Ex-Metropolitan Police Officer-turned-writer Kate London joined the force in 2006, retiring in 2014. The Tower, coming in three parts, is an adaptation of her first book Post Mortem, one also of three novels. This newly-minted drama comes courtesy of efforts from Windhover Films and Mammoth Screen.
Speaking on the conception of the series, writer Kate said; “Within a matter of weeks [of joining the police] I was writing – not for publication, but because I just had to get down on paper the world I encountered: its complexity, laughter, loyalty, the moral conflicts and the dangers that were not only physical,”.
“Policing showed me London in a way no other job could. The product of this experience was my first novel, Post Mortem.”
Founder of Windhover Films, Patrick Harbinson, has writing credits on Homeland, seasons eight and nine of 24 and ER. He was chosen by London herself to lead the screenplay and production, after turning down significant demand from others. London said she was “persuaded not only by his outstanding track record, but by his passionate engagement with the characters and the choices they face”.
The Tower release date
The Tower will get underway on Monday, 8th November at 9pm. The three-part drama is being stripped across the week, with the following two episodes airing at 9pm on Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th.
The Tower cast
Gemma Whelan takes on the lead role as Detective Sargent Sarah Collins, having recently appeared in TV series Frayed as Hannah and having featured in Game of Thrones, Gentleman Jack and Upstart Crow.
She’s joined in The Tower cast by the following:
- Lizzie Adama played by Tahirah Sharif (as seen on Casualty, Waterloo Road, Haunting of Bly Manor)
- DI Kieran Shaw played by Emmett J Scanlan (as seen on Peaky Blinders, The Deceived, Kin)
- DC Steve Bradshaw played by Jimmy Akingbola (as seen on Cheat, The Most Dangerous Game, In The Long Run)
- DC Jez Vine played by Jim English (as seen on New Blood, Holby City, Coronation Street)
- DCI Tim Bailie played by Karl Davies (as seen on Happy Valley, Brief Encounters, Chernobyl)
The Tower trailer
You can get a first-look at The Tower and all the drama it’s set to deliver below…
The Tower plot
The official synopsis for The Tower reads:
“A veteran beat cop and a teenage girl fall to their deaths from a tower block in south-east London. Left alive on the roof are a five-year-old boy and rookie police officer Lizzie Griffiths. Within hours, Lizzie has disappeared, and Detective Sergeant Sarah Collins is charged with leading the investigation. She not only has to track down Lizzie before she comes to serious harm, but also to uncover the truth behind the grisly deaths.”
The Tower book series comes in three parts with Death Message and Gallowstree Lane being the subsequent novels after the premier Post Mortem. Crime drama fanatics may make an eager dash to their local bookshop for hints as to the plotline and any following twists and turns…
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