Inside No. 9's Steve Pemberton teases dark, brutal new Harlan Coben role

Set to star as Titus Monroe, Pemberton has teased what's to come for his enigmatic character and how he slots into the wider drama that centres around Detective Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar) and the possible return of her ex-fiancé who disappeared 11 years ago.

Speaking to Netflix ahead of the series being released, Pemberton described his upscale dog breeder character as "very passionate", saying: "We see that he is very meticulous in getting his precious dogs into good homes. He will go to any lengths to make sure the prospective purchasers and owners of these dogs are up to his standards."

He continued: "He cares very much more about the dogs than he does about the people. However, the dog-breeding farm that he owns has an underlying more sinister purpose, and it’s very dark and brutal what he is doing.

"Titus is ice-cold with people; that was nice to underplay. I didn’t want to play anything cartoonish or comic, especially given my background. I hope I fit into the story nicely and people are chilled by him."

Read more:

• Richard Armitage says Missing You feels different to other Harlan Coben series
• Harlan Coben's Missing You reveals first-look footage with Richard Armitage

Pemberton isn't a stranger to a more sinister role, having starred in Happy Valley, Psychoville and, of course, having co-written and directed dark comedy Inside No. 9.

As for how he slots into the storylines in the series, curious fans will just have to wait and see.

But talking about whether he had the opportunity to chat about Titus with author Coben himself, Pemberton said: "I had a nice Zoom chat with (executive producers) Nicola Shindler, Richard Fee and Harlan.

"When I first read the script, Titus wasn’t an upscale dog breeder at all. He was just a guy who had probably suffered a bit in life and decided to get his own back. Harlan thought it would be a fun twist on the character if he had this other passion.

"I was a breeder of toads in The League of Gentlemen and a breeder of rabbits in Midsomer Murders, so I’m very happy to add dogs to my TV menagerie."

Pemberton stars in the new series alongside lots of familiar faces, including Slow Horses star Rosalind Eleazar and Top Boy's Ashley Walters, as well as James Nesbitt (Suspect), Lenny Henry (Rings of Power) and Jessica Plummer (EastEnders).

According to the synopsis for the series: "Eleven years ago, Detective Kat Donovan's fiancé Josh - the love of her life - disappeared and she's never heard from him since.

"Now, swiping profiles on a dating app, she suddenly sees his face and her world explodes all over again.

"Josh's reappearance will force her to dive back into the mystery surrounding her father’s murder and uncover long-buried secrets from her past."

Missing You will stream on Netflix on 1st January 2025. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.