THE TOWER: FURTHER CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR SERIES 2 OF ITV CRIME THRILLER

Tamzin Outhwaite, Niamh Cusack and Ella Smith have joined the cast for the second series of The Tower.

The new series - The Tower II: Death Message - is based on Kate London’s brilliant second novel, and is adapted by screenwriter Patrick Harbinson

Starring alongside Gemma Whelan as DS Sarah Collins is Tahirah Sharif, who was recently BAFTA-nominated for her role as PC Lizzie Adama, alongside Emmett J Scanlan as DI Kieran Shaw and Jimmy Akingbola as DC Steve Bradshaw.

Tamzin Outhwaite (Ridley Road) joins the cast as Cathy Teel, Niamh Cusack (The Virtues) plays Claire Mills, and Ella Smith (The Nevers) takes the role of DC Elaine Lucas.

Patrick Harbinson: “It’s a tribute to the quality of Kate’s novels and her complex female characters that we have been able to attract these three brilliant actresses to The Tower.”

They will join Gemma Whelan who returns to the series to play DS Sarah Collins, Tahirah Sharif, who was recently BAFTA-nominated for her role as PC Lizzie Adama, Jimmy Akingbola as DC Steve Bradshaw, and Emmett J Scanlan as DI Kieran Shaw. 

Stuart McQuarrie (28 Days Later) also joins the cast in the role of Sarah’s new boss, DCI Jim Fedden.

Mammoth Screen and Windhover Films will produce the four-part drama in association with ITV Studios.

The series opens with Lizzie returning to Farlow station. Her boss and former lover, DI Kieran Shaw (Emmett J Scanlan), partners her with Arif Johar (Michael Karim).  

Their first call is to a domestic violence complaint against Mark Brannon (Charley Palmer Rothwell), who is accused of beating up his girlfriend, Georgina Teel (Rosa Coduri) and terrorising their young daughter Skye.

Lizzie persuades Georgina to tell the truth about what Brannon has done to her, enabling Lizzie and Arif to arrest him. However, once the case gets to court, Lizzie finds herself cross-examined on the stand, leaving the whole case on a knife-edge.

Meanwhile Sarah Collins has transferred to Homicide Command. New boss DCI Jim Fedden is not welcoming: he asks her to re-open the case of a missing school girl, Tania Mills, who disappeared on the day of Princess Diana’s funeral, 6 September 1997.

Sarah knows that Fedden has handed her an impossible challenge, but she throws herself into it with typical determination and thoroughness. 

And, gradually, perhaps helped by the fact that she too was a teenager of Tania’s age back in 1997, she begins to uncover clues that previous investigations had overlooked. 

At the end of the first episode, Sarah’s investigations take a further twist, which means she and Lizzie cross paths again…

The antagonistic relationship between the experienced Sarah Collins and the novice cop Lizzie Adama is at the heart of The Tower II, as they are forced to work together for the first time and begin to get a sense of each other’s unique strengths. 

Filming is due to commence later this summer.