Karen Pirie begins this September on ITV and the episodes are going to have you HOOKED!
The series is the next big crime drama this autumn, and it’s from the novelist behind the excellent Wire in Blood and Traces.
But what is the show about, who’s in the cast, how many episodes are there and when does it start?
Here’s everything you need to know about Karen Pirie on ITV!
What is Karen Pirie on ITV about?
DS Karen Pirie is a young and fearless Scottish investigator with a quick mouth and a tenacious desire for the truth.
We love her already!
She’s called when a cold case rears its ugly head.
In 1996, teenager Rosie Duff was found brutally murdered in the Scottish university town of St Andrews.
Police suspected the three drunken students who were discovered at the scene of the crime, claiming to have found her body – Sigmund ‘Ziggy’ Malkiewicz, Tom ‘Weird’ Mackie and Alex Gilbey.
But, at the time, no charges were ever brought against them and the police investigation floundered due to a lack of forensic evidence.
Twenty-five years on, however, someone appears to be willing to risk everything to keep the secrets surrounding the case hidden.
Do the three men know more than they previously revealed?
How flawed was the original investigation?
And can Karen uncover the truth of what happened to Rosie that fateful night?
Is it based on a book?
Karen Pirie IS based on a series of books.
The ITV series is based on Val McDermid’s book series about DS Karen Pirie.
There are currently six books in the series, with the most recent book in the series published in 2020.
The first series is based on Val McDermid’s original Karen Pirie novel The Distant Echo, which was published in 2003.
In the first episode, Karen is tasked with reopening a historic murder investigation that has been the subject of a provocative true crime podcast.
While the original murder in the book was set in 1978, the series brings the murder up to 1996, with the new investigation set in present day.
Who is in the cast of Karen Pirie?
Lauren Lyle leads the cast as DS Karen Pirie.
The actress is best known for playing Marsali MacKimmie Fraser in Outlander, and as Jade Antoniak in the Suranne Jones BBC drama Vigil.
Emer Kenny stars as River Wilde in the show, and also wrote the adaptation!
Of course, EastEnders fans will know her best as Zsa Zsa Carter in EastEnders, but she also played Bunty in Father Brown.
Chris Jenks plays DC Jason Murray, and Sex Education fans will recognise him as Steve Morley from the series.
Gemma McElhinney stars as Janice Hogg, and she recently starred in the Scottish award-winning film, Beats.
Rakhee Thakrar plays podcaster Bel Richmond.
Viewers will know her from Sex Education, her role as Shabnam in EastEnders, and her shocking role in the recent Rules of the Game.
Former Casualty actress Anna Russell-Martin plays the murder victim, Rosie Duff, in flashbacks.
Kevin Mains joins the cast as DS Jimmy Lawson, who you might recognise as DS Iain Boyd from the third series of Shetland.
Jhon Lumsden plays Sigmund ‘Ziggy’ Malkiewicz in his first major role. He previously had small roles in Doctors and in BBC Scotland short Pancake.
Jack Hesketh plays Tom ‘Weird’ Mackie, who previously starred in the Albanian series Besa.
Buom Tihngang stars as Alex Gilbey in Karen Pirie.
He has previously had guest spots in Death In Paradise, Doctor Who and Endeavour.
Meanwhile, Bodyguard actor Michael Schaeffer also stars as Tom ‘Weird’ Mackie senior, Ariyon Bakare from His Dark Materials plays Alex Gilbey senior and Alec Newman from Unforgotten stars as Sigmund ‘Ziggy’ Malkiewicz senior.
How many episodes of Karen Pirie are there?
Karen Pirie will run for three episodes.
Each episode will be two hours long.
It will take the Vera/Ridley slot on Sunday nights – perfect for those long, dark pre-Monday morning evenings.
That’s a lot of content for a faithful adaptation of the Val McDermid book!
Read More: The Suspect on ITV: Viewers share killer theories on Aidan Turner drama
When does the show start?
Karen Pirie starts on ITV1 on Sunday September 25 2022 at 8pm.
The episodes will also be available on the ITV hub after airing.
Get the popcorn in.
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