchise, Napoleon and, also premiering in August, Eden.

The strong supporting cast of Night Always Comes includes Jennifer Jason Leigh (Fargo season 5, The Hateful Eight), Zach Gottsagen (The Peanut Butter Falcon), Stephan James (The Piano Lesson, If Beale Street Could Talk), Julia Fox (Presence, Uncut Gems), Eli Roth (The Idol, Inglourious Basterds), Randall Park (The Residence, WandaVision) and Michael Kelly (Lioness, Jack Ryan).

Night Always Comes plot

Based on Willy Vlautin’s 2021 book The Night Always Comes, with the adapted screenplay written by Sarah Conradt, here is the official synopsis from Netflix:

“Night Always Comes follows Lynette, a woman who risks everything to secure the house that represents a future for her family. On a dangerous odyssey through a single night, Lynette is forced to confront her dark past in order to finally break free.”

Night Always Comes trailer

Watch the trailer for Night Always Comes right here:

Night Always Comes director

Benjamin Caron is the director of Night Always Comes. This is the second feature movie directed by Caron. His previous movie directing credit was for the Apple TV Plus original movie Sharper. However, he has plenty of experience on big projects, including directing multiple episodes of Andor, The Crown (where he previously worked with Kirby) and Sherlock.

Night Always Comes behind the scenes

In addition to being backed by Netflix, Night Always Come is a production by Aluna Entertainment, Co Created Media, H2L Media Group and Squared Eye Pictures. Producers on Night Always Come are Ryan Bartecki, Benjamin Caron, Jodie Caron, Lauren Dark, Billy Hines, Vanessa Kirby and Gary Levinsohn.

The movie was shot in Portland, Ore.

Father Brown season 13 is on the way with a Father Brown first as they go for a trip to the seaside! Let's hope he's packed his trunks!

Filming recently completed on the new series, which sees Mark Williams return as the crime-busting clergyman based on the classic character created by GK Chesterton.

Mark says: "My Dad was a surveyor and taught me how to look at buildings, not just their architecture but how they were used, and why they were where they are. So one of the constant pleasures of filming Father Brown for me is the places we film in, and I always have the relevant Pevsner’s ‘Buildings of England’ book to hand.

"This year, our 13th, has been a great year for interesting locations. We have filmed in The Chateaux Impney a French fantasy in Droitwich, the little theatre in Chipping Norton (an ex Salvation Army Citadel), the wonderful 18th Century octagonal Crown Courts in Warwick and an atmospheric ex-Nunnery in Great Malvern with a glorious chapel by Ninian Comper.

"Also, The Fleece Inn in Bretforton which is a English pub time capsule, the spectacular Baroque church at Great Witley, and to top it off a selection of lovely stone Cotswold houses and churches. What a fabulous itinerary. And we filmed an episode at the seaside! Lucky lad, as my Dad would have said."

Here's everything we know about the new series...

Father Brown season 13 release date

Father Brown season 13 is likely to be released on BBC1 in January 2026, although this is still to be confirmed. It's likely to hit BritBox in the US around the same time.

Father Brown season 13 cast

Well the exciting news is Sorcha Cusack will be making a special return as Mrs McCarthy for the first episode! Mrs McCarthy is a great character so it will be nice to have her back. Mark Williams of course stars again as Father Brown.

Tom Chambers returns as Inspector Sullivan with Claudie Blakley as the new Mrs Isabel Sullivan, Ruby-May Martinwood as Brenda and John Burton as Sergeant Goodfellow. Also back are Nancy Carroll as Lady Felicia, John Light as Hercule Flambeau, Lex Shrapnel as Father Lazarus, Roger May as Canon Fox and Kieran Hodgson as Father Lindsey.

The guest stars include Maureen Lipman, Julia Sawalha, Phil Daniels, Debra Stephenson, Davood Ghadami, Kevin Harvey, George Rainsford and Timothy Watson.

Father Brown season 13 plot

Teasing the plot, the BBC says: "The new Mr and Mrs Sullivan settle into married life and a new home, with Isabel thrilled to be welcomed into the Policeman’s Wives Society. Meanwhile, Brenda goes on a journey of self-empowerment as she covers the role of Parish Secretary and learns to drive with the help of Sergeant Goodfellow.

"Father Brown is tasked by Flambeau to visit Father Lazarus in prison, resulting in a deadly game of cat and mouse which ruffles the feathers of Canon Fox. With his consecration now looming, Bishop-Elect Fox plans to enact his revenge upon Father Brown, leaving Kembleford changed forever."

Is there a trailer?

No, not yet.

Netflix has added Stolen: Heist of the Century, an intriguing-sounding documentary about arguably the world's most audacious diamond robbery, which seems like something out of Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible movies.

In February 2003, a gang of thieves broke into the seemingly impenetrable Antwerp World Diamond Centre and snatched gems estimated to be worth between $100 million and $500 million. The police were baffled by how the villains got into the vault, which had every protection imaginable, including thermal-motion sensors, a magnetic field, and a lock with millions of possible combinations. The crooks didn't set off any alarms, and their crime wasn't discovered until the following day.

And, amazingly, most of the diamonds have still never been found!

The methods by which the thieves pulled off the breathtaking heist and the current whereabouts of the diamonds are still the subject of great debate.

Netflix teases: “An ingenious gang of master jewel thieves from Italy known as The School of Turin were behind the audacious heist — now, after more than 20 years, the world will finally learn how they pulled it off."

In the trailer (above), someone involved with the case is heard saying: "No one could imagine that the diamond district could be cracked. This isn't the story of a crime. It's more like the script of a movie.

"How they did it with no force, no violence, we had no idea."

The makers have interviewed the Antwerp detectives who cracked the case and also the alleged criminal mastermind behind it. Netflix says it will give a "blow-by-blow account of what really happened”.

It’s from the producers of The Tinder Swindler and American Nightmare, so it suggests it will be a great production.

We know the crime required a lot of planning and a string of ingenious methods to evade the huge security around the diamonds. What happened afterwards is just as interesting as the heist, as the criminals went about trying to profit from their crime while the police played catch-up and started to gather evidence.

Netflix will be hoping it matches the huge success of the Guy Ritchie true crime documentary The Diamond Heist, which became a global smash on the streaming service earlier this year.

The three-part documentary, which easily makes our best shows on Netflix guide, is about the attempted theft of £350 million worth of diamonds, including the famous Millennium Star, from London's Millennium Dome back in 2000.

Stolen: Heist of the Century is on Netflix now.

Father Brown star Mark Williams has spoken enthusiastically about all the wonderful filming locations he’s been to for series 13, which has just finished filming. And it's been revealed Father Brown legend Sorcha Cusack will be making a special return as Mrs McCarthy for the first episode!

Mark, who’s played the crime-busting clergyman based on the classic character created by GK Chesterton for over a decade, said they’ve been to some trully amazing places to create Father Brown season 13, which will likely air at the beginning of next year.

Mark says: "My Dad was a surveyor and taught me how to look at buildings, not just their architecture but how they were used, and why they were where they are. So one of the constant pleasures of filming Father Brown for me is the places we film in, and I always have the relevant Pevsner’s ‘Buildings of England’ book to hand.

"This year, our 13th, has been a great year for interesting locations. We have filmed in The Chateaux Impney a French fantasy in Droitwich, the little theatre in Chipping Norton (an ex Salvation Army Citadel), the wonderful 18th Century octagonal Crown Courts in Warwick and an atmospheric ex-Nunnery in Great Malvern with a glorious chapel by Ninian Comper.

"Also, The Fleece Inn in Bretforton which is a English pub time capsule, the spectacular Baroque church at Great Witley, and to top it off a selection of lovely stone Cotswold houses and churches. What a fabulous itinerary. And we filmed an episode at the seaside! Lucky lad, as my Dad would have said."

The new series sees Tom Chambers return as Inspector Sullivan, Claudie Blakley as the new Mrs Isabel Sullivan, Ruby-May Martinwood as Brenda and John Burton as Sergeant Goodfellow. Also back are Nancy Carroll as Lady Felicia, John Light as Hercule Flambeau, Lex Shrapnel as Father Lazarus, Roger May as Canon Fox and Kieran Hodgson as Father Lindsey.

Teasing the plot, the BBC says: "The new Mr and Mrs Sullivan settle into married life and a new home, with Isabel thrilled to be welcomed into the Policeman’s Wives Society. Meanwhile, Brenda goes on a journey of self-empowerment as she covers the role of Parish Secretary and learns to drive with the help of Sergeant Goodfellow. Father Brown is tasked by Flambeau to visit Father Lazarus in prison, resulting in a deadly game of cat and mouse which ruffles the feathers of Canon Fox. With his consecration now looming, Bishop-Elect Fox plans to enact his revenge upon Father Brown, leaving Kembleford changed forever.

Guest stars

Among the guest stars this season are Maureen Lipman, Phil Daniels, Julia Sawalha, George Rainsford, Debra Stephenson, and Davood Ghadami.

Amazingly Father Brown has now been on air since 2013! It's one of the BBC's best dramas and well worth a watch if you've never seen it. Father Brown will be available on BritBox in the US.

It guarantees more than a new movie. Martin Scorsese's name on the credits means a cinematic event, a genuine experience. And, while the reasons may vary from movie to movie, he always attracts huge interest and audiences to match.

One of his biggest titles in recent years is ready and waiting to be relished all over again on Netflix — and it’s one that proves that gangster sagas never grow old.

The Irishman hit the headlines before its release towards the end of 2019. The anticipation of the latest from one of modern cinema’s finest directors soared when the news broke that lead actor Robert De Niro would be “de-aged” during the film.

And the debate gathered even more momentum once it was released. The running time was 3 hours and 29 minutes. Cue a conversation about over-long movies. And there was the cast itself. De Niro and Pacino reunited for the first time since Michael Mann’s Heat (1995) and Scorsese bringing back the formidable Pacino/Pesci double act from the legendary Goodfellas (1990). It promised much.

Based on Charles Brandt’s 2004 book "I Heard You Paint Houses", the film was the story of “fixer” Frank Sheeran (De Niro), the Irishman of the title, and his reputed involvement in the murder of union boss, Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino). Told by Frank in his 80s, it takes us through his life, starting with his wilder years during World War Two, a chance meeting with crime boss Russell Bufalino (Pesci) and a telephone introduction to Hoffa, which gave the original book its title. It’s mob-speak for killing people.

Throughout decades filled with volatile characters, including the deeply sinister Tony Pro (Stephen Graham), Frank is the ultimate survivor, one who takes pride in his work but also feels the weight of regret.

After a brief cinema release, the movie moved to Netflix and seven days later had been viewed by 26.4 million accounts around the world, giving the streamer one of its most successful opening weeks ever. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a glowing 95%, while reviews were equally favourable, highlighting Pacino’s exuberant performance and the overall reflective tone. Made by an aging filmmaker, this was a movie about growing old and had the same haunting quality as the memories that its main character couldn’t shake off. And the runtime turned out to be an advantage, taking its time with a complex, sprawling story which built up to a harrowing final hour.

Award nominations flowed in but despite 12 Oscar nods, it came away empty-handed on the night.

Alongside the star names was a powerful supporting cast, boasting Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Anna Paquin, Bobby Canavale and Stephen Graham. This was the British actor’s second film for Scorsese after Gangs Of New York in 2002, but he’s no stranger to mobster roles. Al Capone in TV’s Boardwalk Empire, Hayden Stagg in Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders and Babyface Nelson in 2009’s Public Enemies are all on his resume, but this is an actor who is impossible to typecast. Low budget movies like 2021’s blistering Boiling Point (he was in the original short and went on to appear in the TV series) and ventures into Marvel territory with the two Venomsequels give just a hint of his extraordinary range. He’s gone from “that guy” to being in just about anything worth watching.

Most recently, he’s reunited with Steven Knight for A Thousand Blows, the action- packed boxing drama set in Victorian London’s East End. Based on the rise to fame of real-life Jamaican boxer Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby), it traces his involvement with the notorious all-women Forty Elephants Gang and sinister bare-knuckle boxer Sugar Goodson, played by Graham. It’s a tailor-made role for this powerhouse actor who never gives less than his all.

• Best movies on Netflix

The show arrived at the start of this year, receiving 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was unusually filmed back-to-back with season two, so fans of the gritty drama knew from the outset that it would be back – and soon. Word is that autumn of this year is looking increasingly likely.

All of which means that audiences won’t have too long to wait to immerse themselves in the fall-out from Hezekiah’s big fight, one where he didn’t get the prize money. And, after the savage beating Sugar handed out to his brother Treacle (James Nelson-Joyce), their feud will inevitably run deeper. And, while Knight is staying tight-lipped about the storyline, he’s hinted that “the stakes will be higher”.

There’s no confirmation of more episodes post-season two, but everything points to the idea of more from this particular universe getting the thumbs up from the writers and actors. It’s a good omen.

The Irishman is on Netflix in the US and the UK.

All episodes from season one of A Thousand Blows are on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.

ITV has released first look pictures for Sheridan Smith's major new drama, I Fought The Law.

The hugely popular star plays Ann Ming in the "heartbreaking and inspiring real-life story" of a mother who, driven by unimaginable grief, finds the strength to challenge the centuries-old Double Jeopardy Law to see her daughter’s murderer finally brought to justice. The four-part series is based on Ann Ming’s book "For The Love of Julie".

Sheridan says: "I am so honoured to have been asked to play the role of Ann Ming, a mother so determined to fight for justice for her murdered daughter that she spent 15 years campaigning for the Double Jeopardy Law to be changed. She is a truly courageous and remarkable woman to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude.”

ITV teases: "The drama follows the tragic, moving, and deeply inspiring journey of the Ming family after the murder of their beloved 22-year-old daughter, Julie. In the wake of multiple police failings, Ann relentlessly pressures the authorities to uncover the truth and ensure the man responsible is brought to justice — despite initially seeming he will get away with murder.

"Driven by love, grief, and extraordinary determination, Ann and her family campaign tirelessly in Julie's name. In her steadfast and indomitable style, Ann takes on the entire justice system — challenging the Crown Prosecution Service, the Law Commission, prominent defence barristers in television debates, the Government, the Lord Chancellor, the Attorney General, and two Home Secretaries — as she bravely ‘fought the law'."

Ann Ming, who acted as a consultant on the production, said: "I am very pleased that ITV and Hera Pictures will tell the story of my campaign to overturn the Double Jeopardy Law. My daughter’s killer was wrongfully acquitted, and I wasn’t going to let this law stand in my way of getting justice for Julie.

"I’m overwhelmed that Sheridan Smith will be playing me. Having such an iconic and talented actress portray me is truly wonderful.”

• Best dramas coming to TV this autumn

It's far from the first time Sheridan has taken on a serious subject. In the hard-hitting BBC1 drama Four Lives, which was based on a true story, she played Sarah Sak, the mother of Anthony Walgate, who was the first victim of real-life serial killer Stephen Port. She also starred in The C Word, a true story based on the book by journalist Lisa Lynch, which documented her battle against cancer.

I Fought The Law will air on ITV and STV and be available to stream on ITVX and STV Player this autumn, followed by I Fought The Law: The Ann Ming Story documentary.

