The Sister on ITV release date – Russell Tovey and cast, plus trailer and plot
Luther creator Neil Cross has penned a dark new series for ITV, featuring murder — and possibly ghosts.
The Sister on ITV, starring Russell Tovey, is a dark and spooky four-episode series which began the last week of October – just in time for Halloween.
The drama is stripped across four nights, and each episode has proven to be full of murder, intrigue, deception, haunted houses, the supernatural — and ghosts.
The Sister cast features Flesh and Blood's Tovey alongside a particularly creepy Bertie Carvel (Doctor Foster) as Bob, while the show is based on Luther creator Neil Cross' book, Burial.
The series focuses on Tovey's character – a man with a terrible secret who is (perhaps literally) haunted by the mistakes of his past. And given Cross' involvement in the drama, it's no surprise that we've been watching The Sister with our fingers over our eyes.
Read on for everything you need to know about The Sister on ITV.
The Sister release date on ITV
The Sister episode one premiered on ITV on Monday 26th October 2020 at 9pm, and on ITV Hub. The four-part series is stripped across Monday to Thursday and airs at the same time on ITV each night.
The series was announced in July 2019, and the first image was released in April 2020.
The Sister cast
The Sister cast features Russell Tovey as the well-meaning but directionless Nathan, "a man with a terrible secret he’s prayed would stay buried and for which he’s worked hard to make recompense". Tovey has previously been seen in Years and Years, Him & Her, Being Human, The History Boys, and Flesh and Blood.
Joining him is Bertie Carvel as Bob, an "unwelcome face" from Nathan's past who "turns up on his doorstep with shocking news, triggering a series of catastrophic decisions which drive a tense and compelling narrative of psychological suspense, dread, love and possible redemption." Carvel's recent credits include The Pale Horse, Doctor Foster and Baghdad Central.
Further cast includes Amrita Acharia as Holly, Nina Toussaint White as Jackie, Paul Bazely as Graham, Simone Ashley as Elise and Amanda Root as June.
How many episodes of The Sister are there?
There are four episodes of The Sister, each airing at 9pm on ITV and ITV Hub across four nights, Monday - Thursday.
The first episode aired on Monday 26th October, and the last will air on Thursday 29th October.
The Sister plot
The four-part murder mystery, written by Neil Cross (Luther, Spooks) and inspired by his novel Burial, follows a man attempting to escape the (potentially literal) ghosts of his past. Nathan is a well-meaning man who's spent years trying to atone for a terrible secret from his past, involving the disappearance of his wife's sister, Elsie (Simone Ashley).
However, a decade into his new marriage with wife Holly (Amrita Acharia) and Nathan is visited by Bob, a figure from his old life who is somehow connected with Elsie's disappearance.
Bob imparts shocking news to Nathan, resulting in "a series of catastrophic decisions which cleverly drive a tense and compelling narrative of psychological suspense, dread, love and possible redemption".
Earlier in October, RadioTimes.com exclusively revealed a first-look teaser clip from The Sister where we see we see Bob stare at a picture of Holly and her missing sister Elsie in Nathan's home before saying, "Nathan, what have you done?"
"It’s one of my favourite stories," Cross said when the show was commissioned. "A tale of psychological suspense, of guilt and ghosts and murder. Oh, and love. Always love. Our job is to make viewers want to sleep with the lights on. We're looking forward to it."
If you're intrigued by the flashbacks to a dark and ominous wood, or Nathan's apparently haunted marital home, have a read about the filming locations for The Sister.
Is The Sister based on a true story?
For viewers wondering if The Sister is based on a true story, the four-part series is based on creator Neil Cross' book Burial, which in turn was inspired by a nightmare The Sister creator Cross had in 1985 about murdering a homeless man.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press about the real-life inspiration behind the book, Cross also revealed that he himself had experienced a "haunting" – suggesting that the series will involve elements of the supernatural.
Is there a trailer for The Sister?
Yes! The Sister trailer was released exclusively on RadioTimes.com:
You can order Neil Cross’ Burial from Amazon. Check out what else is on with our TV Guide, or take a look at our new TV shows 2020 page to find out what's airing this autumn and beyond.
