David Morrissey among leads in ITV thriller Gone as premiere date confirmed
Eve Myles will headline the six-part crime drama Gone opposite david morrissey, who plays a local headmaster accused when his wife vanishes. The series, written by George Kay and directed by Richard Laxton, draws partial inspiration from the book To Hunt a Killer and the career of former Detective Superintendent Julie Mackay, and it arrives in March.
David Morrissey cast as headmaster Michael Polly
David Morrissey plays Michael Polly, a head teacher and the prime suspect in his wife Sarah’s disappearance. The character is described as an upstanding member of the community who is inscrutable and who likes order and precision in his working life until Detective Annie Cassidy begins to investigate. Morrissey has credits that include The Long Shadow, Sherwood and Britannia, and he said: "I’m delighted to be reunited with George Kay and the wonderful team at New Pictures. And to be working for the first time with the amazing Eve Myles and Richard Laxton. "
Eve Myles as Detective Annie Cassidy and her career context
Eve Myles stars as Det Annie Cassidy, a "super bright, gutsy" investigator who starts a compulsive game of cat and mouse with Michael Polly as she chips away at his veneer in search of the truth. Myles is best known for roles in Broadchurch and Keeping Faith and for playing Gwen Cooper in Torchwood; she said: "When you play someone as strong as [Torchwood's] Gwen Cooper, someone so recognisable, it's quite difficult to come away from that or for other people to see you do anything differently. " At the Wales Screen Summit in October she revealed she had considered quitting acting because of a lack of quality roles for women and added, "I think it's definitely getting better, female-led drama. "
Fictional story draws on To Hunt a Killer and Julie Mackay’s work
Gone is a fictional series partly inspired by the book To Hunt a Killer and the career and work of former Detective Superintendent Julie Mackay. The book was written by crime correspondent Robert Murphy about Mackay’s 2009 cold case investigation, which reopened the 1984 murder of Melanie Road as she walked home from a nightclub in Bath. Mackay’s investigation led to Christopher Hampton being jailed for life for the teenager’s murder. Both Julie Mackay and Robert Murphy served as consultants on the TV series.
Creative team, setting and themes named by writer George Kay
George Kay, who wrote The Long Shadow, Hijack and Lupin, penned the script for Gone, and Richard Laxton directs; Laxton’s past credits include Mrs Wilson, Burton and Taylor and Joan. Kay said the series is inspired by real-life research and described the story as one about privilege and prejudice, with Eve Myles’s Detective Annie Cassidy going head-to-head with the main suspect Michael Polly, played by David Morrissey. The series is set against the backdrop of a prestigious private school, a foreboding forest and the quiet sprawl of Bristol, and it explores trauma, trust and the legacy of elite institutions.
Cast list and broadcast plans, including early streaming
The cast also features Emma Appleton as Alana, Sarah and Michael’s daughter and a teacher at the school, making their involvement a family affair. Other named cast members include Jennifer Macbeth, Arthur Hughes, Nicholas Nunn, Elliot Cowan, Billy Barratt, Rupert Evans, Jodie McNee, Oscar Batterham and Clare Higgins. Gone will premiere on Sunday 8 March at 9pm ET on ITV1; it will also air on ITV and STV from Sunday 8th March at 9pm, and episodes are set to be released ahead of transmission on the ITV streaming service. The series is described as a six-part fictional mystery following Det Annie Cassidy as she attempts to solve the mysterious case of a missing woman.