Among the highlights of new movies on Netflix in August is Martin Scorsese’s The Departed. Arriving August 1, Scorsese’s Oscar-winning crime drama (the one that finally won him an Oscar for Best Director and won Best Picture) remains as entertaining as ever, making it a must watch for Scorsese fans.

Based on the Hong Kong movie Internal Affairs, The Departed follows Leonardo DiCaprio’s Billy, an undercover cop placed in the gang of dangerous mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), and Matt Damon’s Colin, a mole in the police department loyal to Costello. Each is tasked with trying to identify the other. The movie also stars Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, Alec Baldwin and James Badge Dale.

I’ll always have a special place in my heart for The Departed because it was the movie that truly introduced me to the filmography of Martin Scorsese.

Released in 2006, I was 16 when The Departed came out. I was just getting serious about movies and while I knew of Martin Scorsese I had yet to watch any of his classics like Goodfellas, Casino or Taxi Driver. In those dark times before streaming you had to either find a movie on TV or rent the VHS/DVD, and being under 17 Scorsese movies weren’t easy to access.

But when I saw The Departed I was instantly hooked. William Monahan’s Oscar-winning script was so engaging with all its twists and turns, while Nicholson and Wahlberg’s big performances were a joy to watch. Every time I watch The Departed there is usually something new I gain a greater appreciation for, with a big one being DiCaprio’s performance, one of his most underrated.

Seeing The Departed now made it a priority to watch Scorsese’s entire feature filmography, which outside of some of his shorts and documentaries, I’ve accomplished, from Who’s That Knocking at My Door to Killers of the Flower Moon. No hot takes from watching all those movies, Scorsese has rightly earned his reputation as one of the greatest directors of all time.

I haven’t actively thought about which Martin Scorsese movie is my favorite in a while, but because of how The Departed opened up that world it will always be right around the top.

The Departed is now streaming on Netflix in the US (it is streaming on Prime Video in the UK). Netflix also has a few other Martin Scorsese movies if you need to check any off, specifically his 1993 period drama The Age of Innocence and his 2019 Netflix original movie The Irishman.

Also check out what other movies are returning or are new to streaming in August.

Ridley season 2 sees Adrian Dunbar finally return as retired cop turned police consultant Alex Ridley. Yes, it's been nearly three years since the first series aired to great reviews.

Ridley resumes his partnership with former protégée DI Carol Framan (played by Unforgotten's Bronagh Waugh), who is now in charge of investigations.

Joining the cast is Taggart legend John Michie, who’s just been seen in Karen Pirie season 2. He plays debonair jeweller Harry, whom Ridley vies with for Anne’s (Shetland’s Julie Graham) attention.

Talking about returning for season 2, Adrian tells us: "Coming back was a wonderful experience, because the first series was really well-received. When you get a second series, there’s a good buzz.

"Plus, of course, you’re getting an opportunity to move a character on. Ridley’s obviously never going to get away from his past, but life must go on, so there have to be some subtle changes in him. I think an audience has to see progression."

We asked Adrian if putting on Alex Ridley’s signature jacket helped him get back into character. He replied: "Yes, the jacket helps me a lot. Finding an iconic piece of costume was something we thought about, and we thought this old, beaten-up jacket would bring a bit of characterisation to the drama. If you look back at some of the TV shows from the 1970s and 1980s, several characters had similar items associated with them."

Can the second season live up to the first, which is one of ITV's best dramas of recent times? Here's hoping so...

Ridley season 2

Ridley will return for a second season on Sunday, August 10, at 8 pm on ITV1. The new series is four parts and will also land on ITVX as a box set.

Ridley season 2 cast

Adrian Dunbar returns in the leading role with Bronagh Waugh as DI Carol Framan. John Michie joins as jeweller Harry with Julie Graham back as Annie.

The original team all return with Terence Maynard (Time, Coronation Street) as DCI Paul Goodwin, George Bukhari (Years and Years, The A Word) as DC Darren Lakhan, Georgie Glen (The Crown, Call the Midwife) as pathologist Dr Wendy Newstone. The regular cast also includes Bhavna Limbachia (Citizen Khan, Coronation Street) as Geri.

Guest stars in episode one include John Henshaw (The Long Shadow) and Christine Bottomley (Domina).

Plot — what happens in episode 1?

The makers tease: "Ridley starts to investigate when a jewellery heist turns violent, and the thieves take off with their stolen loot. After an interested party is killed in broad daylight, Ridley and Carol have a race against time to discover the identity of the criminal mastermind behind the whole operation. Will the team be able to bring them to justice before more blood is spilled?"

What happens in episode 2?

The makers tease: "The discovery of a decomposed body in the depths of Hawsley Wood sends shockwaves through the investigative team, as it is identified as a woman who vanished without a trace six years prior. Retired detective Alex Ridley joins forces with Carol and Goodwin to delve into the mysterious circumstances surrounding the case.

"Ridley must enlist the help of disgraced ex-copper Jean Dixon, who oversaw the original investigation. Despite past conflicts between Ridley and Jean, he is determined to mend their relationship in the pursuit of justice. As they re-examine the cold case, new details emerge, and the team finds themselves entangled in a web of long-buried secrets and unresolved conflicts.

"The murder investigation takes an unforeseen turn when another body is discovered, sending shockwaves through the community.

"Amidst the twists and turns of the investigation, Ridley and Jean must navigate their own strained history while striving to solve a case that hits uncomfortably close to home."

What happens in episode 3?

The makers tease: " When a body is discovered at an illegal rave, Ridley and the investigative team are thrust into a high-profile case. The victim, Oliver Grant, emerges as the heir apparent to his family's property empire, poised to become the next CEO.

"The case takes unexpected turns as Ridley navigates through the secretive world of underground parties, exposing a side of Oliver Grant that starkly contrasts with his public persona. Unravelling the layers of his double life becomes paramount in solving the mystery behind Oliver’s untimely demise. Simultaneously, retired detective Ridley grapples with a personal dilemma. In  the midst of the intense investigation, he faces a decision regarding the potential sale of a portion of his shares in Marling’s to Annie's new boyfriend, Harry.

"As the team inches closer to uncovering the truth behind Oliver's murder, the juxtaposition of the corporate world, the underground rave scene, and Ridley's personal struggles weaves a gripping tale of mystery and intrigue."

What happens in episode 4?

The makers tease: "In the serene village of Colden Vale, the tranquility shatters as Tara Dunning, a beloved local wife and mother, mysteriously vanishes. The urgency to locate her before it's too late propels Ridley and Carol into action as they take on the investigation. Initial speculations linger on the possibility that Tara might have intentionally disappeared, but a chilling discovery alters the course of the inquiry and suggests more sinister motivations.

"The stakes heighten when a second individual goes missing. The team, now under increased pressure, intensify their efforts to unravel the mystery, racing against time to prevent further tragedies.

"Ridley must confront the shadows lurking beneath the picturesque facade of village life, striving to unearth the truth and bring justice to the distraught community. The team navigates the intricate puzzle of disappearances and deaths, in the relentless pursuit of answers before more lives are claimed."

Is there a trailer?

No, not yet.

Ridley season 2 behind the scenes and more

Ridley season 2 was filmed in the north of England. Ridley is written and created by award-winning writer Paul Matthew Thompson, one of the lead writers on Vera.

A new disappearance reignites hidden tensions in the fictional rural New Zealand town of Mount Affinity as gritty crime drama The Gone returns for a second outing (all The Gone season 2 episodes are available on BBC iPlayer now, along with season 1).

After cracking the harrowing case of two missing young Irish tourists in the first series, Dublin detective Theo Richter (Grey’s Anatomy actor Richard Flood) is preparing to return home when he discovers his love interest, Irish journalist Aileen Ryan (Smother’s Carolyn Bracken), has vanished under eerily similar circumstances.

Teaming up again with Maori detective Diana Huia (Under the Vines star Acushla-Tara Kupe), Theo learns Aileen was chasing a lead and was lured to a remote cabin housing a collection of macabre items linked with a serial killer known as "the Goatman".

As the cops enter a dangerous gam of cat and mouse, can they unravel a web of long-buried secrets in time?

Here, Richard and Acushla-Tara share their case notes…

Where does the new six-part run pick up the action?

RICHARD "It starts exactly where we finished at the end of the first season. Theo is in the airport and is calling Aileen but he’s not getting any response, so he decides to head back to the police station to look for help."

ACUSHLA-TARA "Diana’s getting ready to leave [her home town of] Mount Affinity again, to go back to the city and back to her life. But she’s at a press conference about everything they discovered in Season 1 when Theo turns up and asks if she has seen Aileen…"

Was it a challenge to reprise your roles with the break in filming?

ACUSHLA-TARA "We started filming this season with detective scenes, which is inherently a little harder because it’s very wordy and evidence-based. It took me a couple of days to ease back into Diana, but then I found her and thought, ‘There she is, we’re good!’"

RICHARD "I like that you fly back into the storyline and understand exactly where your character is. It was fairly seamless, although there were a couple of days where I was like, ‘Where are we again?’"

• Best BBC dramas

How do Theo and Diana cope with concerns from the locals about the rumoured return of the Goatman?

ACUSHLA-TARA "Diana finds it quite confusing because it’s totally new territory for her."

RICHARD "Due to Theo’s personal relationship with Aileen, there’s a different kind of urgency and panic. His drive is based on emotion, rather than being a really professional detective. But certain things become clearer to him about what he wants and who he is."

Would you say Theo is more of a team player this time?

RICHARD "Yes, a big difference this series is that Theo is relying on the team that has been built to help him, rather than him coming into the team to help it. Without Diana, Sergeant Harris [Scott Wills], Detective Sergeant Gwenda [Miriama Te Rangimarie Smith] and their knowledge of all the people around the town, Theo would be lost."

ACUSHLA-TARA "At times, she has to take the lead as she can be more objective than Theo."

Finally, what are your standout memories from filming Series 2?

ACUSHLA-TARA "Doing armoury training and learning how to use weapons properly was cool!"

RICHARD "The locations are incredible. Filming in Te Aroha [the town that doubles as Mount Affinity] is always a highlight."

Though it has been on Netflix for two months already, I finally had a window of time and nothing else pressing on my watchlist to start the crime drama Dept. Q. To sum up, I quickly became a fan of the show and Matthew Goode’s performance. But now, like many other fans of the series, I have one question — are we getting Dept. Q season 2?

Based on the book The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen and developed for TV by Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit) and Chandni Lakhani (Vigil), Dept. Q centers on DCI Carl Morck (Goode), who after being involved in a shooting that has rattled him and left his partner paralyzed, is given an assignment meant to keep him busy and out of the way, solving cold cases. But with the help of other cast offs, Akrim (Alexej Manvelow) and Rose (Leah Byrne), he begins looking into the mysterious disappearance of a prosecutor that quickly heats up again.

Dept. Q officially premiered on May 29 and spent six weeks in Netflix’s global top 10, and yet no decision on the show’s future has been made as of publication.

That’s in stark contrast to Netflix’s quick decision to renew Untamed, another crime drama in this case starring Eric Bana. Netflix officially picked up the show for season 2 on July 29, just two weeks after its premiere on the streaming service. Now to be fair, Untamed has been the bigger hit with viewers (Untamed’s first week on the streaming nearly outpaced Dept. Q’s total viewership for the six weeks it was in Netflix’s top 10), but Dept. Q has other numbers to support its case for renewal.

Dept. Q is the higher rated show on Rotten Tomatoes with both fans (90% to Untamed’s 70%) and critics (87% to Untamed’s 80%). Dept. Q also earned an Emmy nomination — Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music — though in fairness Untamed won’t be eligible for Emmys until next year’s award ceremony.

And by the sound of it there’s nothing creatively preventing a Dept. Q season 2. Frank spoke with Collider on where he would like to take things with a second season, though he acknowledges that it is not a certainty.

Personally, I found the show’s format of cutting between the present investigation (and all the personal dilemmas the main cast are facing) and getting looks at Merritt Lingard’s (Chloe Pirrie) great, as it slowly revealed clues to who was behind Merritt’s kidnapping. Goode, who I’ve thoroughly enjoyed in The Offer and The Crown, gives one of his best performances as Carl. And, if there is a second season, I’m very intrigued to learn more about Akrim and see his and Carl’s partnership grow.

With a show like this, it’s never easy to tell what Netflix will do. Until confirmed otherwise, Dept. Q is at risk of joining other Netflix shows that had strong reviews, like Lockwood & Co., I Am Not Okay With This, The Get Down and 1899, but only managed to get one season before being cancelled.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Dept. Q doesn’t meet that fate, because I won’t let two months go by to watch Dept. Q season 2 if we get it.

Adrian Dunbar's hit detective drama Ridley will return for a second season on Sunday, August 10, at 8 pm on ITV1, it has finally been revealed by the broadcaster.

The first series won rave reviews when it went out nearly three years ago.

Ridley season 2 will see the Line of Duty actor again star as Alex Ridley, the retired cop turned police consultant. He will resume his partnership with former protégée DI Carol Framan (played by Unforgotten's Bronagh Waugh), who is now in charge of investigations.

Joining the cast is Taggart legend John Michie, who’s just been seen in Karen Pirie season 2. He plays debonair jeweller Harry, whom Ridley vies with for Anne’s (Shetland’s Julie Graham) attention.

Teasing the plot, the makers say: "Ridley starts to investigate when a jewellery heist turns violent and the thieves take off with their stolen loot. After an interested party is killed in broad daylight, Ridley and Carol have a race against time to discover the identity of the criminal mastermind behind the whole operation. Will the team be able to bring them to justice before more blood is spilled?"

Also back are Terence Maynard (Time, Coronation Street) as DCI Paul Goodwin, George Bukhari (Years and Years, The A Word) as DC Darren Lakhan, and Georgie Glen (The Crown, Call the Midwife) as pathologist Dr Wendy Newstone.

Guest stars in episode one include John Henshaw (The Long Shadow) and Christine Bottomley (Domina).

Talking about the vibe of Ridley, considered one of the best ITV dramas of recent times, Adrian previously told us: "This show’s slightly darker than some of the other things that are out there, and a bit grittier. I think it being set in the north of England helps in that respect."

Ridley is written and created by award-winning writer Paul Matthew Thompson, one of the lead writers on Vera.

Ridley season 2 will begin on August 10, at 8 pm on ITV1.

Apple TV Plus and Mick Herron are continuing their partnership, as the author’s book series about private investigator Zoë Boehm is becoming a TV series, Down Cemetery Road.

Herron’s Slow Horses series of spy novels has become one of the best shows on Apple TV Plus, with Slow Horses season 5 premiering in fall 2025, but Down Cemetery Road features a brand new set of characters that doesn’t have any current connection to the world of Slow Horses (so a Gary Oldman Jackson Lamb cameo is quite unlikely). But that doesn’t mean the crime drama doesn’t have star power and plenty of intrigue to get viewers attention.

Read on for all the details you need to know about Down Cemetery Road.

Down Cemetery Road release date

Apple TV Plus is debuting Down Cemetery Road on Wednesday, October 29, with the show exclusively streaming on the platform.

The first two episodes of Down Cemetery Road are going to be available to watch immediately, followed by one new episode each week. With eight episodes in total, new episodes of Down Cemetery Road will premiere every Wednesday through December 10.

Another note about the schedule, Down Cemetery Road is premiering one week after the end of Slow Horses season 5 (on October 22).

With Down Cemetery Road being an Apple TV Plus exclusive, you must be a subscriber to the streaming service in order to watch.

