After the Flood partly inspired by horrific true story of drowned couple

The series, which tackles the impact of climate change, comes from writer Mick Ford, who is known for his work on Harlan Coben thrillers Stay Close and The Stranger. He explained that the story at the heart of the series is partially inspired by a real one.

Asked about the timeline of mapping out the series and whether the body in the lift came before the flood in the storyline process, Ford said: “The idea of a body found after a flood, but it has been dead from before the flood, was a good one. That was early on, so we then felt we could write about climate change.

"It's great if you can write about important things but if you are too worthy about it no one will make it. It must be just part of the fabric of the story. Once I'd got into the locked-room aspect I found that story had happened to a couple in Tel Aviv in a hotel.

"They went down in the lift into a flash flood which fused the electrics and they drowned. I took that and then that fed into so, how did the body get there? Who put the body there?”

The series also deals with the "real impact of climate change on the lives of residents in this small town", according to the synopsis.

On the topic of communities surviving against the elements, Ford said: "I found this picture of a town in Yorkshire, which was in a flash flood, and it was just this rage of water coming between houses. It was important to get that impact. We are talking about things that can't be denied.

"Even though we can see all the news feeds from around the world we still believe that we live in a certain world. That we can make plans. But with nature and flash floods that is out the window. It doesn't give a toss about you and what you have left is just the community and those around you."

Read more:

• After the Flood review: Thoroughly entertaining watch with strong mission statement
• Fool Me Once author Harlan Coben responds to fans' spin-off idea

The new series is led by Rundle, who many will know for her roles in The Diplomat and Peaky Blinders, but the cast boasts many a familiar face to TV, including Lorraine Ashbourne, Philip Glenister, Matt Stokoe and Jonas Armstrong, to name a few.

Rundle is also joined by Nicholas Gleaves (The Crown) as her sergeant, as well as Tripti Tripuraneni (House of the Dragon) as fellow PC Deepa Das.

After the Flood premieres on ITV1 and ITVX on Wednesday 10th January at 9pm. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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