The production company behind Chernobyl and This is Going to Hurt is making a new 6-part thriller for ITV.
Cold Water stars Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead, Teachers) and Ewen Bremner (Our Flag Means Death, Trainspotting), it’s been written by award-winning playwright David Ireland (The Lovers, Ulster American, Cyprus Avenue).
Produced by SISTER, it’s set in the fictional Scottish village of Coldwater, with Lincoln playing 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, he moves his family to the rural idyll of Coldwater, as far away from London as possible.
Upon arrival, he’s quickly befriended by next-door neighbour Tommy (Bremner) and his wife the local vicar Rebecca (Eve Myles). While John is both impressed and slightly fascinated by Tommy, his wife Fiona (Indira Varma) despises him.
When her husband’s relationship with the new neighbour becomes increasingly intense, her suspicions are aroused. She is unconvinced Tommy is all he seems to be. John remains 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.
It’s described as 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.”
“Cold Water started with a question I was asking myself. Where do I want to live – the countryside or the city?” explained David Ireland, Writer, Creator & Exec Producer.
“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.”
Chris Fry, Managing Director & Exec Producer, SISTER added:
“The rural idyll of Coldwater is at first glance a place where nothing bad could ever happen, but you know with David’s bold, subversive writing darkness is always lurking just beneath the surface. David is a master of crafting morally complex characters that you feel utterly compelled to watch, and we can’t put these scripts down.
“Led by the incredible Andrew Lincoln, Ewen Bremner, Indira Varma and Eve Myles, Cold Water is a thriller that will surprise, horrify and delight in equal measure. Myself and my brilliant fellow executive producers, Alice Tyler, Lydia Hampson and Jane Featherstone at SISTER are excited to be partnering once again with Polly, ITV, the teams at ITV Studios.”
The series will be executive produced by Chris Fry (Landscapers, Kaos), Alice Tyler (The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies), Lydia Hampson (Fleabag, The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies) and Jane Featherstone (Chernobyl, Eric), for SISTER, David Ireland and Andrew Lincoln. Brian Coffey (Dinosaur, Our Ladies) is set to produce.
Filming is due to start later this year.
