Jill Halfpenny, Jonas Armstrong and Rupert Penry-Jones to star in new Channel 5 drama

Halfpenny (Three Girls) stars in the lead role as Jodie, who "commits to a dangerous and transgressive path" after a spark of hope is ignited when she thinks she's found her missing son.

Armstrong (Line of Duty) plays Jodie's lawyer brother Jason, the only real support she has in her life, while Penry-Jones (Whitechapel) plays Mark, the father of the boy Jodie believes to be her son.

The cast also includes Deborah Findlay (Cranford) and newcomer Cody Molko, who plays Daniel – the boy whose sighting sparks the drama.

The series has been written by Tim Dynevor, who has previously worked on Emmerdale, with Vera's Carolina Giammetta taking on directing duties.

Noel Clarke and Jason Maza said, "We are delighted to be working with the hugely talented Jill Halfpenny, Jonas Armstrong and Rupert Penry-Jones on The Drowning, which is being lead by the brilliant director, Carolina Giametta.

"Working with Carolina and our wonderful writer, Tim Dynevor, the creative process has been a joy. We could not be more excited to collaborate with Channel 5 to bring this story to the screen."

Meanwhile Sebastien Cardwell, Channel 5's director of programmes, added, "We are thrilled to be working with the team at Unstoppable on this exciting addition to Channel 5’s ever growing drama slate. We hope that audiences will be gripped across the series."