David Morrissey to play inscrutable headmaster in new six-part thriller Gone
david morrissey stars as head teacher Michael Polly in Gone, a six-part fictional crime drama that pairs him opposite Eve Myles’s Detective Annie Cassidy. The series, partly inspired by the book To Hunt a Killer and a real cold-case investigation, will premiere on Sunday 8 March at 9pm ET.
Eve Myles plays Detective Annie Cassidy, a character shaped by Julie Mackay's career
Eve Myles portrays Det Annie Cassidy, a super-bright, gutsy investigator who drives the central inquiry. The character was inspired by the career of former detective Julie Mackay, and both Mackay and crime correspondent Robert Murphy served as consultants on the show. Myles said she had once considered quitting acting because of a lack of quality roles for women, a concern she raised at the Wales Screen Summit in October, and reflected on the challenge of escaping a recognisable part when she referenced her role as Gwen Cooper in Torchwood. She has previously been best known for roles in Broadchurch and Keeping Faith.
David Morrissey cast as head teacher Michael Polly, the prime suspect
David Morrissey plays Michael Polly, a local head teacher who becomes the prime suspect in his wife Sarah’s disappearance. Polly is presented as an upstanding member of the community: inscrutable, orderly and precise in his working life. As Det Annie Cassidy probes, a compulsive game of cat and mouse develops; Polly often does not display emotion, which only heightens Annie’s suspicions that all may not be as it seems. The family element is deepened by Sarah and Michael’s daughter, Alana, who is played by Emma Appleton and works as a teacher at the same school.
Six-part fictional series shaped by real cold-case work and the book To Hunt a Killer
Gone is a six-part fictional drama written by George Kay and directed by Richard Laxton. The production draws partial inspiration from To Hunt a Killer, a book by crime correspondent Robert Murphy that chronicles Detective Superintendent Julie Mackay’s 2009 reopening of a cold-case investigation into the 1984 murder of 17-year-old Melanie Road, who was killed while walking home from a nightclub in Bath. Mackay’s 2009 investigation resulted in Christopher Hampton being jailed for life for the teenager’s murder. Both Mackay and Murphy acted as consultants as the writers shaped a fictional case around that real-life research.
Setting, creative team and cast beyond the leads
The series is set against the backdrop of a prestigious private school, a foreboding forest and the quiet sprawl of Bristol. George Kay, who wrote The Long Shadow and has credits including Hijack and Lupin, described the story as one about privilege and prejudice, and said the truth is tantalisingly close—"or at least, that’s what Annie thinks. " Richard Laxton’s directing credits include Mrs Wilson, Burton and Taylor and Joan. Alongside Eve Myles and David Morrissey, the ensemble features Emma Appleton, Jennifer Macbeth, Arthur Hughes, Nicholas Nunn, Elliot Cowan, Billy Barrett, Rupert Evans, Jodie McNee, Oscar Batterham and Clare Higgins; one write-up also lists the name as Billy Barratt. The show was announced in November and has been described as "gripping" and "psychological. "
Release plans, early availability and promotional remarks from the leads
The series will premiere on Sunday 8 March at 9pm ET, with episodes set to be released ahead of transmission on a streaming service. Eve Myles said she was thrilled to be playing Detective Annie Cassidy, calling the character intuitive, gutsy and someone who doesn’t suffer fools, and added that Annie has met her match in Michael Polly, whom she described as a formidable adversary played by David Morrissey. Morrissey said he was delighted to be reunited with George Kay and to be working for the first time with Eve Myles and director Richard Laxton.
Background notes and related items visible alongside coverage
The programme’s inspiration includes the book To Hunt a Killer and the career and work of Julie Mackay and crime correspondent Robert Murphy, who has reported on many complex criminal cases in the West of England. The real-life cold-case involved Melanie Road’s 1984 murder in Bath and a 2009 investigation that led to Christopher Hampton’s life sentence. Separate headlines running alongside the original coverage highlighted other stories, including twin sisters discovering they were identical, a mother's reaction to a son's assisted-dying wish, an account of spiking, international news about attacks involving the US and Israel and smoke rising in Tehran, and commentary on a politician pressing on with immigration reforms after a by-election defeat. One of the writers who covered the television announcement is identified as Molly Moss, described as a trends writer with an MA in Newspaper Journalism who has previously written for national publications. The presentation of the coverage online noted that permission is needed to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes to load certain content on the page.
