Filming has started on a new ITV drama adapted from a book by Vera author Ann Cleeves.
Directed by Lee Haven Jones, the man at the helm of smash hit show The Bay, The Long Call follows Detective Inspector Matthew Venn, played by Our Girl star Ben Aldridge, who has returned to live in a small community in North Devon with his husband, Jonathan (Declan Bennett).
Matthew was brought up in the Barum Brethren before leaving to go to University. At 19 he knew he couldn’t continue amongst the community and to his mother’s shock and dismay, he declared publicly he no longer believed.
Now he's back, not just to grieve for his father, but to lead a shocking murder investigation back where it all began for him.
Matthew is now forced to re-engage with the community he left, including the most painful and challenging of relationships, with his mother Dorothy played by award-winning actress Juliet Stevenson.
After the body of a man is found on the beach close to Matthew’s home, the investigation throws a cast of doubt on the whole community.
Matthew and his team have to get to the bottom of a case which bring with it old wounds and a deadly secret in order to expose the killer.
Other well known faces in The Long Call, filmed on location in Bristol and the beautiful North Devon coast, include Martin Shaw, Neil Morrissey and EastEnders legend Anita Dobson.
Speaking about the casting of Ben in the lead role, Whitley Bay-based author Ann said: "I can’t think of anyone who could play Matthew Venn better than Ben Aldridge. He will bring an authenticity and commitment to the role.
"I always hoped that the actor chosen would come from Devon, where the books are set, and he does."
As filming continues on the new series of Vera, Ann added: "Ben was the actor who read the audio book even before the TV show was commissioned. I love his pared-back, restrained narration.
He’s worked on the novel as well as the script, and so he understands the character in depth. No author could wish for more.”
