The new ITV crime drama The Dark, starring Outlander's Laura Donnelly and Karen Pirie's Mark Rowley, premieres this Sunday, July 12, at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX. Based on GR Halliday's debut novel From the Shadows, the six-part series follows DI Monica Kennedy and DC Connor Crawford as they hunt a masked serial killer in the Scottish Highlands.
Plot and Setting
The series is set in the atmospheric Scottish countryside, which Laura Donnelly described as 'a leading character.' She said at the ITV Showcase: 'Scotland is kind of a leading character and that was actually a huge part of what attracted me to it. I've spent a lot of time in Scotland, and when you get up around that landscape it's all very evocative.'
The story begins when the body of a young man is found staged in the wilderness. DI Kennedy fears this is just the start of a terrifying campaign. As paranoia rises, locals realise a serial killer is hidden among them. Kennedy must stop the killer before more victims are claimed, but her own history threatens her judgment.
Cast and Characters
Laura Donnelly plays DI Monica Kennedy, a detective with experience dealing with dark humanity. Mark Rowley plays her new partner DC Connor Crawford. Helen Baxendale portrays distraught mother Bethany Morgan, whose missing son is linked to the case. The trailer reveals the detectives' theory that 'the killer lives among' the community.
Viewer Expectations
Donnelly called the show 'a really cosy evening viewing' despite its dark subject matter, blending gripping crime with the evocative Scottish landscape. The series is perfect for fans of The Bay and promises a tense cat-and-mouse hunt across breathtaking scenery.
