Gone | Preview (ITV1)

New ITV psychological drama, Gone, from the pen of acclaimed screenwriter George Kay (The Long Shadow, Hijack, Lupin) and directed by Richard Laxton (Mrs Wilson, Burton and Taylor, Joan, starring Eve Myles and David Morrissey.

Set against the backdrop of a prestigious private school, a foreboding forest and the quiet sprawl of Bristol, Gone, is a chilling mystery focusing on local Headmaster Michael Polly, played by David Morrissey (The Long Shadow, Sherwood, Britannia), who becomes the prime suspect in his wife Sarah’s disappearance.

An upstanding member of the community, Michael Polly is inscrutable and likes order and precision in his working life. Until, that is, he encounters super bright, gutsy Detective Annie Cassidy, played by Eve Myles (The Crow Girl, Hijack, Torchwood), and a compulsive game of cat and mouse begins as she chips away at his veneer in search of the truth.  

With tension in the air, yet Polly not displaying any emotion, Annie’s suspicions are heightened the more she investigates. Something in her gut tells her all is not what it seems. Could he be capable of murder? And if so – why?

Sarah and Michael’s daughter, Alana, played by Emma Appleton (The Road Trip, The Killing Kind, Lola), is a teacher at the school making their involvement a real family affair.

Beneath the surface of the mystery, lies a deeper exploration of trauma, trust and the legacy of elite institutions. Gone also stars Jennifer Macbeth, Arthur Hughes, Nicholas Nunn, Elliot Cowan, Billy Barrett, Rupert Evans, Jodie McNee, Oscar Batterham and Clare Higgins. 

George Kay said: "After teaming up with ITV and New Pictures for true crime drama The Long Shadow, I’m delighted to be working with them again to create a new police drama. Inspired by real life research, Gone sees the excellent Eve Myles’s overlooked Detective Annie Cassidy go head-to-head with main suspect Michael Polly, played by the superb David Morrissey. In a story about privilege and prejudice, the truth is tantalisingly close. Or at least, that’s what Annie thinks…”

Gone is a fictional series, partly inspired by the book “To Hunt a Killer” and the career and work of respected former Detective Superintendent for Gloucestershire Police, Julie Mackay, and ITV Crime Correspondent Robert Murphy who has reported on some of the biggest and most complex cases in the West of England. Both serve as consultants on the series.

Gone will air on ITV and STV from Sunday 8th March at 9pm.