Down Cemetery Road cast

Emma Thompson leads Down Cemetery Road as private investigator Zoë Boehm. This is a rare TV appearance for the Oscar-winning Thompson. Her last starring role in a TV series was 2019’s TV miniseries Years and Years, while her other big TV credit is 2003’s Angels in America; she’s had a few guest spots and roles in some TV movies as well over the years. Thompson was most recently seen in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.

Sharing top billing with Thompson for the series is Ruth Wilson, playing Sarah Tucker. Wilson has starred in a number of high profile TV series, including A Very Royal Scandal, His Dark Materials, The Affair and Luther.

Also starring in Down Cemetery Road are Adeel Akhtar (Black Doves), Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Black Doves), Tom Goodman-Hill (Baby Reindeer), Darren Boyd (Trying), Tom Riley (Murder Is Easy), Adam Godley (The Great), Sinead Matthews (Things You Should Have Done), Ken Nwosu (Black Doves), Fehinti Balogun (A Gentleman in Moscow) and Aiysha Hart (We Are Lady Parts).

Down Cemetery Road plot

Based on the books series by Herron and written by Morwenna Banks (who has written multiple episodes of Slow Horses), here is the official synopsis for Down Cemetery Road:

“When a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappears in the aftermath, neighbor Sarah Tucker becomes obsessed with finding her and enlists the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm. Zoë and Sarah suddenly find themselves in a complex conspiracy that reveals people long believed dead are still among the living, while the living are fast joining the dead.”

Down Cemetery Road trailer

There’s no trailer for Down Cemetery Road at this time. When one becomes available online we’ll add it here.

Apple TV Plus are big Mick Herron fans, as the streamer has a new thriller series based on the author’s work set to premiere in fall 2025, Down Cemetery Road. And fans can start to get excited for the series as a handful of first look images are now available featuring Emma Thompson in the lead role of private investigator Zoë Boehm.

Herron is of course best known for writing the spy series Slow Horses, which has become a fan and award-winning hit on Apple TV Plus (Slow Horses season 5 premieres on Apple TV Plus on September 24). Down Cemetery Road, premiering October 29, is also set in the UK, but focuses on a private investigator hired to help solve a case involving a missing girl.

The Down Cemetery Road first look images feature Thompson and fellow series star Ruth Wilson. Check them out above and directly below:

In addition to being based on Herron’s work, another writer connected with the Slow Horses TV show is the lead writer of Down Cemetery Road, Morwenna Banks.

Despite all these connections, you probably shouldn’t hold your breath for a Slow Horses/Down Cemetery Road crossover. The Zoë Boehm series of books from Herron is not directly connected to Slow Horses, so the likelihood of Thompson’s Boehm and Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb sharing a scene is practically zero at this time.

Here’s the official synopsis for Down Cemetery Road:

“When a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappears in the aftermath, neighbour Sarah Tucker becomes obsessed with finding her and enlists the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm. Zoë and Sarah suddenly find themselves in a complex conspiracy that reveals people long believed dead are still among the living, while the living are fast joining the dead.”

The first two episodes of Down Cemetery Road will premiere on Wednesday, October 29, with single episodes releasing in subsequent weeks. With eight episodes in total for the series initial season, it’ll have new episodes weekly on Apple TV Plus up to December 10.

Slow Horses season 5 is set to end on October 22, so fans of the series will have something new to watch immediately following its conclusion. But in order to do so you must have an Apple TV Plus subscription.

Whoever said small town living was quiet? That certainly wasn’t the case for Karl Alberg in Murder in a Small Town, as the police detective moved to the coastal town of Gibsons from the big city only to discover that there are plenty of investigations to keep him busy. And there’s more on the way as Murder in a Small Town season 2 is on its way.

Murder in a Small town is based on the Karl Alberg books series by L.R. Wright, with Ian Weir serving as the showrunner on the series. Season 2 is going to expand Alberg’s scope and introduce him to a range of new and intriguing characters/suspects.

Read on for everything you need to know about Murder in a Small Town season 2.

Murder in a Small Town season 2 release date

Fox is debuting Murder in a Small Town season 2 on Tuesday, September 23, at 8 pm ET/PT.

The crime drama will share the Tuesday night primetime spotlight on Fox with the hit medical drama Doc.

Season 1 on Murder in a Small Town featured eight episodes, but it looks like season 2 is upping that number, with 10 episodes expected as part of the second season.

In order to watch Murder in a Small Town season 2 you need to have access to your local Fox station. That’s available through a traditional pay-TV provider, a TV antenna or live TV streaming services like Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV. You can also catch up with the show on-demand, as all of the latest episodes of Murder in a Small Town stream on Hulu the day after they air on Fox.

Murder in a Small Town season 2 cast

Rossif Sutherland returns to lead Murder in a Small Town as Karl Alberg. Sutherland is the son of legendary actor Donald Sutherland (who at one point was looking to produce an adaptation of L.R. Wright’s Alberg series). Among Rossif Sutherland’s notable credits are Three Pines and The Handsmaid’s Tale.

Starring opposite Sutherland is Kristin Kreuk as the town librarian Cassandra Lee, who forms a bond with Karl. Kreuk is best known from her time on Smallville, with other notable credits including Beauty and the Beast, Burden of Truth and Reacher.

A notable new addition to the Murder in a Small Town cast is Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden (Pollock, Mystic River, The Morning Show). Harden is set to play Mayor Christie Holman, a consummate political operator that also happens to be a doctor and a beloved member of the community.

Others from season 1 that are slated to come back are Aaron Douglas as Sid Sokolowski, Savonna Spracklin as Isabella Harbud, Mya Lowe as Edwina Yen and Dakota Guppy as Holly Alberg.

Murder in a Small Town season 2 plot

Get a sense of what’s to come in Murder in a Small Town season 2 with an official description of the season from Fox:

“In the second season, Karl’s jurisdiction expands and he will have to contend with an increased caseload and limited resources, investigating cases like a body found at a local wedding between members of two feuding families; a double kidnapping that may mask an even bigger crime; a pop star who retreated to Gibsons for a quiet vacation only to be followed by a dangerous stalker; and many more.”

Murder in a Small Town season 2 trailer

There’s no trailer for Murder in a Small Town season 2 at this time. When one becomes available we’ll add it here.

Beyond Paradise season 4 will see Kris Marshall back as DI Humphrey Goodman.

While the BBC hasn't officially confirmed we're getting a fourth series of the Death in Paradise spin-off, fans have already spotted the cast filming scenes in and around Looe in Cornwall, which doubles for the fictional town of Shipton Abbott, where the show is set.

Here's everything we know about the new series. Be warned, the plot section contains spoilers if you've not finished watching Beyond Paradise season 3!

Beyond Paradise season 4 release date

With shooting taking place in the summer of 2025, we'd expect Beyond Paradise season 4 to begin in spring 2026. We're also expecting a Christmas special before that. When we get an official release date, we will add that in here.

Beyond Paradise season 4 cast

Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton star again. Also in the cast are Zahra Ahmadi (The Bay, Tracey Ullman's Show, EastEnders) as DS Esther Williams, Dylan Llewellyn (Big Boys, Derry Girls) as PC Kelby Hartford and Felicity Montagu (This Time with Alan Partridge, Landscapers, Vanity Fair) playing office support civilian, Margo Martins.

Plot

Will Humphrey and Martha finally get married?! The pair really need to get their skates on, they're taking forever! Having previously attempted to wed and failed, we wonder if this will ever get back on their agenda. But surely the producers know the fans want to see a wedding?

Esther had her own romantic woes in the last series with Martha's ex Archie Hughes (Jamie Bamber). It's unclear yet if Archie will be back, but it didn't feel like that plot line had ended. On the other hand, we can't blame Archie if he's moved on because Esther was messing him about. Meanwhile, might Kelby finally enjoy a romance? He also seemed to grow as a cop in the last series, so might he be after promotion?

And what about Martha's poor mum Anne, who's still stuck on the boat while Humphrey and Martha use her house? How can Martha and Humphrey not afford their own house? He's a DI, and she owns her own business! What are the house prices like in Shipton Abbott?! You'd think with all the crime, it wouldn't be too bad.

Barbara Flynn, who plays Anne, told us: "The general public seem to be very worried about me living in the boat! They say, 'why don't you get your house back, Barbara?'"

As to the cases Humphrey will get to investigate, we don't have any information as yet. But we will update this article when we get some.

Is there a trailer?

No, not yet.

Always leave it to Lifetime to add a little suspense to your Sunday nights, and tonight's new thriller is sure to do just that: Premiering Sunday, July 27 at 8pm Eastern Time, Vicious Murder is the latest addition to the crime-loving channel's ever-expanding catalogue of gripping thriller titles.

Having first streamed over on Tubi in October 2024, Vicious Murder gets a primetime spotlight tonight, with a cast led by The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Drew Sidora (who joins a long line of Housewives personalities that have segued into Lifetime stardom, including NeNe Leakes, Denise Richards and Lisa Rinna). Per Lifetime, the official logline reads: "With his crypto empire on the brink, a businessman conspires to murder his wife and steal her fortune but uncovers a web of deception in the process."

Along with actress-singer Drew Sidora as Riley Maywood, the Vicious Murder cast also includes Tremayne Norris as Nathan, Arica Adams as Bianna, Andre Chetverikoff as Calvin, Stephen Barrington as Jesse, Kim Flowers at Katelyn, Apryl Jones as Chrissy, Masika Kalysha as Sandra, Brandon Joseph as Detective Ramsey, Tomek Kosalka as Bernie, Francis Nuovi as Kevin, Loren Paul as Police Harris, Anton Peeples as Detective Duncan. The 90-minute mystery was directed by Chris Stokes, with a screenplay co-written by Stokes and Marques Houston.

To tune into the premiere of Vicious Murder tonight at 8pm, you're going to need access to the Lifetime network. Those with cable packages can watch on their local Lifetime channel, but even if you don't have traditional cable, cord-cutters can also tune in online with a live TV streaming service that carries Lifetime, such as Frndly TV, Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and Philo TV. And if you miss the television broadcast tonight, don't fret: Vicious Murder will also be available to stream on MyLifetime.com beginning tomorrow, Monday, July 28.

Check out the official trailer of Vicious Murder before tuning into the gripping thriller tonight on Lifetime at 8pm ET.

Netfflix has added The Loch (also known as Loch Ness), an acclaimed but now largely forgotten thriller series starring Don Gilet long before he won the leading role in Death in Paradise.

The haunting six-part drama, available now on Netflix in the UK, sees a seemingly idyllic Scottish rural community terrorised by a serial killer.

Just as no one knows what lies beneath the waters of Loch Ness, the inhabitants of the nearby town of Lochnefoy don’t know if one of their own is a murderer.

The nightmare for the residents begins when the body of a local man is found at the foot of a mountain, and a post-mortem reveals that he was murdered and a sliver of his brain was removed.

Happy Valley's Siobhan Finneran plays DCI Lauren Quigley, a forthright Glasgow cop who's brought in to lead the murder investigation. While The Missing’s Laura Fraser plays local detective sergeant Annie Redford alongside John Sessions as local chief inspector Frank Smilie.

Don Gilet, who's now best known as Death in Paradise's DI Mervin Wilson, plays forensic psychologist Blake Albrighton. Blake is charming and flirty, but not everyone likes his methods as he helps with the case.

Setting up the series, Laura Fraser told us at the time. "The location is a big part of the show. What sets this drama apart is the terrifying thought that a cold-blooded serial killer could be someone within the community. The monster lurking beneath the surface could be living next door.

She adds: "Annie is a wife, a mother and a cop in a town near Loch Ness. She has lived and worked there her whole life. It's her community and she feels very protective of it, but, at the same time, she has got all this potential that she’s never used.

"She has never furthered her career, so she has stayed a detective constable. This is her first murder case and she's thrilled to meet Siobhan Finneran’s character as she would like to emulate her."

Is The Loch worth a watch?

Yes, especially if you're a fan of Don Gilet in Death in Paradise, although this is much darker. Even if you’re not into that show, The Loch got a largely positive response when it was originally shown on ITV in 2017. It has a great cast, and anything with Siobhan Finneran is worth a watch.

Netflix continues to be a great place to catch dramas originally airing on either ITV or the BBC, you might have missed the first time around. Netflix currently has a couple of great Sheridan Smith dramas available to watch, Cilla and Black Work.

The Loch is available to watch on Netflix now in the UK and also on ITVX. In the US, The Loch is available on Acorn TV.

Having played DI Robbie Ross in the popular Scottish detective series Taggart for 13 years, actor John Michie found it a little odd being on the other side of a police interrogation for his latest role in ITV1's Karen Pirie season 2.

"Interviewing as a cop, you're just asking factual questions like 'Where were you on Thursday?'. So it's very strange being questioned but I enjoyed it as that's where acting is full of subtext; it’s all about what you’re not saying," ex-Holby City and Coronation Street star John, 68, says as he joins us for an exclusive chat about this Sunday’s second episode of Karen Pirie, in which he plays Fergus Sinclair, a shady businessman connected to the 1984 kidnap of oil heiress Catriona Grant (Julia Brown) and her son Adam.

Suspecting that whoever kidnapped the pair - the daughter and grandson of oil tycoon Sir Broderick ‘Brodie’ Grant (James Cosmo) - were paid, Karen (Lauren Lyle) turns her attention to Brodie’s right-hand man, Fergus, who was having an affair with Cat and is Adam’s real father. As Karen visits Fergus at Grant Operations, she’s convinced he’s hiding something. John tells us more…

How would you describe Fergus and his relationship to the Grant family?

John Michie: "Fergus is an ambitious businessman driven by money and power. In flashback, we learn young Fergus (Outlander’s Jack Stewart) was in awe of Brodie and somewhat dominated by him. Fergus’s affair with Cat was initially very passionate but didn’t develop into something more because Brodie demanded that all Fergus’s energy went to the company and not his daughter. So Fergus agreed to cover up his relationship with Cat and the fact he’s Adam’s dad for the benefit of the business."

Does Fergus feel guilty over how he handled things in 1984?

John: "For decades, Fergus has been in absolute denial about being Adam’s father - but he begins to crack emotionally and has a bit of an internal breakdown where he thinks. ‘What have I done with my life’? He’s full of regret and determined to right the wrongs of the past."

Suspicious of Fergus’s involvement in the kidnap, DI Karen Pirie pays him a visit…

John: "Fergus finds Karen disarming and is slightly unnerved that she’s a young woman doing this job; in many ways, she reminds him of Cat. As a canny businessman, Fergus is used to keeping a straight face but there's something about him that Karen picks up on. He's aware of her calculated gaze towards him, and realises this chat might not go the way he wants it to."

Did you enjoy returning to your native Scotland to film Karen Pirie?

John: "Oh, I always look for any excuse to go back! I’m from Edinburgh but Glasgow’s my favourite city, probably as I spent 13 years there doing Taggart - I’m sure the building we used for Grant Operations I’d once filmed in for Taggart. I still get recognised as Robbie and, yes, people often ask me to say: ‘There’s been a murder!’ I loved working with Lauren and the cast and going out in Glasgow with them. One night, we all went to a bar in Finnieston and had a fine time - I can't say more than that!"

What does the Scottish landscape add to crime dramas like Karen Pirie?

