ITV UNVEILS WINTER SLATE OF NEW AND RETURNING DRAMAS

ITV have revealed the new and returning drama series airing during the first quarter of next year, January-March 2025.

Unforgotten

The sixth series sees the return of Sinéad Keenan and Sanjeev Bhaskar as DCI Jess James and DI Sunil ‘Sunny’ Khan, bringing back their compelling on-screen partnership as they delve into unresolved crimes and promising another powerful exploration of hidden truths and long-buried secrets.

Joining Sinéad and Sanjeev are Victoria Hamilton (Cobra, His Dark Materials), MyAnna Buring (The Responder, The Witcher, The Salisbury Poisonings), new faces Max Fairley and Elham Elas, and celebrated British actors Jan Francis and Damien Maloney.

Protection

As much of a conspiracy thriller as it is a police drama, this is the story of a compromised but ultimately honest police officer who is out of her depth yet acutely driven to understand the truth of her lover and how far a case of corruption goes.

Police officer DI Liz Nyles (Siobhan Finneran) works in the secretive and high-stakes world of Witness Protection - when we meet her, she’s juggling a challenging front-line job alongside a demanding family life attending to the needs of a teenage daughter, a difficult ex, and a dad recovering from a stroke.

A Cruel Love

 A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story - starring Lucy Boynton in the leading role - depicts the untold story of Ruth Ellis, the nightclub manageress and convicted murderer who was the last woman to hang in the UK.

Produced by Silverprint Pictures, the four-part drama also stars Toby Jones (Mr Bates vs The Post Office, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Empire of Light) as Ruth Ellis’s solicitor John Bickford, who gradually realises the extent of Ruth’s abuse at the hands of David Blakely and who takes on the fight to make the case for provocation

Karen Pirie

 The drama is written by Emer Kenny (Save Me Too) and adapted from Val McDermid’s novel A Darker Domain will see the return of Lauren Lyle (Outlander, Vigil) to her BAFTA-winning role as fearless young investigator Karen Pirie.

In the societal turmoil of 1984, Catriona Grant is the heiress to an oil fortune when she is kidnapped at gunpoint with her young son Adam - it’s assumed that the motivation is political as the huge investigation creates an uncontrollable press storm… but when the culprits unexpectedly fall silent, the case runs cold and Catriona and Adam are never seen again

Out There

 County lines drug-dealing and an escalating and insidious crime wave sweeping the British countryside are the subject of this drama starring Martin Clunes as a farmer confronted with dark forces seeping into his rural community.

The drama will depict the stealthy and surreptitious invasion of the land our farmer cherishes with devastating consequences as his livelihood, homestead and family life are threatened by local county lines drugs dealers who are essentially urban gangs using the British countryside as a field of operations and moving drugs and money between their inner-city hubs and provincial areas.

Playing Nice

 A psychological thriller adapted by Malpractice writer Grace Ofori-Attah from the best-selling novel by British thriller author JP Delaney, with Kate Hewitt (One Day) directing all episodes.

BAFTA-nominated James Norton (Happy Valley, A Little Life, Nowhere Special), BAFTA-nominated Niamh Algar (Mary and George, The Virtues, Raised By Wolves, The Wonder, Calm With Horses), Olivier-nominated James McArdle (Sexy Beast, The Mare of Easttown, Life After Life) and BIFA-nominated Jessica Brown Findlay (The Flatshare, Life After Life, Black Mirror, Downton Abbey) all take leading roles in the limited series.

The Bay

Set in Morecambe, Marsha Thomason remains as Morecambe’s MIU Family Liaison Officer DS Jenn Townsend alongside cast regulars Daniel Ryan, Erin Shanagher and Andrew Dowbiggin.

Olwen May (Happy Valley, Trying) joins the team, Barry Sloane returns as Chris Fischer, Georgia Scholes plays Chris’s daughter Erin, and David Carpenter and Emme Hayes return as Conor and Maddie, Jenn’s children - Suzanne Packer (Casualty, Keeping Faith) joins as Jenn’s mum Anne Townsend

Grantchester

Grantchester bids farewell to Reverend Will Davenport (Tom Brittney) this series - as one door closes, another one opens and the village welcomes Rishi Nair (Hollyoaks, Count Abdulla) as charismatic vicar Alphy Kotteram.

1961 - life is good for Will and Geordie (Robson Green). The families are always together, from Sunday lunches to planning summer holidays - with honorary grandparents Mrs C and Jack and adopted uncles Daniel and Leonard, it’s one big happy family! However, when Will is approached with a life-changing offer, can he leave Grantchester and Geordie behind?

Vera

Renowned film, theatre, and television actress Brenda Blethyn OBE makes an emotional return for the 14th and final series of ITV’s popular crime drama. Spanning two epic feature-length episodes, these new stories entitled Inside and The Dark Wives, intertwine gripping murder mysteries with the heartfelt narrative of Vera’s personal journey.