ITV is set to premiere a new Scottish thriller, The Dark, on Sunday, July 12, 2026, at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX. The series, based on GR Halliday's novel From the Shadows, follows DI Monica Kennedy (Laura Donnelly) and her new partner DC Connor Crawford (Mark Rowley) as they hunt a serial killer terrorising the Scottish countryside after a young man's body is discovered in an eerily staged scene.
Official Synopsis and Premise
According to the official synopsis: 'As fear spreads through the rural community and secrets begin to unravel, Monica finds herself in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the killer. But when the case becomes intertwined with her own past, she must confront whether her personal history could put both the investigation and her family at risk.'
Helen Baxendale, known for her role in Friends, plays Bethany Morgan in the thriller. She described the show as 'properly scary' and 'so different to anything else on TV'. In an interview, she said: 'It seemed like a really exciting show and it was properly scary! I don't watch a lot of shows like this, because I can find scary things and horror quite upsetting, but I loved the world of the show because it feels so different from anything else on TV.'
Unique Approach to Crime Drama
Baxendale highlighted the show's departure from typical police procedurals: 'It's not based in the realm of procedural detective work and we don't see a police station. Instead, it feels like the show is much more from the wilds of Scotland and the dark. My character, Bethany, lives in a very dark farmhouse, with lots of rain and wind, it's all very evocative and I really liked the feel of it. Of course she goes on an awful journey, but it was fun to play.'
The series was primarily shot throughout Glasgow in September 2025, along with the town of Greenock in Inverclyde. Baxendale, who began her career in Scotland, expressed fondness for returning: 'My career started in Scotland, so it was very nice to return there. I have very good memories of being in Glasgow, the city was very good to me. I met my husband there, and I did my first telly job up there too, Cardiac Arrest.'
Filming Locations and Atmosphere
She added: 'I love Glasgow, it's such an amazing city – the buildings and the architecture are wonderful and it's a really beautiful, vibrant place. I really enjoyed revisiting it. The location for Bethany and Barclay's home was a real working farm. It was a sodden, isolated place with hundreds of hens wildly running free – you had to dodge them as you came up the hill. There were pens of pigs right next to the house and there was a real blasted heath nature to the place. It was really right for that couple – two people who are almost wild themselves.'
The Dark airs on Sunday, July 12, 2026, at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