John: "As well as Scotland being stunningly beautiful, there can be a ghostly feel to it. There's lots of history and sadness behind the dramatic landscape, which creates an emotive setting for these dramas. What makes Karen Pirie different, though, is that this DI is a young woman, up against the patriarchy. Then there’s our fascination with cold cases; that, 40 years on, the bad guys are going to get caught."

What are your own memories of the 1980s?

"The miners’ strike of that decade was an interesting time, politically. My wife Carolyn, who I met in 1987, is from a mining village in Yorkshire and I remember the devastation of the pits closing overnight and miners suddenly having no work. In the early 1980s, I spent time in New York, at iconic music venues like Studio 54. It was a memorable decade for me - though I’m pleased to say I never had a bad mullet haircut!"

Karen Pirie continues Sunday at 8pm on ITV1.

The Assassin is a gripping new crime thriller on Prime Video, that sees Bodyguard and The Durrells star Keeley Hawes play Julie, a retired assassin who is now living a quiet life on a secluded Greek island.

However, Julie's world is turned upside down when her estranged son Edward (The Good Doctor's Freddie Highmore) visits from England with some difficult questions. Soon, Julie finds her past catching up with her, and they are forced to flee the island and go on the run.

As mother and son battle for survival, the pair are confronted by a dark conspiracy and a threat that will destroy their relationship forever.

Here is everything that happened in The Assassin episode 6...

The final episode opens with Edward waking up in his childhood bedroom. Marie is smiling at him and she welcomes him home. He passes out again. At an airport in Spain, Julie and Luka arrive. Luka is nervous about travelling with a wanted criminal, but Julie says he insisted on coming with her. Julie has a voicemail from Kayla. She says she’s heard from the pilot that they’ve landed safely and to call her when she can. She tells Luka she’s not calling Kayla back, but he thinks she should since Kayla flew them to Spain on her private jet. Julie corrects him that it’s her father’s private jet, but she doesn't want to put anyone else in more danger.

Julie and Luka approach a car in an empty hangar. There’s a car seat in the back with a toy bear in it and Julie says that either Cyrus is giving them cover or he’s messing with her. Luka asks who Cyrus is, but Julie doesn’t answer. Instead, she opens the boot and reveals guns and explosives hidden inside. As they sit in the car, Luka picks up a tape that’s been left next to the toy bear. He tells Julie Cyrus must’ve made her a mixtape. It says February 1999. He tells her Cyrus must be a good friend and Julie calls him a colleague. As they play the tape though, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan’s ‘Especially For You’ begins and Julie says Cyrus is definitely messing with her.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Michael tells Ezra he’s the acting head of CGM since his dad is incapcitated. He tells Ezra that Kayla is adamant there’s a press release she wants to put out and Ezra says that won’t happen. Edward wakes up again and Marie hands him some water. She tells him he’s home, in Spain, in the first house he ever lived in. Edward wants to know the truth and so, Marie begins to explain. She says that 29 years ago, Kayla’s family ordered for Edward’s father to be killed. She tells him that evening, she’s going to make everything right again.

Outside, Julie and Luka are monitoring Marie’s house from the hills. She tells him her life was straightforward before she stepped into that house all those years ago. She wonders what Edward’s life would’ve been like if she'd just left him there. Julie says Marie is waiting for them. They head back to the car and Luka asks Julie how she does a job like that and carries on. She reassures him that whatever he had to do to Damian, it was for a good reason. She explains that the first person she killed was in the army and it never got any easier.

Julie says she still sees every single one, but that it got easier to live with. She says whatever Luka is thinking he is now, Julie is so much worse, and that everything that happened on the island is her fault. So, she needs to go into that house and make it right, no matter what happens to her.

Back in France, Ezra heads home and tells Kayla about being the acting head of CGM. Kayla asks if that means Ezra can send out their father’s security guards to find Edward. He says they shouldn’t use company resources for that and Kayla said he wasn’t concerned when he used them to put a hit on Jasper. Ezra tells her he knows she wants to put a press release out and she gets up to leave. He asks her where she’s going and she says Spain. Kayla says she needs to find Edward and Ezra tells her if she can leave the past in the past, he’ll throw everything he has at finding Edward for her.

Julie and Luka arrive at Marie’s house in Spain. She hands him a radio and tells him to contact her if anyone moves in, out or around the house. She tells him not to stay where he is and hands him a gun for protection. As she tells him goodbye, he kisses her. She kisses him back. Inside, Marie shows Edward his father’s office. It’s covered in artefacts, which she calls his prized possessions. A guard watches the CCTV around the house. Marie wants to explain to Edward what Julie did. Meanwhile, Julie jumps over the wall into the compound. Marie tells Edward that Julie killed his mother. Julie enters a side building and finds all of Marie’s surveillance on her and Edward. On the wall, a Manga comic she’s drawn.

Marie continues to explain to Edward that her and his father were making love upstairs when Julie broke in 29 years ago. She explains in detail and Edward is grossed out. Marie explains that Julie broke in and Jean-Luc had gone downstairs to work, she shot him in the head. At the same time, Julie is looking at the comic on the wall that depicts exactly this. Marie explains that Julie heard her and shot her, and then she must’ve heard him crying and took him. Edward realises that Marie is his mother. They hug and Marie apologises to him. She explains her art has saved her all these years. In the comic though, it shows Julie killing Kayla on the boat as she was hired to do, but she didn’t. Edward tells Marie he feels sorry for what she went through, but that her psychophatic madness isn’t going to help. She says it will.

Luka radios Julie to tell her someone’s coming. She plants an explosive device in a bag and leaves it in the building. As the guard enters, she shoots him dead. She then approaches a guard that was watching the CCTV and shoots him, too. She sees Marie and Edward on the cameras in the basement. She then spots herself on the cameras and shoots it. She starts to take the other cameras offline. Marie tells Edward his real name is Florent.

Julie continues to move around the compound, taking guards out. Meanwhile, Marie gives Edward a necklace with a F on it that was a gift for his baptism. She explains that the trust fund was set up for him and that Julie must’ve contacted the lawyers to make sure he got it. The guard in the basement leaves to find out what’s going on with the cameras. Edward smashes Marie round the head with the case of the necklace and runs off. Marie instructs her guards to chase him down, saying she wants both Julie and Edward alive. Luka tries to radio to Julie, but she doesn’t reply. Meanwhile, Edward runs into Julie in a hallway.

Edward explains to Julie that Marie told him the truth. She says they can talk about it later, but they have to move now. He says that she shot his father and stole him away. She checks they’re safe and explains to him that she didn’t steal him. She had a job from Damian to kill Jean-Luc and that was all she knew about him was that he was the kind of rich you don’t get by being nice. But, after she shot him, she heard a noise and shot at Marie. She didn’t check Marie’s pulse because she heard Edward crying.

She didn’t want to leave him there alone, so she took him. She says she can’t explain it, but she felt she needed to protect him. She says she was pregnant once, but she miscarried and she was relieved because she felt she wasn’t supposed to be a mother. But, she says she never forgave herself for what she did. She explains that’s why she isolated herself. Edward cries and tells her his real name is Florent. He says he’s 30 and he’s only just found out he’s French. Julie tells him she wants to get him out of there safe and then he never has to see her again.

The Assassin ending explained

To this, Marie speaks over the cameras. She says she imagined this in her head lots of times and how good it would be, but it's so much better. Edward asks Marie what her plan is. He says he’s her son, so she wouldn’t hurt him. To this, Marie says Edward isn’t actually hers. Jean-Luc wanted kids, so they paid for a surrogate. She says she wouldn’t even change his diaper and to this, Julie shoots the camera out so she can't say anymore. Luka watches as more men arrive in a car. He tries to tell Julie, but he’s not getting through. Edward starts to feel lightheaded and tells Julie it must be from the drugs Marie gave him to get him to Spain. As they head outside, Edward stumbles against the wall, propping himself up. Julie asks him if he can make the gate by the main entrance. He nods, but the guard above hears them underneath him. Julie shoots him.

Julie drags Edward to safety and tells him it’s too risky to leave by the guards and they can’t go over the wall if Edward is unwell. Edward struggles to get up, but they try to head to the main gate. As Luka’s watching, he sees the man who shot his family and friends at the beach. He gets his gun out. As Julie and Edward continue round the compound, they see Marie talking to two guards. Julie says they’ll need to go past them. To distract them, she sets off the explosive device she left in the side building off. Julie runs up behind Marie and holds a gun up to her and tells her to call off her guards. At the same time, Edward is suffering and falls to the ground. Julie asks Marie what she gave him and Marie says it was a bit of ketamine. She tells Julie that’s not what is making him sick. When Julie asks what she means, Marie tells her that Florent is dying.

Meanwhile, up on the hill, a car approaches Luka. It’s Kayla. He asks her what she’s doing there and she says she’s there because he told her where Edward was. She notices his gun and he says the man who killed his village is in the compound, but he’s not hearing from Julie over the radio so doesn’t know if her and Edward are okay. Luka says he’s going in, but Kayla has to stay there. She shows him she’s brought armed guards with her. Kayla's team start taking out guards with a sniper as Luka, Kayla and more guards head in on the ground.

Marie explains to Julie that she was in a coma for years and when she woke up, she couldn’t walk or speak. But she got better by imagining her revenge. Julie again asks Marie what she gave Edward and she tells her, aconitine. She got it from an article Edward wrote called ‘The Power of Plants’. She says Edward’s a vegan and it’s a plant that’s killing him, which is ironic. Marie says she can give him a shot of atropine from inside the house to keep him alive long enough to get to the hospital. Marie sends her guards away to watch the gate. When Julie tries to ask Marie what she wants, she lights up a cigarette and tells Julie she’s having so much fun.

Meanwhile, the guards are fighting each other. Again, Julie again asks Marie what she wants. She apologises for what she did, but she says it was just a job. Marie says Julie murdered him. She says she’s been plotting her revenge because Julie took everything away from her that night. Luka finds the guard that killed his village. The guard tells him he is just paid to be there, but Luka tells him to drop the gun out of his vest. Luka asks the guard if he recognises him and tells him it was from the island.

Julie wants to know if Marie has the antidote and Marie says she’ll give it to Edward, but only if he shoots Julie dead. The guard asks Luka if he’s just going to keep waving the gun at him. Luka can’t stop picturing all the men the guard killed in front of him, but he can't do it and he drops to the ground crying. The armed guards with Kayla arrest the guard instead.

Edward tells Julie to shoot Marie. He says they can’t trust her, to which Marie says he’s the only part of Jean-Luc left in the world for her, so she doesn’t want him dead. Edward is suffering more and more as times goes by. Julie leans down next to him and says she started this and she deserves it. Marie says Julie is right and that Marie is the victim here. She tells him Julie is not the hero of this story to which Julie hands the gun to Edward. Marie encourages him and tells them she’s enjoying it. But, as Marie continues to tell him to do it, calling him Florent even though he asked her not to, he shoots. But, not at Julie. Instead, he has shot Marie in the head, killing her.

Just in time, Kayla arrives and Julie tells her that Edward has been poisoned and they need to get to the hospital right away. Julie is concerned they won’t get there fast enough by road and Kayla offers a helicopter. Back in France, Ezra is looking at a photo of his mum and Michael walks in. He tells him he’s sorry for Ezra’s loss and that toxicology confirmed Aaron took a fatal overdose of Lorazepam and Oxycodone. Ezra said he’d seen him taking pills, but thought they were sleeping pills or supplements. Michael says he didn’t know Aaron took Oxycodone. He tells Ezra he knows he has taken it, though. Ezra says his father must’ve got confused under all the stress.

On the helicopter, Edward is in and out of consciousness but sees that Kayla is there with him. Julie says she won’t get in the helicopter because he won’t want her to, but to let her know if he’s okay. She agrees. Julie and Luka watch as the helicopter takes off. They hold hands. Meanwhile, Ezra burns the letter that his mother wrote.

It cuts to three months later. Edward and Kayla are on a boat together. Kayla says she should’ve told Ezra to shove it and just go public with the truth. Edward says maybe some secrets are best left buried. They’re in Greece and Edward asks Kayla what she thinks his real mum will be like. She says maybe she’ll be a saint because Edward turned out okay. She jokes that he's passable. He says Kayla is still marrying him, so the joke is on her. Julie is there and Kayla goes off to make coffee, leaving them to talk.

She gets a text on her phone and smiles. Edward asks if it’s Luka and she’s happy. She says she just wanted to thank Edward for letting her come. He tells her she has her uses, in case anyone needs snuffing out along the way. Julie asks if Edward thinks his mother is really going to be there and he says she thinks she will. Julie says she can’t wait to meet her. She jokes about his sandals and he jokes back at her that she’s the fashion police, as well as a contract killer. She responds that it pays well and he asks her how much she got paid for killing people. To which she tells him, loads.

All six episodes of The Assassin are available in the UK and Ireland on Prime Video now.

The Assassin is a gripping new crime thriller on Prime Video, that sees Bodyguard and The Durrells star Keeley Hawes play Julie, a retired assassin who is now living a quiet life on a secluded Greek island.

However, Julie's world is turned upside down when her estranged son Edward (The Good Doctor's Freddie Highmore) visits from England with some difficult questions. Soon, Julie finds her past catching up with her, and they are forced to flee the island and go on the run.

As mother and son battle for survival, the pair are confronted by a dark conspiracy and a threat that will destroy their relationship forever.

Here is everything that happened in The Assassin episode 5...

The penultimate episode opens in Northern Greece. Luka is driving on a long and winding road, alone. He arrives in a town and sits down at a restaurant. He reads a newspaper with the front page story about the massacre at the wedding. All 21 who died are pictured and Luka is sad as he looks at them all. He turns the page and sees Julie and Edward photographed. He appears panicked and heads into a butcher nearby.

Inside, the butcher and Luka converse. Luka tells the butcher he used to have a similar shop in the south of Greece. When the butcher asks him if he’s going back, he explains there’s nothing there for him anymore. When Luka asks the butcher how much it’ll cost, the butcher asks whether he means the price of the lamb. Luke corrects him and says he actually wants the price of the meat cleaver the butcher used to cut it.

It cuts to Athens. Jasper and Edward are running from the female shooter as she pursues them. Julie is chasing after them as the assassin continues to shoot. Over an earpiece, the assassin tells four men waiting in a parked car that Jasper and Edward have headed into a car park and they have to stop them getting out. Edward and Jasper hide as the men enter. But, as the men look around, Julie tackles one of them to the ground and takes his gun, shooting him dead. She then shoots another.

As she’s about to shoot one more, he spots her in the wing mirror and they begin to fight. Julie manages to shoot him in the leg and overpowers him, but then runs out of bullets. She grabs a broken bottle nearby and slices his throat. Edward pulls out his gun and tries to pursue the last man, but the man tackles them to the ground. Before he can shoot them though, Julie kills him.

As the female assassin enters and starts shooting, Julie tells Edward and Jasper to get outside. The woman manages to shoot the gun out of Julie’s hand and while Edward and Jasper escape, the assassin follows them outside and holds a gun up at them. As they plead her not to shoot, a car runs her over. It’s Marie. She tells Edward to get in the car and that Julie sent for her. Edwards does as she says and Jasper waits behind. The female assassin gets up and tries to shoot again, but Marie runs her over.

