Channel 5 has kicked off its 2021 original drama slate with the commission of a new four-part series, Intruder.
Intruder (4 x 60) will be produced by Clapperboard Studios Ltd, the scripted sister company to Chalkboard TV, which scored critical and commercial success with Channel 5 last year with Cold Call (pictured). International distribution for Intruder will be handled by ITV Studios.
The drama follows affluent, high-flying married couple Rebecca and Sam, whose idyllic lives are shattered after a break in by two local teenagers, Tommy and Syed, at their luxurious coastal house. Family Liason Officer Bailey becomes embroiled in the ensuing investigation, with those involved heading down a dangerous path of cover-up, corruption and murder in a “gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller.”
Elaine Cassidy (No Offence, Fingersmith) plays Rebecca; Tom Meeten (The Ghoul) her husband Sam; Helen Behan (The Virtues, Elizabeth is Missing) their friend and confidante Angela; Pauline Quirke (Birds of a Feather, Broadchurch) is Bailey, whilst television newcomers Adam Richardson and Sonny Poon Tip are Tommy and Syed respectively.
Channel 5 has partnered up once more with some of the lead creatives behind Cold Call, with Mike Benson (Cold Call) serving as Executive Producer and Gareth Tunley (Cold Call, The Ghoul) as the Writer and Director of Intruder. Meanwhile, Julie Ryan (The Young Offenders) serves as Producer on the series.
Channel 5 Deputy Director of Programmes, ViacomCBS Networks UK, Sebastian Cardwell said: “Drama has increasingly become an important part of Channel 5’s programming slate. Intruder demonstrates our continued ambition to collaborate with talented indies such as Clapperboard to deliver punchy prime time drama.”
Executive Producer and Managing Director of Clapperboard Mike Benson said: “Channel 5 really backed Chalkboard with Cold Call and we’re delighted to be working with them again in our first drama as Clapperboard. Intruder is a tale about one awful decision by a married middle class couple, which leads them into increasingly dark deeds and compromises everything they purport to stand for – prepare for a turbulent ride ahead!”
This new commission follows a succession of successful original dramas to have aired on the channel. Last year Cold Call kicked off the channel’s return to original drama and brought in 2.4m viewers. Most recently, The Deceived, which aired in August, averaged 2.9m and All Creatures Great And Small premiered in September with 5m and a 25% share, making it the channel’s highest rating launch for a drama commission ever.
Filming for Intruder has begun in Dublin and will continue through to November. The four-part drama will transmit on Channel 5 in 2021.
Jon Creamer
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