Cold Water, stars Andrew Lincoln in his long-awaited return to British television…
Ewen Bremner, Indira Varma and Eve Myles line up alongside Lincoln in David Ireland’s new six-part thriller.
Polly Hill, ITV Head of Drama:
“We are very excited for ITV to be the home for this brilliant new thriller exploring masculinity, religion and ultimately murder. David’s scripts are wonderful, and original and have attracted an incredible cast led by Andrew Lincoln. It promises to be a really unmissable drama and I am delighted to be working with Jane Featherstone again and her brilliant team at Sister.”
Set in the fictional Scottish village of Coldwater, the series is written, created and executive produced by the inimitable playwright David Ireland. Andrew Lincoln – who starred in AMC’s long-running hit show The Walking Dead – plays John, a repressed man who is shocked to find himself in middle age, secretly raging at his life as a stay-at-home dad.
When his failure to intervene in a violent confrontation in a playground brings his identity crisis to a head, John ups and moves his family to the rural idyll of Coldwater, as far away from London as possible.
Upon arrival, John is quickly befriended by next-door neighbour Tommy (Bremner), a charming, confident man, devoted husband to the local vicar Rebecca (Myles). He is a man of faith, a pillar of the community and self-appointed leader of the village’s all-male book group.
John is both impressed and slightly fascinated by Tommy. His wife Fiona (Varma) despises him. As a successful former chef hoping to launch a new venture in Coldwater, Fiona sees the move as an opportunity to leave the past behind them. To not only re-build their lives as a family but re-ignite the long-lost spark in their fading marriage. When her husband’s relationship with their enigmatic new neighbour becomes increasingly intense, Fiona’s suspicions are aroused. She is unconvinced Tommy is all he seems to be.
But John remains blissfully unaware that Tommy is harbouring horrifying secrets, and it’s only after a series of unsettling incidents start to occur that John begins to wonder who the real Tommy actually is. And when John’s long-repressed rage comes to a head with disastrous results, he soon finds himself unexpectedly indebted to his new friend.
This is the story of a normal man, in a normal marriage, who finds himself in a far from normal situation. A man who discovers a newfound sense of his own power, right at the moment he falls under the influence of someone incredibly dangerous.
David Ireland, Writer, Creator & Exec Producer:
“Cold Water started with a question I was asking myself. Where do I want to live – the countryside or the city? Such an innocent beginning, but from it came this dark, funny, twisted thriller. I was delighted when Sister loved the script and thrilled when ITV decided to commission it. And I’m amazed we’ve managed to attract such a peerless cast, led by the formidable Andrew Lincoln. I hope viewers will be find it intoxicating.”