Meanwhile, Ezra is looking at his phone of the reports of the shooting in the park. He tries to call someone. At the same time, Julie makes it outside and asks Jasper where Edward is. He tells her he got in the car with a woman. Julie runs up to the assassin’s dead body on the floor.

Her phone is ringing. Julie picks up and asks who it is as Ezra sits on the other end of the phone, silent. She tells him that his team is dead and she’ll come for him next if he doesn’t tell her where her son is. Ezra hangs up. Jasper explains the woman and the car, but he doesn’t know details. She holds a gun up to his side and tells him he needs to calm down, so he can start being useful.

It cuts to France. Kayla is looking at the letter that her father was hiding. Aaron tells her he wishes he’d burnt it, but couldn’t. He tells her it was the last thing Kayla’s mother ever wrote to him. A suicide note. Kayla says her mother killed herself because of him and he says it isn’t true. He wants the letter back. He says the context is important to understand why she did what she did and Kayla asks him if she thinks the world would understand if they saw the letter, too.

Edward’s in the car with Marie, insisting they go back to his mum. He also wants to find Kayla and make sure she’s safe. Marie tells him Julie is making sure everything is okay. As Edward calms down, he asks her who she is and Marie explains she’s his aunt. He’s not sure if he can trust her. Marie says they’ll meet Julie in a safe house outside of town and she’ll explain everything. Edward makes her pull over and she does. She says he can take his chances on his own, but instead, he agrees to go to the safe house with her.

Aaron is sitting in his garden as he takes two pills. His phone rings and a man tells him they found the boat and they suspect he boarded the boat in Tripoli, but the trail has gone cold. Aaron is annoyed. Meanwhile, Luka is now in Albania. He steps out of his car at the isolated place where Damian was staying. He’s lying inside, suffering from being shot by Julie. Damian says he’s glad Luka came back and Luka tells him he doesn’t care about him. He wants to know who killed his friends on his island. Damian says he doesn’t know, but Luka wants his laptop. Damian insists it’s gone and Luka gets out the meat cleaver he bought from the butcher and cuts his arm. Damian talks. He says the laptop has all the names and numbers of all the clients. Damian will die if the list gets out, but Luka says he can make it quick and painless, unlike them. When Damian doesn’t talk, Luka hacks into Damian’s arm.

In France, Kayla hands the original letter back to Aaron. She says she’s made copies. He tells her that him and her mother made the bad decision together, but releasing the information would ruin him and his mother’s memory. He tells her while Kayla's mother couldn’t live with the consequences, she’s as guilty as he is. He said he didn’t want her to know any of it. He sits down and offers to tell her about the word, Chantaines. He tells Kayla it was the name of her mother’s French poodle. She named the dog after this orange marmalade she loved. Kayla says she thinks people deserve to know what they did and Aaron says she should think about it before she blows it all up.

As Marie and Edward drive along, she tells him his dad is still alive. But, she pulls over when she notices a checkpoint up ahead. She tells him to get in the trunk. He doesn’t trust her and she tries to convince him by telling him she knows his birthmark and that she last saw him when he was just one. He believes her and gets in the trunk. Marie pulls up to the checkpoint and the policeman asks to see her driver’s license. Marie starts to tell a story about how her sister is giving birth and she’s the birthing partner, so she needs to go. The policeman shows her a photo of his son on his phone. He says she can go, but he needs to check her boot first. Hearing this, she shoots him dead and races off with Edward still in the boot.

Luka is cleaning up after hacking at Damian’s arm. Damian pleads with Luka not to leave him to die, but Luka silently walks away, picking up the green case as he goes. Elsewhere, Ezra is looking at press reports again of the shooting in Athens Park. Kayla comes in. She asks him if he thinks there’s ever a good reason for telling a lie. He tells her everyone lies. She tries to hand him the letter, but he said he promised Aaron he’d keep it under wraps. She insists and when he won’t take it, she says she’ll read it to him instead. He grabs it off her and starts reading. Kayla tells Ezra to come find her when he’s ready to talk.

Marie gets Edward out of the boot. She tells him they got waved right through the checkpoint. Edward begins to ask about his dad, Marie tells him he’s called Roy and that they grew up in southern California. When he demands to know who he really is and why his mum hid him, Marie says Julie wants to tell him herself.

Marie starts to talk about Manga. She asks Edward if he knows who Eren Yeager is. He says he doesn’t. She explains Eren is a character from Attack on Titan. He’s seen as a monster by the rest of the world, but from his perspective, he’s becoming who he truly is. He doesn’t want revenge, he wants freedom and that it’s important to understand what someone is really trying to do and why. She says when Edward hears the truth, he should remember that.

Julie has taken Jasper to the safe house to talk to him. He explains he is head of IT for CGM and that he’d been looking at his boss, Aaron Cross’s email. He says there was a word mentioned, Chantaines, and that it said no-one could ever find out, so he blackmailed Aaron. Then, he was arrested. He said though when he was in prison, he got in contact with Aaron and said he’d tell everyone what he knew and then suddenly, he got out of prison.

Julie realises he’s not of any use since he didn’t know any more than just the word but as she goes to shoot him, Luka interrupts by calling her. He tells her he has Damian’s laptop, but there are passwords to get into it. Julie tells him she’s in Athens and Luka says he’s near the Albanian border. She says she needs somewhere remote, but accessible by car, to meet with him. He suggests northern Greece, but tells her to promise to behave if he’s going to bring her to a place he knows. She tells Jasper he might be useful after all and makes him come with her.

Marie pulls into a gas station and steps inside, leaving Edward in the car. He leans into the backseat and pulls out her art book. There are lots of paintings, including of Edward. Marie comes back in and asks her why she has drawings of him. She says she just wanted to see him, but she couldn’t, so she drew him instead. Edward demands the truth. She tells him his father loves him very much and that the trust fund from Anvil Assets was all he could do. Edward asks why he was never in touch and Marie says that’s what Julie wanted. When Edward asks, he tries to grab her phone to call Julie. Marie admits that Julie is not waiting for them, it’s his dad. Edward calms down and asks her then if Ray is going to meet them at the safe house. She smiles and says yes, Ray will meet them there. But then, Edward tells her she said his name was Roy. He jumps out the car and starts running.

Ezra goes to speak to Aaron. Aaron says maybe it’s a good thing that both his children now know the worst thing he’s ever done. Ezra says he understands why Chantaines needs to be protected and that he’ll keep protecting his father now. He won’t let anyone hear anything about it. Aaron says it’s too late. Ezra says he’ll get through to Kayla to protect him and their mother. Aaron explains it’s more complicated than just Kayla.

Ezra brings up Jasper and tells Aaron that he’s on it. Aaron doesn’t know what Ezra is talking about and Ezra explains that Jasper called talking about Chantaines, so he arranged for Jasper’s escape from prison. But, then he explains that Julie and Edward were there, Jasper got away and the person he hired was killed. Ezra says he knows where Jasper is now, but Aaron is angry at Ezra. He blames himself saying he was too busy with work when Ezra's mother died. He says he told Ezra he was smart, but he’s actually just a narcissist with no intelligence at all. Aaron also accuses him of being high. He tells Ezra it’s not a big joke and that he could’ve never run the business. And that while he’d never thought much of Ezra anyway, he’s disappointed him even further. Aaron dismisses him from the room. Aaron reaches for his pills again after Ezra leaves.

Julie meets Luka on the side of the road. He hands her Damian’s laptop. She tells him that Edward is gone and someone took him. She explains she brought Jasper along to help with the encryption of the laptop. Luka is angry she brought Jasper as they will be staying at his mother’s house and it’s hard to explain a man with no fingers. Julie says she needed somewhere remote because she’s wanted.

Luka tells her that his mother doesn’t watch the news and has bad eyesight. They head inside and Luka introduces his mother to Julie. Luka’s mother speaks in Greek, suggesting to Luka that Julie is romantically involved with him, but he says they’re just friends and Julie speaks Greek. Julie says she needs to head downstairs to start work. Downstairs, they let Jasper in. Julie tells him she needs him to break into the laptop. They have floppy disks. Jasper asks for payment and Julie says she’ll let him live, that’s his payment.

Ezra goes into Kayla’s room with the letter. She wants to get the truth out and tells him they’re not their parents and that they can do better. She tells him she’s drafting an email to find someone to help her get the truth out. They’re interrupted by the maid shouting. Aaron is unconscious with his head on his desk. Empty pill bottles lay around him. Kayla tells Ezra to call an ambulance.

Edward is running along the side of the road. He finds a payphone, but before he calls anyone, Marie stabs him in the neck with a needle and he drops to the floor. She cradles him in her arms and sings him a lullaby. Meanwhile, Julie watches as Luka’s mother is affectionate towards him.

Uncomfortable, Julie excuses herself. Luka’s mother tells him he should look after his girlfriend and he again insists, she’s not, but his mother says she can tell he cares about her. At the hospital, Kayla blames herself, but then asks Ezra what he was talking to Aaron about before he took the pills. He explains to her he was just telling Ezra he was disappointed in him. He tells her he put a hit on Jasper and that he used Edward’s aunt, Marie. Kayla’s angry because now she doesn’t know if Edward is safe and Ezra says he thinks he is. She storms off.

Julie is watching Jasper anxiously, but he says the encryption is very serious. If he does anything wrong, the hard drive will fry itself. He tells her she just has to wait. Luka comes to see Julie outside. She tells him she feels like it’s all her fault and she wonders what will happen if she can’t find Edward. But, even if she does, then what does she do? She explains that Edward was an accident and she’s never been a good mother. She wanted to protect him from his father, but she wonders if she should’ve just been honest with him even if he hated her for it. Luka says that all we can do is try and that she should be kinder to herself. That she should see herself as others see her. When she asks who, he says himself.

Kayla calls Julie and asks if Edward is okay. When Julie says someone took him, Kayla explains it was Ezra that organised the hit. She explains that he only did it because he met Edward’s aunt at a party. Julie tells Kayla that Edward doesn’t have an aunt. And now, they don’t know who she is. In the house, Luka’s mum screams and Julie hangs up the phone as they run inside. Jasper is holding a knife up to Luka’s mother. He tells them he has full access to the laptop, but he won’t give it unless he has his safety guaranteed and some money. As they argue, Luka’s mother whacks him round the head with one of her pans and he drops to the floor.

Marie calls someone from her car and asks if everything is ready to go. A man’s voice says it is and that they’re expecting her. Edward is passed out on the backseat. Meanwhile, they’ve tied Jasper to a chair. Julie is on the laptop and can’t find anything about Chantaines or Cross. Luka asks what they should do with Jasper and Julie says to get rid of him. Luka gets out a knife and Jasper starts pleading. Luka approaches him, leans down, and cuts the rope that they’ve used to tie him to the chair.

Kayla calls Julie. She tells Kayla she’s on the laptop. Kayla suggests searching her mum’s name, Leila. Julie asks why Kayla’s mum’s name would be on there and she explains that her mum and dad got into some trouble and they got money from an arms dealer. The man got greedy when the company took off and they hired an assassin to kill him. Chantaines was a codename they used, which was the name of her mum’s French poodle. Julie searches 'French Poodle' in the laptop and gets a search result. Julie remembers the job. Spain, 1994.

Marie arrives at an airfield. A man is waiting alongside a private jet. Julie tells the story of Spain and that Damian had hired her to take a target out, an arms dealer called Jean-Luc Bertrand. Jean-Luc wasn’t alone and when she was done, she heard a noise. She realised his family were there. Marie takes a photo of Edward in the back of the car before the man pulls his body out. Julie receives the photo. Marie has written: “Taking Edward home. See you soon”. When Luka asks where home is, Julie explains in Spain where the original job was. The woman, Julie thinks, is Edward’s mum.

All six episodes of The Assassin are available in the UK and Ireland on Prime Video now.

Prime Video UK has just added The Assassin, a gripping new crime thriller that I just can't get enough of.

The series, which sees Bodyguard and The Durrells star Keeley Hawes play Julie, a retired assassin who is now living a quiet life on a secluded Greek island, is one of those shows that comes along every once in a while and just captivates you. From the very first episode, the show had me gripped so tightly that I barely thought of anything else until the series came to its stunning end.

The story follows Julie, who is now retired and hiding out in a tiny Greek cottage. And for a while, her quiet life works perfectly - that is until her estranged son Edward (The Good Doctor's Freddie Highmore) visits from England with some difficult questions.

As she struggles to tell Edward that this entire life has been built on not just one lie, but a whole mountain of them, Julie soon finds her past catching up with her and the pair are forced to go on the run.

Soon Edward (who couldn't be less like his killer mum if he tried) is drawn into Julie's dangerous world, and the pair are left fighting for their lives as they try and work out who is trying to kill them, and why.

Soon secrets and lies from both Julie and - believe it or not - lovely Edward, and spilling out and threatening their already fragile relationship... but in the face of tragedy and horror, could this road trip that no one asked for bring the mother/son duo together?

The best thing about this show is the main characters, both Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore are phenomenal as Julie and Edward, and the scriptwriters also deserve a special mention because not only is this a chilling thriller, it also has some hilarious one-liners.

With their relationship strained to say the least, Edward and Julie's dialogue is sarcastic and condescending, but in a refreshingly brilliant way. One minute you will see someone being killed with a cheese fork, and the next you will be laughing about an off-the-cuff quip from Edward.

Honestly - this is a show that you can't afford to miss, and I couldn't recommend it more.

All six episodes of The Assassin are available in the UK and Ireland on Prime Video now.

The Assassin is a new Prime Video thriller starring Keeley Hawes.

Out now in the UK on the streaming service, it is created by writing brothers Harry and Jack Williams (The Missing, Liar).

The six-parter sees Keeley play a retired contract killer, whose solitary life on an idyllic island is interrupted when her son arrives. It boasts a great cast, here's our who's who guide to all the key characters...

JULIE (KEELEY HAWES)

Julie is a retired contract killer, whose world is turned upside down when her semi-estranged lad, investigative journalist Edward, turns up. When events take a terrifying turn, however, the pair go on the run together.

"Julie's happy living on her own, when suddenly Edward comes back into her life. They are not completely estranged, as there have been a few texts over the years," says Keeley.

She adds: "Julie is not the coolest assassin in the world, but she’s a great character! She and Edward are actually very similar, although they would never admit it."

EDWARD (FREDDIE HIGHMORE)

The investigative journalist wants to know the truth about his father. Freddie says: "Edward arrives on the island attempting to reconnect with his mother and with questions about his past, their relationship and who his father is. Edward is harbouring a lot of secrets and feelings, so this is a big step for him."

MARIE (GINA GERSHON)

The mysterious character, who loves graphic novels, guards long-held secrets and is driven by a deep-rooted anger.

AARON (ALAN DALE)

The ruthless billionaire made his fortune in the mining industry, but struggles to keep his business and personal lives separate.

KAYLA (SHALOM BRUNE-FRANKLIN)

Passionate and fiercely loyal, Aaron’s daughter works in the charitable arm of the family business and is a force for good.

LUKA (GERALD KYD)

Easy-going, the butcher is used to Julie’s high-handed ways but is stunned to find himself unexpectedly forced to cooperate with her.

EZRA (DEVON TERRELL)

Desperate for his father Aaron’s approval, the heir apparent to Cross Global Mining is very competitive with his sibling Kayla.

