Published: 07 Jun 2017
The beautiful, haunting shores of Scotland’s most iconic loch is the stunning backdrop for new six-part drama, The Loch which is produced by ITV Studios.
Acclaimed actors Laura Fraser (Houdini and Doyle, The Missing, Peter & Wendy), Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley, Benidorm, Downton Abbey) and John Sessions (Upstart Crow, Florence Foster Jenkins, The Rack Pack) star in the new series alongside Don Gilét (Brief Encounters, Holby City, EastEnders), Gray O'Brien (The Daniel Connection, Titanic: Blood and Steel, Coronation Street) and William Ash (The Tunnel, Moving On, Death in Paradise).
In a community nourished and sustained by myth and bordered by untamed nature, the search for a serial killer becomes a matter of life and death for local detective Annie Redford (played by Laura Fraser) who is trying to cope with her first murder case. When the body of local man Niall Swift is found at the foot of CarnMohr Mountain and an isolated human heart on the loch shore, the town’s normality is shattered and the nightmare begins. Chillingly, the beautiful scenery, undulating highlands and vast expansive loch becomes a character in its own right adding a haunting depth to the community’s plight.
Written by Stephen Brady (Fortitude, Vera, Silent Witness) and overseen by ITV Studios Creative Director for Drama and Executive Producer Tim Haines (Beowulf, Primeval, Sinbad), The Loch introduces Annie and her family – husband Alan (played by Gray O’Brien), a tour boat operator on the loch and their only child Evie, who at 18, is about to leave home for Australia. The Redford’s are an ordinary loving family with an ordinary set of problems, yet the pressure of a murder investigation will undermine their stability and create tensions that threaten to disrupt and destroy their lives together. Within the tightly knit community, several local characters will come under suspicion as the monster lurking in their midst begins to terrify and rock the village to its core.
Executive producer Tim Haines commented: “Serial killers are monsters that lie beneath the surface of normal happy communities. Where better to hunt for one than in a place that has thrived off its own monster myth for centuries - Loch Ness.”
The Loch has been commissioned for ITV by former Drama Commissioner Steve November and Drama Commissioner Jane Hudson.
Working alongside Executive Producer Tim Haines, Alan J (Willy) Wands (Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Stonemouth, The Field of Blood WhiskyGalore!) produces The Loch with Brian Kelly (Downton Abbey, Outlander, Dracula, Lewis) as lead director. Cilla Ware will also direct the series. The Loch is distributed internationally by ITV Studios Global Entertainment.
The Loch filmed in the Highlands of Scotland during the summer of 2016 and is supported by Creative Scotland’s Production Growth Fund.
Robbie Allen, Senior Screen Executive at Creative Scotland said: “Creative Scotland is delighted to have worked with ITV Studios on this thrilling murder mystery, set on the shores of Loch Ness. The Production Growth Fund has allowed us to bring another high-profile television production to Scotland, further developing Scotland’s reputation as a key filming destination where productions can benefit from working with our world class craft and technical talent.”
The first episode of The Loch screens on Sunday 11 June at 9pm on ITV.
ENDS
About Creative Scotland The Loch which filmed in the Highlands of Scotland during 2016 is supported by Creative Scotland’s Production Growth Fund, which aims to attract and grow film production in Scotland, creating employment opportunities, encouraging the use of production facilities companies and delivering significant economic benefit.Recent productions also supported by Creative Scotland’s Production Growth Fund include the ITV series Muncie produced by World Productions.
