Actress Michelle Keegan is to play a police detective inspector in a new ITV crime drama that explores misogyny and police corruption.
In The Blame, former Coronation Street actress Keegan stars as DI Emma Crane, who investigates the death of a teenage figure skater along with Douglas Booth’s DI Tom Radley.
When the body of Sophie Madsen is discovered it sends shockwaves through the town of Wakestead, and DI Crane finds herself navigating a murder investigation and the politics inside her own team amid institutional coverups.
Keegan, 38, has starred in a number of TV dramas including crime series Fool Me Once on Netflix.
Booth is best known for films The Riot Club and Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, as well as the BBC’s 2011 Great Expectations adaptation.
Also joining the cast is Mr Bates Vs The Post Office actor Ian Hart as DCI Kenneth Walker, Line Of Duty’s Nigel Boyle as digital forensic technician Brett Shergill, Keegan’s Fool Me Once co-star Joe Armstrong as ice-skating coach Kyle Frasier, and Coronation Street actress Matilda Freeman as murder victim Sophie.
House Of The Dragon actor Gavin Spokes, Masters Of The Air star Josh Bolt and Cheaters actor Ceallach Spellman play Wakestead police officers DC Joel Stevens, DC Douglas James and PC Callum Drummond.
Produced by Quay Street Productions, the six-part drama, based on the debut novel by Charlotte Langley, will begin filming this summer around London.
Lead writer and executive producer Megan Gallagher said: “The Blame is such an important and urgent story to tell; I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to bring Charlotte Langley’s world and characters to life on screen.”
ITV’s director of drama Polly Hill, who will oversee the production, said: “The Blame is a brilliant new crime thriller full of surprising twists and a compelling investigation that also cleverly tackles police corruption, exploitation and misogyny as the thriller unravels.
“Megan is such a wonderful and clever writer, and with Michelle Keegan in the lead and (executive producer) Nicola Shindler at the helm, this is going to be an unmissable drama and one I’m very proud to have on ITV.”
Shindler and Richard Fee, executive producers for Quay Street Productions, added: “We are so delighted to be working with Megan again, she is an exceptional writer who has written a compelling series taking viewers on a twisty journey to discover what really happened through the lens of a contemporary police station brimming with secrets, corruption, and betrayal.
“We are also thrilled at the brilliant cast led by Michelle and Douglas, who will keep viewers on the edge of their seats, wondering who to trust at a time when the themes explored in The Blame are more relevant than ever.”
The series will air on ITV1 and STV, with streaming available on ITVX and STV Player.