DAMIAN (RICHARD DORMER)

Julie’s indestructible handler in the contract-killing business has built a successful career without getting his hands dirty.

SEAN (JACK DAVENPORT)

Another contract killer working under Damian, the quick-witted and skilful agent’s relationship with Julie goes way back.

The Assassin is a six-part series available now Prime Video in the UK.

Outside of the UK, we have no word on when it'll release or where you'll be able to watch it.

The Assassin is a gripping new crime thriller on Prime Video, that sees Bodyguard and The Durrells star Keeley Hawes play Julie, a retired assassin who is now living a quiet life on a secluded Greek island.

However, Julie's world is turned upside down when her estranged son Edward (The Good Doctor's Freddie Highmore) visits from England with some difficult questions. Soon, Julie finds her past catching up with her, and they are forced to flee the island and go on the run.

As mother and son battle for survival, the pair are confronted by a dark conspiracy and a threat that will destroy their relationship forever.

Here is everything that happened in The Assassin episode 4...

The fourth episode opens right where the third left off, with the gun going off in the middle of the night after Damian woke Julie with a gun to her head. The shot that we heard at the end of the last episode was Edward shooting, but missing Damian. However, his shot distracts Damian and allows Julie to overpower him and get his gun. He laughs, saying she won't shoot him, but she shoots him in the stomach. Edward is shocked to see his mum shoot someone, but Julie points out he just also tried to shoot Damian. Damian begs for his life, telling him that he will help Julie if she lets him, but when she asks if he had a backup of his old green laptop, he still maintains that it is gone. He tells her he can help her run and disappear, but she wants to shoot him dead. Edward points out Damian is unarmed now and wants to just leave, which eventually they do, taking Damian's truck with them. Damian is left bleeding on the floor, and when he goes to call someone, he finds his phone is dead.

As they drive through the night to Athens, Edward sleeps and wakes to find they have arrived at a safehouse where Julie used to stay with Pavel, the man who Edward points out tried to kill her at the wedding and who she ended up smashing over the head with a rock. Julie suggests that Edward gets some more sleep, but he is cross with her after losing his fiancée, having people trying to kill him and finding out his whole life has been based on a lie... but she has nothing and tells him tomorrow is a new day.

In France, Kayla arrives home to the villa, and Ezra is there to greet her with her annoying brotherly digs. He asks her how Albania was, and she tells him she just wants to sleep. She notices there are security guards everywhere and is annoyed when Ezra tells her that Jasper called, but he hung up on him. He tells her that they need to find out what Chantaine is and then they can work out if they are actually in danger or not. He tells her about their dad's safe in his office and suggests they try and find out what the bit of paper is. Either way, Ezra points out that they're in good hands with their dad's security guards, but as they're talking inside, one of the guards, Chris, is outside, checking his bank account, which has a huge amount of money deposited into it. Marie calls and asks him if the money has arrived. Chris confirms that it has, and that the 'job' will be done soon, as he looks back at the siblings through the window.

In Athens, Julie makes them a questionable dinner when her acquaintance Sirus arrives and she greets him like an old friend. He is carrying what looks like a pizza box, but when he opens it, it's like a selection box of guns, and Julie chooses which one she wants. She goes to pay him, and he tells her it is a retirement gift. After Sirus has left, Edward questions why his mum needs another gun, but she says it isn't for her - it's for him. They head to an old warehouse so Edward can do some target practice, but it doesn't go well, and he tells Julie he gives up. He doesn't want to go on the run for an indefinite amount of time, but is instead going home to his old life. She points out that while it is her they are trying to kill, they'll use him to get to her.

Back in France, Kayla goes to see Aaron in his office and he tells her he is glad to see her home. She asks him what Chantaine is and if he is the one who tried to have her killed. He says she is his daughter and would never hurt her, but she challenges him to prove it by showing her what is in his safe. He says there are some documents, some collectables and an overpriced watch that is too expensive to wear. When he opens it, the letter on yellow paper is missing and Aaron tells his daughter that he has never heard the word Chantaine before.

In Tripoli, Jasper is at the port where he buys a mobile phone and calls Ezra again. This time, Ezra wants to talk and get more details from Jasper, but as they are talking, Jasper sees a man in a suit showing his photo to people as he searches for him, so he hangs up and hides.

At her safehouse in Athens, Julie is alone now that Edward has left. She turns on the TV and watches the news, only to see a report on the wedding shooting back on the Greek island, and she and Edward are named as prime suspects for the crime. She is horrified as their photos come onto the screen and there is an appeal for witnesses from the police.

Meanwhile, Edward is in the city trying to get the public phones to work. In the end, he asks in a restaurant and calls Kayla, but she cancels the call. He keeps ringing, but when he answers and realises it is him, she throws the phone on the sofa. Ezra picks it up and explains about Jasper and the fact they're in danger, and Edward asks to join the call when Jasper rings back, as being a journalist, he will ask all the right questions. Ezra says yes and they arrange to call later.

As Edward hangs up the phone, he turns round to find the restaurant owner talking hurriedly on the phone, and he sees his face on the screen as the same news report plays out that Julie was watching at the safehouse. Soon, there are police everywhere and Edward realises he has to run and ends up hiding in a random stairwell. The police soon close in on Edward as he gets to the top of the building. Trapped, Edward is forced to jump from one building to the other, finally escaping the police, and he couldn't be happier with himself.

Meanwhile, back in France, Chris comes into Aaron's office and tries to shoot him. Aaron hides under the desk and calls for help. Soon, Ezra appears and overpowers Chris, knocking the gun out of his hand and hitting him over the head with a marble statue. Aaron thanks his son for saving his life, and tells Ezra he underestimated him. He asks if he has heard the word Chantaine and Ezra says Kayla mentioned it - and pretends to be blasé about it. Aaron says that he needs Ezra to stop Kayla asking about Chantaine because if it ever got out, it would be the end of the business and the end of their family. Ezra is shocked when his dad reveals he has told the board that when the time is right, Ezra will take over from him as the head of the company and CGM will be his.

Back at the safehouse, Julie is relieved when Edward comes back and tells him he was so worried about him. They are happy to be reunited and Julie has even been shopping for meat-free sausages, showing she is slowly finding her maternal side. Edward asks why they are wanted people and why the police think they are to blame for the wedding shootings, and Julie says so thinks someone high up would have been paid off to put their names out there. Knowing that Edward doesn't want to go on the run, Julie asks what he thinks they should do next, and he seems surprised that she is asking his opinion.

Edward tells his mum all about Jasper calling Ezra at 5 pm, and the whole Chantaine mystery that Kayla also told him about. He tells Julie that when they googled Chantaine it isn't a place and the only hit was for a marmalade. They use Sean's phone again to search Jasper (once again using Sean's severed thumb to unlock it... only for Edward to point out to his mum they could just change the settings to use their own fingerprints to unlock it!) and Edward dials into the call with Jasper and Ezra. Jasper isn't happy about the fact that Edward has joined the call, but eventually, when Ezra promises to send him some money to get to Athens, he softens and agrees to meet Edward when he arrives.

Back in France, Kayla finds her dad and asks if he is okay after his brush with death. He says there was a woman at the party yesterday in Chris's ear. We know this is Marie, but Aaron is making it his mission to find out. Kayla appologises to her dad for accusing him of trying to have her killed, and they make up - but as she pours him a drink with her back to him, she puts something in his drink without him seeing.

Meanwhile, Ezra is looking through his drug stash for his ketamine, and it turns out that is what Kayla has just put in her dad's drink. Still on a high after his dad told him he would one day be running CGM, Ezra is on a drugs binge in his bedroom, and when he can't find his ketamine, he instead takes lines of coke. He calls Marie, and she pretends to be happy for him - however, she soon gets interested in their conversation when Ezra tells her he knows where Edward is going to be - date, time and location - when he meets Jasper.

Still high from his huge drug binge, Ezra has the business card in his hand that Marie gave him after they slept together at the party. He calls the number and asks for someone to assassinate Jasper, giving the time and location of where he will be the following morning.

Edward and Julie organize some new passports under fake names from a contact of Julie's, while discussing the fact that this meeting tomorrow with Jasper is likely to be a trap. Julie tells Edward to get out of the meeting at any point if he feels uncomfortable, and reveals that when he left earlier, she was worried that he might never come back and doesn't want to think those thoughts again.

Back in France, Kayla's helping Aaron back into the house, who is worse for wear after she put Ketamine in his drink. As he falls asleep on the sofa, she uses the chance to search his office for the letter or anything she can find on Chantaine. When she doesn't find anything, she searches her dad's pocket while he sleeps and eventually finds the letter he was hiding the other day. She reads it and there is a look of horror on her face.

The next morning, Jasper arrives on a boat to Athens, while Edward is in position to wait for him, and Julie is watching from afar. Ezra is on edge at breakfast, worrying about the assassin who keeps calling him for the green light to kill Jasper, which Ezra gives.

We see the assassin watching Edward in the busy square and she is dressed as a gardener to blend in. Julie also watches from afar as Jasper arrives and shakes Edward's hand, telling him he can't believe he is finally here. He asks for the money before telling Edward all he needs to know about Chantaine. Edward reveals he doesn't have the cash on him and Jasper is annoyed. But as Edward tells him he will take him to a safehouse to talk, Julie realizes the woman dressed as a gardener is a hit woman and before she can shoot Edward and Jasper, Julie tries to shoot her, but misses. Edward and Jasper run off, with the assassin following... and all Julie can do is call after her son, who is now in grave danger.

Will Edward die?

All six episodes of The Assassin are available in the UK and Ireland on Prime Video now.

The Assassin is a gripping new crime thriller on Prime Video, that sees Bodyguard and The Durrells star Keeley Hawes play Julie, a retired assassin who is now living a quiet life on a secluded Greek island.

However, Julie's world is turned upside down when her estranged son Edward (The Good Doctor's Freddie Highmore) visits from England with some difficult questions. Soon, Julie finds her past catching up with her, and they are forced to flee the island and go on the run.

As mother and son battle for survival, the pair are confronted by a dark conspiracy and a threat that will destroy their relationship forever.

Here is everything that happened in The Assassin episode 3...

The third episode opens in France with Aaron Cross having a meeting with Michael, his lawyer, and trying to cancel an event they are holding for the local community at the villa. Aaron says they have got too much going on, but Michael reminds him this is an annual event where he butters up to locals so they turn a blind eye to his many business wrongdoings. Michael reminds him that as his lawyer, Aaron can tell him anything in confidence, and if he told him the details of Chantaine, then it wouldn't go any further. Aaron refuses to budge and says it will never, and should never, get out.

Meanwhile, Julie and co have arrived in Albania and are on the hunt for Damian's address that Julie found in Sean's phone. Julie tells everyone no phones, social media or credit cards are to be used until they know what is happening, and they can only use Sean's phone, which she unlocks with her back to everyone. Edward asks how she unlocked it, and he is horrified to see she has Sean's chopped-off thumb in her pocket. Kayla looks like she is about to pass out, and Julie jokes that at least it's an old phone and wasn't one that needs Face ID to open it.

Meanwhile, Ezra gets home to France and is reunited with his dad, Aaron. Ezra hugs his dad, who doesn't hug him back, and then explains that Kayla is with Edward and his mother, who is a hitwoman. Aaron seems unimpressed and tells Ezra he has a call. Ezra tells his dad about the fact Julie was hired to kill Kayla, and Aaron seems unfazed by the whole thing, telling his son he is busy. Ezra questions why his dad doesn't seem to care, and Aaron says he does and that he will call security before walking off.

In Albania, Julie, Edward, Kayla and Luka are in the back of a delivery truck, being taken to the address in Sean's phone. Julie tells Luka that he should go back to Greece as staying with them is dangerous, but he says the life he had before no longer exists and he wants to help them track down the people who killed his friends and family.

Back in France, a woman called Marie (the same woman from the art class in the second episode) is playing video games in the bath when she gets a call from the local mayor telling her that thanks to her generous donation, she has been invited to Aaron Cross's party. She says she is honoured and tells the mayor she will be there.

Still in the delivery truck and surrounded by meat, Julie asks Edward and Kayla where they met. She is surprised to learn that they met at a tennis club. When Kayla is out of earshot, Julie points out to her son that he hates tennis and knows something doesn't add up about their meet-cute story. She guesses he had been looking into Kayla and her family, and he doesn't deny it, begging his mum not to ruin things for him as he actually loves Kayla.

Arriving in Tirana, the gang tracks down Damian's apartment, but once there, they find blood all over the walls and the apartment has been trashed. Julie tells them they need to find Damian's laptop as it has all his contacts and information on it, and while she and Luka search the flat, Kayla and Ed go and knock on Damian's neighbour's door. She doesn't want to speak to them but hands a newspaper that reveals a body was found in the local river and has been named as Damian. Julie doesn't buy it, though, and says they should go to the local morgue and check the body.

Meanwhile, the party at Aaron's has begun and Marie has turned up. She gets talking to the mayor, when Ezra comes and whisks her away, telling her that he is saving her from the boring conversation. She is dismissive of him until he says he is Ezra Cross and she seems to change her tune and is keen to get to know him. She tells him she came to the party because she needs his help finding his sister's fiancé and Ezra seems shocked she wants to find Edward.

In Albania, Luka has gone to get them a car, while Julie, Ed and Kayla head into the morgue via an open window at the back. While Kayla keeps a lookout, Julie and Ed head into the room with all the bodies and search for Damian. Ed tells Julie that he is going to be honest with Kayla about how they met, and she tells him it is his funeral.

They find 'Damian', but Julie struggles to ID him as he has been dead much longer than the papers said. As she continues to look - trying to work out if he knows him by looking at his privates, much to Ed's horror - Kayla comes and says someone is coming and they all rush out of the window and get into the tiny car that Luka has found for them. As they race off, the police follow, and it takes a while, but Luka manages to lose them by hiding the tiny car behind a truck.

Back in France, Marie and Ezra are talking and Ezra guesses she is looking for Ed in connection with his dad. It turns out that Marie is Edward's aunt, meaning her brother is Edward's father and she reveals her brother is still alive. Ezra asks if this has anything to do with Edward's mum and the people trying to kill her, but Marie says she has no idea about any of that. Ezra gets a call from his assistant, Troy, but ignores it. As they talk, they realise they both love the same comic series and before long, they end up in bed together.

Back in Albania, the tiny car has broken down, and while Luka tries to fix it, Ed asks his mum why she thought she would be able to ID him by his privates. He thinks it is because they have slept together and that could mean Damian is his father, but Julie denies it. As Kayla points out that she knows a bit about cars and explains the parts they need to fix it, Luka and Julie head off to get the parts from a local mechanic.

While alone, Ed uses the chance to be honest with Kayla and tells her he hates tennis and only went to the club to meet her after someone left him a huge amount of money in a trust for Anvil Assets and that he worked out there was a link between Anvil and CGM. Kayla is shocked when Ed tells her that he called her dad, Aaron, pretending to be someone else, but he hung up when Ed mentioned Anvil Assets and that's when he went to the tennis club to meet her. She is fuming that their relationship is built on a lie and storms off into the Albanian countryside.

Back at the party, Aaron has a lot on his mind with missing Jasper, the danger Kayla's in and nothing Michael says will appease him. Meanwhile, Marie and Ezra are still in bed together and he is asking her how it works with Julie being an assassin. She gives him a business card and he asks how she has the number. She says that it is a long story and for another time.

