Filming has begun in Ireland for She Lies in Wait, the upcoming six-part thriller adapted from Gytha Lodge’s novel featuring detective Jonah Sheens. ITV’s Director of Drama Polly Hill and Commissioner Nana Hughes have commissioned the series, which is being adapted for television by screenwriter Ed Whitmore.
What is She Lies in Wait about?
Set across two timelines, She Lies in Wait follows the disappearance and murder of 15-year-old Aurora Jackson after a camping trip in the New Forest in July 2002. Seven teenagers — Topaz, Aurora, Callum, Benners, JoJo, Coralie and Brett — head into Brinken Wood, but only six return.
Aurora’s disappearance triggers an extensive police investigation, while the story later moves more than two decades forward. The surviving members of the group are now in their early 40s and have built successful adult lives, but the secrets surrounding that summer have never completely disappeared.
The story shifts between 2002 and the present day as new developments emerge in the investigation. When Aurora’s body is eventually discovered in a hollow in the forest close to the teenagers’ former campsite, DI Jonah Sheens is assigned to the case.
The investigation also raises questions about a mysterious van that Callum and JoJo reportedly saw in the nearby village of Lyndhurst the morning after Aurora disappeared.
Alongside the murder investigation, the series explores the complicated relationships between the former friends, including their bonds, rivalries, betrayals and past romances. As the investigation progresses, their different accounts of what happened begin to reveal potential motives and long-hidden secrets.
The case also has a personal dimension for Sheens. His new colleague, DC Anita Hanson, joins the investigation on her first day in CID and begins following her own instincts when Sheens’ guarded approach raises questions. In the process, she uncovers a personal connection between the detective and the case that could have serious consequences for him.
Who is in the cast and crew of She Lies in Wait?
She Lies in Wait stars Martin McCann (Blue Lights, Trespasses, Hostage, Say Nothing) as DI Jonah Sheens, a meticulous and dedicated detective whose work is at the centre of the investigation.
Ella Dacres (Last Resort, Paddington in Peru) plays DC Anita Hanson, an enthusiastic new recruit working alongside Sheens, while Stephen Tompkinson (The Fortune, Ellis) appears as experienced DS Donald Tudor.
The cast also includes Jemima Rooper as Topaz Keating, Al Weaver as Callum Dalton, Ben Bailey Smith as Brett Anderson, Bradley James as Daniel “Benners” Benham, Jade Harrison as JoJo Maggins and Olivia Mace as Coralie Ribbans. The actors portraying the group in the present-day storyline reflect their lives more than 20 years after Aurora’s disappearance.
The series is written for television by Ed Whitmore (Grace, Memory of a Killer, Silent Witness, Manhunt) and directed by BAFTA Award winner Marc Evans (Mr Burton, Manhunt, Out There, Steeltown Murders).
Clapperboard Studios produces the series in association with STUDIO TF1. Clapperboard Managing Director Mike Benson and Senior Executive Producer Rachel Gesua serve as co-executive producers, while Myf Hopkins is the producer. STUDIO TF1 will handle international distribution.
She Lies in Wait is currently filming in Ireland.
Source: ITV
