Insomnia on Paramount Plus sees Line of Duty star Vicky McClure play a woman whose insomnia pushes her to the cusp of a psychotic breakdown. Based on the bestseller Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough, the drama follows Vicky's character Emma Averill, a successful career woman who inexplicably stops being able to sleep and must unravel the secrets to her painful past before her insomnia takes her over the edge. The gripping series also stars The Gold star Tom Cullen as Emma's husband Robert.
The makers have now released first look pictures and revealed when it will be released. Here's everything you need to know about the Paramount Plus series Insomnia…
Insomnia release date
Insomnia is a six-part series that will premiere in the UK on Paramount Plus on Thursday May 23 2024. We don't have a US release date as yet, but we will update with that as soon as we can.
* Sign up for Paramount Plus here.
Is there a trailer for Insomnia?
Yes Paramount has now released its trailer for Insomnia and it looks terrifying! Vicky McClure is amazing. Take a look below...
What is the plot of Insomnia?
Insomnia follows Emma Averill (Vicky McClure), a successful career woman, wife and mother who starts to suffer from insomnia (sleep deprivation) a few weeks before her 40th birthday. What’s scary is that the exact same thing happened to her mother, who suffered a violent psychotic breakdown on the night of her own 40th.
Emma's mother had warned her that she had the same "bad blood" and would suffer an identical fate, so when history starts to repeat itself Emma is terrified for her future. As events worsen, Emma’s world begins to unravel and she realises she must delve into her painful past to find the answers to her present and prevent a second tragedy in the family.
Insomnia cast — Vicky McClure on playing Emma Averill
In Insomnia Vicky McClure plays Emma Averill, a woman who believes she’s losing her grip on reality. Vicky’s recent experience of turning 40 was much more positive as she received an MBE and married her long-term boyfriend, so she’s full of smiles as she tells us more about her gripping new drama, and why the role was too good to miss.
This feels like a very different role for you – what made you say yes to Insomnia?
Vicky McCLure says: "Every role is different – I’m not a bomb disposal expert in real life, but neither am I a mother of two, so all the parts you play are challenging, but there was just something about this one. I didn’t want to do a big job after filming the second series of Trigger Point, because I was getting married and I had other plans, but then the scripts for Insomnia came in and completely scuppered all of that, the project was just too good to resist. It was the role, but also the writer’s wild imagination, I just loved it. I know people always talk about dramas having twists and turns, but my goodness a lot goes on in such a short space of time!"
Was Emma a challenging character for you to play?
"It took me a while to find her – I wasn’t sure what to do with my accent, because I'm fairly common and she's not! But I also didn’t want to make her really posh, because that’s not her either. Then I had to work out what life was like for her as a mum. Before the start of the drama, she was in a good place, but then it all just starts to unravel for her, and that was definitely something I wanted to get my teeth into."
Emma’s world begins to crumble when she’s gripped by insomnia – did you have any experience of sleepless nights?
"We’ve all had disturbed sleep occasionally, and it’s really disruptive and jarring for anyone, but insomnia is like a whole new level of that. I did do some research on it, and I’ve spoken to people who have had bouts of insomnia, but it’s one of those things that is very unique to the person experiencing it. What it can do to you in terms of your behaviour is frightening, it must be so scary to go through it – luckily I haven’t.
"For Emma, it’s not just the insomnia but the stuff she’s doing when she’s asleep, which she has absolutely no control over, like sleepwalking, which is very disconcerting for her. This has come off the back of something that happened to her in her past with her mother, and it’s important to show the authenticity of that, but some of the story is quite supernatural too. We’re merging those two worlds and it looks really interesting and different on screen. The series has got a really freaky edge to it but still feels rooted in real life."
Emma’s sister, Phoebe [played by Leanne Best], comes back into her life at the same time, which she finds very triggering – how important is that dynamic in this story?
"Their relationship is a huge element of the series, which was part of the appeal for me as I’m so close to my sister. There’s a massive underbelly of trauma from the past that tore them apart as young kids, but you still can't break a sisterhood. I love Leanne, and actually we look frighteningly similar on camera – I saw some footage the other day and I thought I was looking at myself, but it was her, we even share some of the same mannerisms."
You have your own production company now, and you’re an executive producer on this series – how does that change your approach to the job?
"It's amazing, I've absolutely loved being more involved because I’m nosey! Once you start filming you’ve just got more jobs each day and more responsibility, but it’s not difficult for me because I like to graft. Playing a lead character, I need to know what's going on anyway, and I’m here to make sure everybody has a nice time. On Trigger Point I got a Greggs van to set but on Insomnia it was all about big pizza orders on the night shoots! I haven’t always gone from job to job – I’ve had my time as a jobbing actor doing office jobs in between, so now I’m in this position I love being able to thank everybody."
* Vicky McClure previously played Kate Fleming in the hit BBC series Line Of Duty and has also starred in Trigger Point, Alex Rider, Broadchurch and The Replacement. Vicky shot to fame initially playing Lol in the movie This is England and its sequel series on Channel 4.
Who else is starring in Insomnia?
Insomnia also stars Tom Cullen (Gunpowder, Knightfall, Downton Abbey, The Gold) who plays Emma’s loving husband Robert. He is a a hands-on dad and dedicated family man who thinks life is going swimmingly until his wife’s insomnia spirals out of control. Smylie Bradwell (Wisting) and India Fowler (The Nevers) play Emma and Tom’s children Will and Chloe. Corinna Marlowe (Hysteria) is Emma’s mother, Patricia.
Leanne Best (Compulsion, Bolan’s Shoes) is playing Emma’s estranged sister Phoebe, who shows up in town without a word of warning. She is a free spirit who has recently returned to the UK after a spell working in South America. She reappears in her family’s life with big secrets to reveal.
Lyndsey Marshal (Garrow's Law) plays Caroline who becomes friends with Emma. She's a stranger who comes into Emma’s life after a chance encounter. The pair have an instant connection, but everything is not as innocent as it seems…
Dominic Tighe (Suspicion) and Jade Harrison (Wedding Season) play the Averill family’s close friends Julian and Michelle Simpson, while Robert Gilbert (Killing Eve) is Faisal and Michelle Bonnard (Unforgotten) is D.I Hildreth.
Behind the scenes and more on Insomnia
Insomnia is a six-part series produced by Left Bank Pictures in association with Build Your Own Films, and is Distributed by Sony Pictures Television. Börkur Sigthorsson (The Midwich Cuckoos, Baptiste) will direct INSOMNIA, and joins fellow Executive Producers Andy Harries, Jessica Burdett and Tim Bricknell. Charlotte Essex serves as Producer. Sarah Pinborough is the writer, adapting her novel for screen, as well as serving as Executive Producer. INSOMNIA is produced by Left Bank Pictures in association with All3Media’s Build Your Own Films, and was ordered by Sebastian Cardwell, Deputy Chief Content Officer, UK, Paramount. Sony Pictures Television will distribute the series internationally.
Sarah Pinborough also wrote Behind Her Eyes which was adapted for a Netflix series.
