Jeremy Swift, best known for playing Mr Spratt in Downton Abbey, has joined the cast of the BBC's upcoming four-part drama The Witch Farm. The series, set in the Welsh countryside in 1989, is written by Danny Robins, creator of the paranormal podcast and TV series Uncanny, the docu-drama podcast The Battersea Poltergeist, and the West End production of 2:22 - A Ghost Story.
Based on the Popular Podcast
The Witch Farm draws on first-hand accounts, theories, and real events explored in Danny Robins' original podcast of the same name. The cast includes Gabrielle Creevy as Liz and Michael Socha as Bill, who leave their London lives behind for Heol Fanog, a remote modern farmhouse in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons, with their teenage son Jonathan, played by Lewin Lloyd.
A synopsis teases that the family's limits will be tested as frightening events unfold. It reads: "At first, the isolation feels like freedom. But when frightening, inexplicable things begin to happen around the house, and a strange figure begins to appear, the family starts to feel increasingly scared."
First-Look Images Released
The BBC has shared first-look images, showing a group holding hands and looking up at the ceiling, a pregnant Liz in a nightgown before a stone wall with markings, and Swift in his role as Eddie Burks, standing outside a house in a long trench coat. Another image shows two people hugging with a blurred figure lurking behind them.
Also joining the cast are Sian Gibson, Robert Pugh, Edward Holcroft, and Roger Evans. Danny Robins, who serves as writer, creator, and executive producer, expressed excitement about the TV adaptation, saying: "Making the original podcast series of The Witch Farm was an exciting, thrill-ride in itself - finding a real-life case that - just maybe - comes close to answering that biggest of all questions, 'do ghosts exist?'"
He added: "Now things are getting even more exciting, as we evolve the story into a TV drama with this fantastic cast and the brilliant director Stacey Gregg. Get ready for a supernatural thriller that plays out as the most deliciously dark detective story - an emotional rollercoaster that will have you gripped, moved and spine-tingled. I can't wait to spook you out."
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, commented: "Taking BBC Drama viewers into the hugely popular world of Danny’s podcasts for the first time is incredibly exciting, and in Gabrielle and Michael we have the perfect leads." She added: "Whether you're already a fan of Danny's work or are coming to the story of The Witch Farm for the first time, be prepared for some scares!"
The BBC has not yet announced an exact release date for when The Witch Farm will air.