In Albania, Luka and Julie come back with the parts for the car, and while Luka fixes it, Julie asks where Kayla is. She is sorry for Ed when he tells her that he told her the truth and she has left. Julie shares a random Latin saying with Ed to try and cheer him up, and he suddenly remembers a tattoo on the dead body's arm that he saw earlier while Julie was trying to ID him and that what appeared to be random words in Latin was actually a 'What Three Words' location. Julie realises Damian isn't dead after all and that he wrote that on the corpse's arm, knowing she would come looking for him. They search on Sean's phone (after using his dead finger to unlock it again) and the What Three Words location comes up as somewhere in he middle of nowhere in Albania.

Back in France, Ezra calls Kayla on Marie's request and she picks up, telling him she is in a car and heading to France. He asks where Ed is, and she says she left him in Albania. He is confused and tries to get more information out of her for Marie, but Kayla gets suspicious that someone else is there and hangs up.

Back in Albania, Luka, Julie and Ed arrive at an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere and it turns out Damian is alive and well.

Meanwhile, back in France, Ezra finally answers his phone to his assistant and he says he has a man on the phone desperate to talk to him - it is Jasper, who Ezra doesn't want to talk to until he says the word Chantaine to him. Ezra realises he is the IT man who emailed him a few weeks ago and he is disbelieving when Jasper tells him that no one is safe when it comes to Aaron and keeping whatever Chantaine is a secret, not even Ezra and Kayla, Aaron's own kids. Ezra hangs up and goes to see Aaron to tell him about the call, but Aaron is reading an old letter from a safe hidden behind some books and he yells at his son to get out, which Ezra does, but not before he sees his dad hiding the letter in the safe.

Back at Damian's place, Julie and Damian catch up, while Luka suggests to Ed that maybe Damian is his dad, which he brushes off. Julie asks who is trying to kill her, and he tells her that a while ago, he got home from his morning coffee and found two men waiting for him, asking questions about Julie. He says he didn't tell them anything, but that one tried to kill him, however, he managed to kill one of the men first while the other one ran away. He then used the body as a decoy for his own death and wrote the What Three Words on his arm for Julie to find. He promises her that he has no idea who sent the men, but knew there was a lot of money involved from what they were saying... and Julie is shocked.

Damian tells Julie that the man who he didn't manage to kill took his old laptop with all his connections on it. He also reveals that he knows Julie is there so that he can help her run away from all this and get a new identity and live hidden somewhere miles away, but Luka corrects him, saying they want to find out who is responsible for killing all the people on their Greek island. Julie realises that running is the best option and tells Luka that maybe that's what they should do. He is fuming that she has changed her tune and tells her he is out before driving off in the tiny car, away from Julie and Ed.

As the episode comes to an end, Julie is sleeping at Damian's house when she wakes to find him holding a gun to her head. She isn't surprised, though, and when he asks where her gun is, it turns out Ed has it, and he is now pointing it at Damian, leaving them in a standoff.

Damian can see that Ed is shaking and not a natural killer like his mother, but as the episode cuts to black, a gun goes of,f and it is unclear who has been shot.

All six episodes of The Assassin are available in the UK and Ireland on Prime Video now.

The Assassin is a gripping new crime thriller on Prime Video, that sees Bodyguard and The Durrells star Keeley Hawes play Julie, a retired assassin who is now living a quiet life on a secluded Greek island.

However, Julie's world is turned upside down when her estranged son Edward (The Good Doctor's Freddie Highmore) visits from England with some difficult questions. Soon, Julie finds her past catching up with her, and they are forced to flee the island and go on the run.

As mother and son battle for survival, the pair are confronted by a dark conspiracy and a threat that will destroy their relationship forever.

Here is everything that happened in The Assassin episode 2...

The second episode opens in a rainy London at a graphic novel and comic book art course. A glamorous woman walks in and the teacher asks if she is lost, but she says she's in the right place and says her graphic novel is going to be about Edward.

Meanwhile, back in Greece, we pick up where episode 1 left off and Edward has just introduced Kayla to Julie. Kayla asks why they have arrived all soaking wet, and Julie explains there are gunmen on the island who are trying to shoot them, and Kayla thinks she is joking. When she realises they are being deadly serious, she instructs the captain to head for Athens and takes Julie, Luka and Edward downstairs to get them all some dry clothes.

While she is finding Ezra's clothes for Luka and Edward, Julie tells Edward about being called by someone pretending to be her old boss, and that the target of her job was Kayla. Edward is stunned that his mum was ordered to kill his wife-to-be, and Luka is shocked to hear that Julie is an assassin.

At the prison in Libya, Jasper has been cornered by the Russian gang leader and told he now owes them for grassing to the prison guard. He is just glad not to be killed, but his heart sinks when the gang boss puts a knife in his hand and tells him that now he is going to be the one to kill their rival, Chi Chi.

On the yacht, Luka and Julie meet Ezra and get a tour of the boat, while Kayla asks Edward why gunmen would turn up on a tiny island.

On the tour, Ezra is showing off his 'wellbeing centre' on the yacht when Julie sees a picture of two men on the wall, and Ezra says one of them is his dad, and he owns the family business CGM, which stands for Cross Global Mining. Julie grills Kayla about the work she does for CGM, and she tells her that she works in the charity sector, but before she can get any closer to finding out more, Julie sees a jet ski coming towards the boat. While everyone else is in the yacht's bar, Julie is outside with her gun and looking for whoever was on the jet ski, which is now empty by the boat.

As she hunts the yacht, Julie seems to know who she is looking for, and calls for someone called Sean to come out of hiding... when they come face to face, both with guns pointing at one another, Julie says she could tell it was him by his aftershave. He's been sent there to kill her, and asks who she has upset to be worth so much to kill. Sean tells Julie that he would never shoot her and reveals that her situation is far worse than she could ever imagine and adds that he thinks Damian is dead.

Sean jokes that maybe they can have one last drink together before she disappears off the face of the earth, just as Edward walks in and asks who he is. Sean is clearly in a jovial mood, because he jokes he is Edward's dad, which Edward is shocked by and Julie is annoyed, saying he is just messing and isn't his father.

Sean tells Edward he is in 'waste disposal' like his mother, Julie points out Edward knows she is an assassin, and so Sean tells him he also kills people for a living. Before Edward can completely work out why this random man has ended up on the boat, Kayla comes in and they all make up a cover story about him being a friend of the family who was windsurfing when the shooting started, which Kayla seems to buy.

At the prison, Jasper is gathering the courage to kill Chi Chi as the gang leader ordered. Just as he is about to stab him in the back, one of the other gang members stops him and takes him to the leader. He tells Jasper that he has had an interesting call from someone called Aaron Cross and wants to know why he has said he will break Jasper out of jail. Jasper is thrilled that Aaron has said he will get him out, but his happiness is short-lived when the gang leader says he has to take him and his friend with him when he leaves. He asks how Jasper knows Mr Cross, and he explains he was head of IT for the CGM company, and then he came across something in his emails. He clams up when the gang leader asks what was in the emails and to get him to talk he knocks him to the ground and starts cutting his fingers off.

Back on the luxury yacht, Sean is chatting up Kayla and taking selfies with her, while Edward quietly tells his mum that he thinks Kayla has a right to know she is in danger. Julie disagrees and says they need to work out the whole story before sharing it, and that while she is there, Kayla is safe.

At dinner, Kayla quizzes Julie about her life in Greece as the alarm goes off and they realise Sean is nowhere to be found. Julie tells Edward to keep everyone in the dining room while she investigates. After turning off the alarm, she goes to find Sean as he starts shooting at her. She hides in the kitchens, but he finds her and without her gun, she has to think fast. She uses a cheese fork to distract him and hits him, making Sean drop his gun. She says she thought they were friends, and he says they are, but the contract on her has just tripled and he needs the money. Soon, they are fighting in the kitchen while Edward is left in the dining room trying to fend off everyone's awkward questions about where Julie and Sean have gone. Julie tells Sean she doesn't want to kill him, but he is adamant he wants the money and starts to strangle her. Just as it looks like she is about to die, she reaches the cheese fork and stabs him in the neck.

While everyone in the dining room goes to see what all the crashing is about, Julie uses Sean's lifeless finger to open his phone and text whoever hired Sean to tell them that the job is complete, throwing them off the scent that she's still alive.

As a bloodied Julie is standing over Sean's body, Ezra, Luka, Edward, and Kayla come in and are shocked by what they find, and Julie jokes that there are a few things she needs to explain.

In the prison, Jasper regains consciousness after having his fingers chopped off, and the gang leader says that now he might tell them what he read in the email. He tells them the word Chantaine, which doesn't mean anything to them, but as they're about to get angry, a guard comes in, shoots the gang members dead, and leads Jasper out of the jail.

On the yacht, Edward is trying to explain to Kayla about his mum being a hitwoman and the fact she was hired to kill her. Julie says Kayla needs to think fast about who might want her dead, but Kayla is adamant that she has never had a death threat in her life. Julie says the sooner they work out who is behind wanting them all dead, the sooner the Sean's of this world will stop coming after them and they can get on with their lives. Julie announces they should all go to Tirana in Albania - Edward is baffled by the turn in conversation until Julie says that is the last place she heard Damian - her handler - was living.

Meanwhile, Ezra is in his sauna making a hurried phone call telling the person on the other end of the phone to 'standdown' and that he wants 'her' gone. When he tries to get out of the sauna, he finds it is locked, and Julie appears at the window, telling him that he isn't as quiet on the phone as he thinks. As she grills Ezra about whether he is behind the order for Kayla's death, he won't answer, so she turns up the sauna to its maximum, just as Kayla and Edward walk in and find them.

Edward thinks they should let Ezra out before he roasts, but both Julie and Kayla think he is hiding something, and eventually he admits he said 'I want her gone' while on the phone to their lawyer Michael. Kayla is confused why he wants her gone, and he says he wants her out of the company, and she eventually lets him out the sauna.

Back at the prison, Jasper has been let out by the guard, who is on the phone to someone, who is offering him more money to go with Jasper when he is collected from outside the jail. Jasper tries to make the guard see that Aaron Cross is a powerful man who will kill them both for what they know when the helicopter comes to get them. The guard doesn't believe him at first, but then looks up Aaron Cross online and the men decide to run.

Luka finds Julie in the bar of the yacht, and she takes the chance to apologize to him for the fact all his friends and family have been killed because of her. He says he knows it isn't her fault, and that he doesn't want to go back home now, as everything he has ever known is gone.

In bed, Kayla asks Ed what he is thinking about and he says all the business trips his mother took when he was a child. She asks what he thought Julie did for a living and he explains he was always told she was a headhunter and they laugh.

They talk about the email that she got from Jasper (her dad's head of IT, who we know from the jail), and she tells Ed that the email told her that Jasper had found out something dark that could take down her dad's entire company and that he needed someone brave to help him do it. He said it came down to one word, 'Chantaine'. Once Kayla heads to the gym, Edward searches Chantaine online, but nothing comes up.

The episode moves to a huge white villa in France, where we finally meet Aaron Cross (played by Neighbours star Alan Dale for soap fans). Someone from his security company has come to see him, but he is cross that no one has found Jasper and hits the security man around the face, telling him he just wants him to feel as humiliated as he does with the fact that his company is giving him the runaround.

Back on the yacht, Kayla corners Ezra at breakfast and asks why he wanted her out. He says it was because charitable giving was costing the company too much and so he was trying to get the board to sack her. She seems to believe him, and says he doesn't need to sack her because she quits.

Elsewhere, Julie and Edward wrap Sean's body in plastic and throw him overboard... and Ed tells his mum he will have nightmares about this for the rest of his life. Julie seems to want to say something to Ed, and he tells her to just get on with wharever she has to ask, and she says she knows he is hiding something from Kayla, but he replies that he can't believe she, of all people, is trying to give him advice on his love life.

As they all agree to head to Damian's last known address when they dock, the epsiode returns to the art class in rainy London again and the glamorous mystery woman has finished her comic drawing, and when we see it on screen, it is a drawing of Edward finding out who is father is.

All six episodes of The Assassin are available in the UK and Ireland on Prime Video now.

The Assassin is a gripping new crime thriller on Prime Video, that sees Bodyguard and The Durrells star Keeley Hawes play Julie, a retired assassin who is now living a quiet life on a secluded Greek island.

However, Julie's world is turned upside down when her estranged son Edward (The Good Doctor's Freddie Highmore) visits from England with some difficult questions. Soon, Julie finds her past catching up with her, and they are forced to flee the island and go on the run.

As mother and son battle for survival, the pair are confronted by a dark conspiracy and a threat that will destroy their relationship forever.

Here is everything that happened in The Assassin episode 1...

The episode opens in Bulgaria in 1994 as someone wearing all black and a balaclava comes out of a bathroom, flushing the toilet behind them. They set a timer on their watch, and as they come face to face with some guards protecting what looks like an abandoned building site, the figure shoots them dead. As the shooter then makes their way up into the building, they shoot and fight everyone in their path, killing guards and security men left, right and centre.

When the assassin finally comes to the top floor, they kill two more men before finally coming face to face with their leader, who they have all been protecting. The leader jokes that if they wanted a meeting so badly, then they should have called or text, but the assassin remains silent. The leader offers the shooter a bag full of cash, trying to tempt them into working for him, but the shooter just kills him, too, walking out and leaving the bag of cash behind.

Once everyone is dead, the shooter takes off their balaclava, and we can see it is a young woman called Julie. She calls someone called Damian on the phone and tells him the job is done, before the alarm she set on her watch goes off. Julie tells Damian she will call him back as she pulls a pregnancy test out of her pocket and swears under her breath as she sees it is positive.

The episode then flashes forward to 31 years later (the present day) in Greece, and Julie wakes up on a beach having drunk a bottle of whiskey. As she packs up her chair and walks off, a teenager hits her in the head with a football. She is cross, hot, and hungover, and challenges the kids to tell her who is responsible for hitting her, but when they don't reply, Julie kicks their ball into the sea.

Meanwhile, a man, Edward, is running through an airport and gets to his gate just as it is closing. He is reluctant to get on the plane, but eventually boards at the last moment.

Back in Greece, Julie gets steaks from the local butchers and is rude to the locals as she jumps the queue, before heading to the port to pick up Edward. They greet one another awkwardly and she struggles to be sympathetic when he tells her that the boat ride over from the mainland has made him feel queasy. As they head off on Julie's motorbike, Edward puts his arms around her so he doesn't fall off, but she tells him to hold the back, because 'he's not 10'.

As they arrive at Julie's house, hidden in the middle of nowhere, Edward goes to his room while she puts the steaks in the fridge. Julie tells him she bought them especially for him as he mentioned wanting to try them last time he was here... but he points out that was four years ago now, and he is now a vegan.

Julie's phone rings and she is shocked to hear Damian's voice on the phone for the first time in 10 years. She questions how he got her number, but he says it doesn't matter, and he has a job for her. She turns it down without even hearing what the job is, pointing out that she is retired now and hangs up.

The episode then moves to a prison in Libya, where a nervous Dutch man is thrown into a jail with gangs of other men who all sense he is an easy target. A man, who seems to have been waiting for him, warns off the other prisoners circling the newcomer and tells the Dutch man to follow him. He takes him to meet a gang leader who says he will look after him in prison, but in return, he needs to help him work his computer.

