ITV premiere: The Stolen Girl arrives as cast, plot and pact details emerge
The Stolen Girl makes its UK debut on ITV from Wednesday 25th February, bringing the five-part adaptation of Alex Dahl’s bestselling novel Playdate back into the public eye after it originally launched on Disney+ last April. The stolen girl is the centrepiece of a tense psychological thriller that follows the Blix family when their nine-year-old daughter Lucia vanishes after a sleepover.
Broadcast and streaming details
The Stolen Girl premieres on ITV on Wednesday 25th February at 9pm and is a five-episode series with the remaining instalments airing weekly. The series originally aired on Disney+ in April last year and the complete boxset is available to stream on ITVX. The debut on ITV is also part of a deeper content-sharing pact between ITV and Disney that will see a pair of Hulu originals run on the ITV1 broadcast network, with The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox scheduled to follow later in the year.
Cast and credits in The Stolen Girl
Leading the cast is Denise Gough as Elisa Blix, the mother of nine-year-old Lucia. Jim Sturgess plays Fred Blix, Elisa’s husband, and Ambika Mod appears as Selma Desai, a driven journalist at Dash Voice. Holliday Grainger plays Rebecca Walsh, Josie’s mother, and Bronagh Waugh appears as DI Shona Sinclair, the lead investigator on Lucia’s case. Xavier Samuel and other cast members also appear; the series is a Quay Street Productions and Brightstar drama.
Plot: the sleepover and disappearance
Nine-year-old Lucia is keen to have her first sleepover at her new friend Josie’s house. Elisa Blix, a cabin manager on private jets, initially has reservations but meets Josie’s mother Rebecca and visits their home, then allows Lucia to stay overnight. When Elisa and Fred Blix arrive to collect Lucia the following day, Rebecca, Josie and Lucia have vanished without trace. The house is found empty except for a cleaner who tells the devastated couple that “no one lives here. ” The Stolen Girl unfolds into a story of deception, family secrets and betrayal as characters and investigators seek answers.
Characters and backstories
Elisa Blix is identified in the story as a cabin manager on private jets and the mother whose decision to allow the sleepover sets events in motion. Fred Blix is described as a criminal barrister whose world is turned upside down when Lucia is kidnapped. Marcus Turner is named as a hotelier and Elisa’s former lover who is currently serving time in prison. Selma Desai is portrayed as a journalist who feels the police are not moving fast enough and who leads her own investigation into Lucia’s abduction. DI Shona Sinclair is the official lead investigator on the case.
Profiles and previous work
Denise Gough is noted for Olivier Award-winning stage performances in People, Places and Things and Angels in America, and screen roles that include Dedra Meero in Andor, Connie Mortensen in Too Close, and the titular role in the thriller Paula. Jim Sturgess is described as an English actor and singer-songwriter best known for playing Jude in Across the Universe, Ben Campbell in 21 and Dexter Mayhew in the 2011 One Day film; other credits listed include Cloud Atlas, Fifty Dead Men Walking and voice work in Legend of the Guardians. Ambika Mod is noted for playing Emma Morley in the 2024 Netflix series One Day and Shruti Acharya in the 2022 drama This Is Going to Hurt, and has also appeared in I Hate Suzie. Holliday Grainger is referenced for her role as DCI Rachel Carey in The Capture, which is set to return for a third season this March, and for credits including Waterloo Road, Mickey 17, Strike and Cinderella. Bronagh Waugh’s credits include The Fall and Hollyoaks, which she starred in from 2009 to 2013, as well as Ridley, Viewpoint, Unforgotten, Derry Girls and Death in Paradise. Xavier Samuel is listed as best known for roles in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Elvis and Blonde and other works including The Loved Ones, Adore, Anonymous and Fury, and the incomplete listing in the provided context also references the TV shows The Clearing an
Industry agreement and executive statements
The ITV–Disney arrangement builds on an earlier streaming pact that saw limited amounts of content move between the two services; in July last year Disney+ added a Taste of ITVX rail and ITVX added a Taste of Disney+ rail to provide curated portions of the other’s content. The Stolen Girl is presented as one of the Hulu originals to run on ITV1 under the branding Disney+ presents a Hulu Original. Karl Holmes, General Manager, Disney+ EMEA, said the move marks an exciting step in collaboration with ITV and that airing the series on ITV’s primetime platform will introduce millions more viewers to Hulu Originals on Disney+. Kevin Lygo, Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, said he was delighted to be deepening the relationship with Disney and described bringing these premium original series into the primetime linear schedule as fantastic for ITV audiences, calling the extension a complement to the existing relationship and a showcase of the content-sharing model established last summer.
Reception and viewer responses
Early viewer reaction cited in the context calls the show “very suspenseful” and “binge-worthy. ” One fan on IMDb wrote, “Very suspenseful! I thoroughly enjoyed this. If you like any of Harlan Coben's series, you'll enjoy this. ” Another described it as “Such an exciting watch. Very suspenseful and leaves viewers guessing until the end. ” A third fan stated, “I saw the entire show in ONE GO. The show starts and holds you. The performances are perfect. Direction flawless... production values excellent. Just watch it and come back here and tell me that you got hooked on it. Go watch it and enjoy the ride. ”
Unclear in the provided context.
Closing: The Stolen Girl reaches ITV viewers from Wednesday 25th February as a five-part adaptation of Alex Dahl’s Playdate that first appeared on Disney+ last April; it combines a high-profile cast, a missing-child mystery and an expanded content-sharing arrangement between broadcasters and streamers.
