The new drama premieres on Paramount Plus this May.
While many fans know her for her roles in Line of Duty or Trigger Point, Vicky McClure is set to take on a decidedly more eerie part in Insomnia – and we finally have our first look at the new series.
Coming to Paramount Plus this May, the first-look images show McClure as Emma Averill, a woman who fears she’s losing her mind as her life slowly turns from a dream to a hellish nightmare.
In one stark image, McClure can be seen in her pyjamas knee deep in a lake in the middle of the night. Why? Well, we’ll have to watch and find out but another image (above) shows her curled up on the floor with her head in her hands.
We also get our first look at some of the further cast including Tom Cullen (The Gold), who stars as Emma’s husband Robert and we can see how much of a comfort he is to her in her time of need as the pair embrace on the sofa.
McClure is no stranger to a role that’s a bit less action-packed compared to donning bulletproof vests and arresting bad guys in Line of Duty, as displayed in her previous roles in ITV’s Without Sin and in Channel 4’s I Am Nicola.
This time round, there’s a mystery surrounding Emma’s newfound habits and she could be winding up the same way as her mother – but is there something larger beneath the surface of her problems?
The new series is based on the novel of the same name by bestselling author Sarah Pinborough and according to the synopsis: “Insomnia follows Emma, who fears she might be losing her mind when her hard-won dream life starts to turn into a nightmare.
“A couple of weeks before her 40th birthday, Emma stops sleeping – just as her mother had done right before she suffered a violent psychotic breakdown on the night of her own 40th birthday.
“Emma’s mother always told her she’d go the same way, that she had the same ‘bad blood’ and now Emma’s terrified it’s true. As events worsen, Emma’s world starts to unravel and she realises that only by investigating the truth of her painful past, can she find the answers to her present and prevent tragedy from striking a second time.”
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Aside from McClure and Cullen, the cast also includes Smylie Bradwell (Wisting) and India Fowler (The Nevers) as Will and Chloe, Emma and Tom’s children, while Leanne Best (A Town Called Malice) is Emma’s estranged sister Phoebe.
Corinna Marlowe (Hysteria) stars as Emma’s mother Patricia while Lyndsey Marshal (Inside Man) is Emma’s friend and confidante Caroline.
Further casting for Insomnia includes Dominic Tighe (Suspicion) and Jade Harrison (Wedding Season) as the Averills’ close friends Julian and Michelle Simpson, while Robert Gilbert (Killing Eve) is Faisal and Michelle Bonnard (Unforgotten) is DI Hildreth.
The new six-parter comes from production company Left Bank Pictures (The Crown) and has been directed by Börkur Sigthorsson (The Midwich Cuckoos).
Insomnia will debut exclusively on Paramount Plus in the UK on Thursday 23rd May.
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