At Julie's house, she is having lunch with Edward in awkward silence. She tells him that they should go to the wedding on the island tomorrow, as everyone will be there, but Edward is put out that she would rather go to a stranger's wedding than spend time with her own son.

Julie is distracted after her phone call with Damian, but tells Edward she's there now if he wants to talk. He says there is something he has been meaning to ask her, tells her he has been looking into the story about how she met his father, and it doesn't add up because the pub she claims they met in didn't open until after he was born. Edward reminds his mum that he is a journalist, so if she is going to continue lying to him, she might want to be a bit more convincing.

Edward asks Julia what Anvil Assets is, and she says she has never heard of it. He tells her that on his 30th birthday, he got a letter making him a trustee in Anvil Assets and leaving him a significant amount of money, but no clue who might have left it to him. Edward points out that it must be his dad, but Julie tells him to drop it, as his father wasn't a good man. Edward tells her he knows she is still lying.

Julie is saved by her phone ringing, and it is Damian again, asking her to consider the job and that he will double her fees if she agrees to take it on. She reminds him that she is retired and asks if he has forgotten what happened last time. He is adamant that she is the woman for the job and triples her fee, and eventually she gives in and agrees.

As Damian sends the details of the target to Julie, she tells Edward she has to go as she is having trouble with her 'boyfriend' before heading in to locate her guns, which she has locked away under the floorboards.

Later that evening, Julie heads to some dunes and sets up to wait for her target, while Edward is left at her house to wander around. Once she has her target in sight, Julie is about to shoot when she realises something is off with the request. She calls the number that Damian called her on, and she speaks to him again, but says while he sounds like Damian, she knows it isn't him because of the way he is talking. The person on the other end of the phone says they can be whoever she wants them to be, and changes their voice to sound like her before hanging up.

Julie gets home and calls her old colleagues to see if anyone has heard from the real Damian, but they haven't.

Kayla, the woman Julie had been hired to kill, and her brother, Ezra, are on their luxury yacht, where they are talking about how she works for a charitable giving organisation, while he gets paid the big bucks working for their dad, Aaron Cross. As they talk, Kayla asks her brother what Chantaine is, and he seems spooked that she knows the name and asks her where she heard it. She says she asked him first, but he fobs her off, saying there are some things they're not meant to know.

At the prison, the Dutch man, who we now know is called Jasper, is working hard for the gang boss. He is horrified when he hears that they're planning to kill someone in a rival gang as they're 'taking their business'. Jasper tells a guard that this man, Chi Chi is about to be killed and wants to move prisons in return for the information. The guard agrees and he is relieved, but there is a sense that not everything is as it seems.

At the village wedding, Julie tells Edward she knows he has something to tell her and to just come out with it. He reluctantly tells her he is getting married. She assumes it is to a man, but Edward points out it is a woman and she congratulates him, taking his hand awkwardly.

Suddenly, someone sitting behind them is shot in the head, and chaos erupts as wedding guests all around them start being killed. Julie knows the shooter is there for her, and she works out they have five shots before the shooter has to reload. Once five shots are made, she makes Edward run out of the line of sight and uses herself to distract the shooter away from him.

Julie uses dead bodies as shields as the shooter tries to kill her, but she knows how this all works and manages to get into a wedding car and start driving towards where the shooter is hiding in the mountains. She drives the car and crashes it near the shooter on purpose, making it look like she is dead, but when he comes closer to make sure the job is done, she isn't in the car, and instead comes up behind him and smashes him over the head with a boulder.

Back at the wedding, there is carnage with dead bodies sprawled everywhere. Edward is still in his hiding place when his phone rings and it is Julie to tell him the shooter is dead.

At the prison, Jasper is waiting to be moved after telling the guard about who the gang were planning to kill, but out in the yard, he is horrified to see the guard talking to the gang leader, clearly in cahoots with him, and now telling him that he has snitched on him. He runs back to his cell and uses a phone hidden under a bed to call Mr Cross and demand to speak with him. He tells the person on the other end of the phone to remember one word 'Chantaine' and that he needs to get him out of prison as soon as possible, as he is about to be killed by the Russians.

Edward finds Julie in the mountains with the dead man, who Julie seems to know from when she was an assassin, while back at the wedding, everyone is crying over the massacred wedding party, when Interpol arrives looking for Julie.

The doctor who is helping the injured tells the man, Afonso, he wants to see his ID again, as he hasn't even heard from the mainland police yet, so Afonso just shoots him in the head. Everyone starts screaming again as more men in black get out of the car and start killing those who had survived the first shooting. Only one elderly man remains alive and Afonso asks him about the English woman. The old man tells him that she lives in the cottage at the top of the hill, but when he begs for help, Afonso shoots him, too. As the men in black drive away, thinking everyone at the wedding is dead, we see that Luka, Julie's friend from the butchers, is still alive and has been hiding behind the bar.

Meanwhile, back on the yacht, Kayla is grilling Ezra about Chantaine again, and he says he got an email, and Kayla says she did too - but neither of them knows who it was from. Ezra says he knows nothing more than she does, but that he asked Michael about it and he got really weird when he said the word Chantaine. He tells her he knows nothing, and Kayla walks off. But once she has gone, Ezra makes a call and asks why 'it hasn't happened yet' and that 'she is walking around without a clue, and it is too much'.

As they get home, covered in blood, Julie is looking for her gun while Edward demands to know what she is running around like a 'premenopausal James Bond'. She eventually gives in and tells him that she was an assassin and did bad things for money. But while Edward wants more answers, Julie is trying to pack and warn him that someone is coming for them. As Afonso and his men arrive at their cottage, Julie and Edward use a home video to distract them into thinking they're in the lounge, when really they're out front, making their escape on the motorbike.

As they make their getaway through the narrow streets of the village, Julie is stunned when they come across the wedding massacre, and stops for a moment to take in what she has caused. As the streets get narrower, the men are forced to abandon their car and chase the pair on foot, while they go to the harbour and jump in the water, with Luka following.

Eventually, they get to Kayla's fancy boat and climb on board, but Kayla doesn't seem to be too shocked to see Edward, and it turns out she is his fiancée. As Edward introduces his wife-to-be to his mum, Julie hides the fact that less than 24 hours ago, she was hired to kill her son's future wife.

All six episodes of The Assassin are available in the UK and Ireland on Prime Video now.

Where do contract killers go to retire? In new Prime Video drama series The Assassin, it’s a sun-kissed Greek island, where former gun-for-hire Julie (Miss Austen’s Keeley Hawes) is growing old disgracefully, as she spends her days drinking, sunbathing and arguing with the locals in a picturesque coastal village.

But when her grown-up son Edward (The Good Doctor’s Freddie Highmore) arrives looking for answers about his father, and Julie is approached to come out of retirement for one last job, the dysfunctional duo find themselves on the run as events take a deadly and terrifying turn.

Created by Jack and Harry Williams, the makers of The Missing and The Tourist, the six-parter follows the odd couple, plus islander Luka (Gerald Kydd) and wealthy siblings Kayla (Shalom Brune-Franklin) and Ezra (Devon Terrell), as they embark on a thrilling pan-European adventure.

We got Hawes, 49, and Highmore, 33, in the cross-hairs for a chat about this action-packed, funny and touching drama…

The Assassin will be available on Prime Video from Friday 25 July.

Here's 10 must-see crime mysteries set to hit our screens in the second half of 2025...

Blue Lights, BBC1

Prepare for another white-knuckle ride as the acclaimed police procedural, set in Northern Ireland, returns for a six-part third series.

Two years into their jobs as response officers, Grace Ellis (Siân Brooke), Annie Conlon (Katherine Devlin) and Tommy Foster (Nathan Braniff) have found their feet, but with a new global gang ruling the roost in Belfast, danger is closer than ever before… Boiling Point’s Cathy Tyson and Bad Sisters star Michael Smiley join the cast for Blue Lights season 3.

Trigger Point, ITV1

Vicky McClure reprises her role as straight-talking Metropolitan Police bomb-disposal officer — or "expo" — Lana ‘Wash’ Washington in a much-anticipated third run of the hit thriller.

The six-parter sees Lana’s team investigating a bomb threat, but it’s soon clear it’s just the start of a sinister vendetta. A Town Called Malice’s Jason Flemyng guest-stars.

• Best ITV dramas

Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue, BBC1

Magpie Murders creator Anthony Horowitz has penned this claustrophobic six-part whodunnit that unfolds after a plane carrying a small group of people crashes in the Mexican jungle.

All the bodies are recovered, but it turns out only one of them died in the crash — the others were murdered afterwards, and flashback sequences reveal what happened. The cast of Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue includes Will & Grace’s Eric McCormack (left) and Amandaland’s Siobhán McSweeney.

Only Murders in the Building, Disney Plus

After the shocking cliffhanger in the Season 4 finale, intrepid true-crime podcasters Charles-Haden Savage (played by Steve Martin), Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) and Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) must now investigate the mysterious death of beloved Arconia doorman Lester (Teddy Coluca).

Bridget Jones star Renée Zellweger and Christoph Waltz (James Bond) are among the fresh signings for the new 10-part run of the New York-set comedy drama.

Shetland, BBC1

A new complex case with long-held secrets at its heart must be unravelled as we head back to windswept Shetland for a milestone 10th outing of the hit murder-mystery drama.

The six-part story sees tenacious crime-fighting duo DI Alison "Tosh" McIntosh (played by Alison O’Donnell) and DI Ruth Calder (Ashley Jensen) travel to the isolated fictional hamlet of Lunniswick to investigate the suspicious death of a retired social worker.

Luckily, in Shetland season 10, the pair can again rely on the help of returning regulars DC Sandy Wilson (Steven Robertson), Sgt Billy McCabe (Lewis Howden) and pathologist Cora McLean (Anne Kidd).

Amandaland’s Samuel Anderson joins the cast as new procurator fiscal Matt Blake, while guest stars include Louise Brealey (Sherlock), Ellie Haddington (Motherland) and Clive Russell (Dept. Q).

• Best BBC dramas

Ridley, ITV1

Following the first outing of this gritty drama in 2022, Adrian Dunbar returns as retired detective turned police consultant Alex Ridley to unravel four more feature-length cases.

Teaming up again with former protégée DI Carol Farman (Bronagh Waugh), charismatic Alex’s new investigations include a jewellery heist and a murder at a rave.

In Flight, C4

This six-part thriller sees Protection star Katherine Kelly play Jo Conran, a single mum and flight attendant blackmailed into drug smuggling after her son is imprisoned in Bulgaria for a murder he swears he didn’t commit.

The cast also includes Stuart Martin (Miss Scarlet & The Duke) and Ashley Thomas (The Ipcress File).

• Best Channel 4 dramas

Black Rabbit, Netflix

Jason Bateman and Jude Law take centre stage in an eight-episode crime thriller.

Jude plays Jake Friedkin, the owner of New York’s hottest restaurant, who allows his troubled brother Vince (Jason) back into his life. However, Vince brings with him a whirlwind of debts and danger that test their brotherly bond to the limit.

Hotel Costiera, Prime Video

Set on the stunning Amalfi Coast, this glossy six-parter sees Grey's Anatomy favourite Jesse Williams headline as Daniel De Luca, a former Marine who returns to Italy to work as a "fixer" at a luxury hotel in Positano.

Smoothing out the wealthy guests' problems, Daniel soon needs to call upon skills he learnt in his old job when the hotel owner’s daughter is kidnapped.

Task, Sky

From the pen of Brad Ingelsby, the creator of Kate Winslet's acclaimed 2021 crime drama Mare of Easttown, is a seven-part thriller, also set in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

American film favourite Mark Ruffalo plays FBI agent Tom, who is intent on stopping a string of violent robberies led by unassuming family man Robbie (Tom Pelphrey).

Shetland star Ashley Jensen has teased that we will see a change in the dynamic between the lead characters in the upcoming new series.

Shetland season 10 will see a complex new case for tenacious crime-fighting duo DI Ruth Calder (Ashley Jensen) and DI Alison "Tosh" McIntosh (Alison O'Donnell).

They travel to the isolated fictional hamlet of Lunniswick to investigate the suspicious death of a retired social worker.

“I love playing Ruth,” Ashley tells us. "She's fiercely independent and doesn't care what other people’s opinion is of her!"

Ashley, who made her debut as Ruth in 2023 to replace Douglas Henshall's outgoing DI Jimmy Perez, is also delighted at the way her and co-star Alison's on-screen partnership is involving. And teases that the new series will see a change.

“Alison and I have gone from strength to strength, as have Rush and Tosh. And this season, without giving too much away, the dynamic shifts between them. We see them where they’re both flawed and human.”

Luckily, the pair can again rely on the help of returning regulars DC Sandy Wilson (Steven Robertson), Sgt Billy McCabe (Lewis Howden), and pathologist Cora McLean (Anne Kidd).

Amandaland’s Samuel Anderson joins the cast as new procurator fiscal Matt Blake, while guest stars include Louise Brealey (Sherlock), Ellie Haddington (Motherland), and Clive Russell (Dept. Q).

Filming has been taking place for Shetland over the summer ahead of it returning to BBC One most likely this autumn.

Alison previously said: "I'm really proud of the journey this show has been on and of the way it continues to evolve and grow in exciting and surprising ways."

Shetland season 10 is expected to air on BBC One in the autumn of 2025. See our best BBC dramas guide for more series to enjoy.

Will Trent (Ramón Rodríguez) has proven to be brilliant, solving cases and wowing viewers in the process, and he'll be back on the job in Will Trent season 4.

The Georgian detective once again leads ABC's midseason programming, along with the brand-new season of The Rookie. We just hope that like the previous Will Trent season 3, the longer wait will be worth it.

Here's everything we know about Will Trent season 4.

Will Trent season 4 release date

An exact premiere date for Will Trent season 4 has not yet been announced. However, we do know the new season debuts sometime in 2026. Once we know more information, we'll pass along the update.

Will Trent is an ABC original series and new episodes air live on the network in the US. For those who have cut ties with traditional cable/satellite television, ABC is available to stream on live TV streaming services such as Fubo, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV. In case you're someone who prefers to watch content on-demand, episodes become available on Hulu to stream the day after they air live on ABC.

In the UK, season 4 episodes are expected to stream on Disney Plus.

Will Trent season 4 cast

As of publication, no major casting news has been announced. With that being said, Ramón Rodríguez is expected to return as Will Trent. This is arguably Rodríguez's most prominent role, but he's also been seen in Lullaby, The Affair, The Defenders and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Also expected to return is Erika Christensen. Many TV watchers will recognize Christensen from her days as Julia in Parenthood. She's also starred in Clover, Ten Days in the Valley and Cheaper By the Dozen.

We also anticipate that Iantha Richardson (This Is Us), Jake McLaughlin (Quantico), Sonja Sohn (The Chi) and Gina Rodriguez (Players) are returning to the series for season 4.

WIll Trent plot

Check out the official synopsis for the overall series:

"Based on Karin Slaughter's New York Times bestselling Will Trent series, Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta's overwhelmed foster care system. But now, determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was, Will Trent has the highest clearance rate in the GBI."

WIll Trent season 4 trailer

It's a bit too early for a trailer for season 4. Once one becomes available, we'll place it here.