Fans of ITV's crime drama The Blame have been left speechless after recognising one of the show's stars. The new series centres on DI Emma Crane (Michelle Keegan) and DI Tom Radley (Douglas Booth), who investigate the death of Sophie Madsen in the fictional town of Wakestead. As the case deepens, Emma's pursuit of the truth puts her at odds with other detectives, forcing her to take unusual risks to find the perpetrator.
Sophie star's Coronation Street past
The murder victim Sophie is played by Matilda Freeman, who will be familiar to ITV viewers. From 2017 to 2020, the young actress played Summer Spellman in Coronation Street, appearing in 147 episodes, with her first appearance airing in June 2017. Summer was introduced as the adoptive daughter of Todd Grimshaw (then Bruno Langley) and Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank).
In 2020, it was announced that Matilda had left the soap to explore acting opportunities, with the role of Summer being recast to Harriet Bibby. After her exit, she said: "I'd like to say thank you to my second family, the cast, crew and viewers who have supported me during my time on the cobbles. After three and a half lovely years, I felt it was time for a change and I'm excited to be starting that next chapter with a new role."
Viewers' reactions
After watching the fourth episode of The Blame on Monday (September 28), a number of viewers shared their surprise at finally realising where they had seen Matilda before. One TikTok user wrote: "Hold on.. didn't she used to play Summer in Corrie? On episode 4 & I've only just realised." Another added: "She didddddd omg before they re cast her."
A third said: "I thought I recognised her but couldn't place where, thank you for confirming." Someone else commented: "I thought she looked familiar." A fifth viewer echoed the sentiment: "I did the same!! Literally didn't realise till that image appeared, once I googled her I recognised her name immediately."
Acclaim and availability
Since its debut last week, The Blame has received widespread acclaim from both critics and viewers. Ahead of its premiere, lead star Michelle Keegan, who also previously appeared in Coronation Street, spoke about what attracted her to the role of Emma: "I've never played a police officer before, so that was exciting. Also, the storyline was interesting in how it tackles that 'lad culture' and misogyny within the workplace. I hope it starts conversations and change behaviours." The Blame is available to stream on ITVX.
