Dead and Buried star Annabel Scholey says viewers will be "tested"
The actor expects the audience to be "confused in the best possible way".
BBC psychological thriller Dead and Buried explores the complex and unsettling relationship between a woman and the man who brutally murdered her brother.
After Cathy (The Split's Annabel Scholey) encounters killer Michael (Merlin's Colin Morgan) outside a supermarket two decades on, she learns of the "successful career and family life" he's forged following his early release from prison, all while she was in mourning.
"Re-traumatised by her past, Cathy instigates a clandestine relationship with the man she despises, embarking on a campaign of harassment and deceit," reads the official synopsis.
"As Cathy’s obsession grows, dark fantasies of revenge and reality blur as she sets out on a campaign of psychological warfare to destroy Michael's life."
Speaking about how she thinks those watching will receive the drama, Scholey said: "I think audiences will be surprised by the central characters and tested by their choices. I think often as a viewer, we expect to be fully on side with them and the path they choose to take, but Dead and Buried will test that.
"It is a bit gruesome at times. It's funny at times, it's heartbreaking at times – a bit of everything, I think. Expect to feel exhausted watching it. If I were watching it as an audience member, I would be confused in the best possible way. It has its own quality, its own flavour."
The four-part series, which Colin Bateman (Murphy's Law, Doc Martin) adapted from a BBC Radio 4 short story that was then turned into a one-woman play, has been described by Morgan as a story about "trauma, about forgiveness, faith, happiness and unhappiness, choice, healing, not knowing how to heal".
"Especially with Cathy and Michael," he added. "They're both on a journey to heal from something, and they just don't know that that's what they're doing and that each of them could actually heal the other in a way that's very unexpected."
Alongside Morgan and Scholey, the rest of the cast includes Kerri Quinn (Hope Street), Waj Ali (Carnival Row), Owen Roe (Vikings), Niamh Walsh (The Sandman), Micheal Hanna (He'll Have to Go) and Joanne Crawford (Blue Lights).
Read more:
- Merlin's Colin Morgan says psychological thriller Dead and Buried is "entirely about the unexpected"
- Fool Me Once and Baby Reindeer stars join new adaptation from Slow Horses author
Dead and Buried will be available to watch in full on BBC iPlayer on Monday 2nd September at 10pm and on BBC One NI at 10:40pm.
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Authors
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
