The new ITV series comes from actor Andrew Buchan.
We’ve now got another gripping look at ITV’s upcoming dark comedy thriller, Passenger.
The new series marks the directorial debut of actor Andrew Buchan, who is known for his roles in Broadchurch, Better and The Crown.
Well, here he’s taking a behind-the-scenes approach by writing Passenger, which will “explore a close-knit community who are unwilling to face their fears of change, of outsiders and of the unknown”.
We’ve recently been treated to a slew of first-look images and a first trailer – but now we’re able to get further insight into the intriguing show, which was originally commissioned for ITVX but will now air on ITV1 and ITVX next month.
The trailer, which we can exclusively reveal on RadioTimes.com, gives us another exciting look at the cast, led by Wunmi Mosaku (Loki, Damilola) as former Met Police detective Riya Ajunwa.
She’s called to investigate a series of strange and inexplicable crimes that have left the townspeople positively flummoxed, but will she be able to crack the case?
It’s safe to say our interest is piqued, and you can try to wrap your head around the mystery in the trailer, which you can watch below.
In the trailer, we see how Riya is jokingly brushed aside by her colleagues even after spending years working in the Met.
She’s keen to investigate a missing person’s case which she can’t get out of her head, even if the people of sleepy Chadder Vale don’t seem to care all too much. “Where were they? Did someone take them?” she asks.
Riya slowly pieces together some apparent clues, with “missing kids and dead stags” only adding to the perplexing nature of it all. But will she be able to crack it?
According to the official synopsis, we’ll follow Riya as “she investigates a series of strange and inexplicable crimes that have the townsfolk spinning on an axis”.
“Riya arrived in the quiet town of Chadder Vale five years ago and has since been searching for something, anything that will make her feel alive again,” it continues.
“Then, one night, local girl Katie Wells (Rowan Robinson) mysteriously disappears. The town barely has time to register her absence before she reappears the next day, apparently safe and sound. The townsfolk ask few questions and normal life resumes.”
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The synopsis continues: “But for Riya, a relative outsider to the Chadder Vale way of life, none of this sits right.
“As a series of strange happenings and increasingly shocking crimes start unfolding within the town, the residents resort to short-sighted theories and blame outside influences such as the fracking site and its manager Jim Bracknell (David Threlfall).
“As things become stranger, Riya fights hard to convince the villagers that all is not as it seems. But what are they so afraid of?”
As well as starring Mosaku, the cast of Passenger also includes Daniel Ryan (The Bay) as Derek Jackson, Barry Sloane (Six) as Eddie Wells, Natalie Gavin (Gentleman Jack) as Joanne Wells, Nico Mirallegro (My Mad Fat Diary) as Kane Jackson and Hubert Hanowicz (This Is Going To Hurt) as Jakub Makowski.
Other cast members include Jack James Ryan (Coronation Street) as John Trowbridge, Matilda Freeman (Alma’s Not Normal) as Lilly Wells, Shervin Alenabi (Baghdad In My Shadow) as Mehmet Shah, Ella Bruccoleri (Call The Midwife) as Ali Day and Arian Nik (The Bay) as Nish Chowdry.
Jo Hartley (After Life), Sean Gilder (The Gold) and Debbie Rush (Coronation Street) round out the line-up.
Passenger will launch on ITV1 and ITVX next month. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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