Passenger: This New ITV Drama Is The British Answer To Stranger Things

This Sunday, a brand new dark comedy-drama is launching on ITV1 – and, from what we know so far, it’s reminding us of Stranger Things and Twin Peaks, but if they were set in a northern town. Debut screenwriter Andrew Buchan (who you might know as an actor in Broadchurch, The Honourable Woman, ABC Murders) has created Passenger, a six-party drama set in a small (fictional) northern village rife with strange, inexplicable occurrences. Here’s everything we know so far.

Passenger: ITV’s New Comedy-Drama

WUNMI MOSAKU as DC Riya Ajunwa. © ITV

What Is Passenger About?

Passenger centres on Former Met Police Detective Riya Ajunwa (Wunmi Mosaku) who relocated to Chadder Vale five years ago and has been searching for a big crime to sink her teeth into ever since – something to challenge her and make her feel alive. And then it arrives: local girl Katie Wells (Rowan Robinson) is mysteriously abducted one night, her car abandoned with traces of blood on the seats. But the village barely has time to register Katie’s disappearance before she reappears the next day, safe, sound and seemingly unharmed. So what happened?

To Riya’s frustration, life quickly returns to normal, with the villagers asking very few questions. If Katie is safe, it’s not worth looking into, they think. But this doesn’t sit right with Riya. As her concerns rise, a series of strange and increasingly horrific crimes start occurring in the village. While the villagers concoct short-sighted theories and blame outside influences, Riya fights to convince them that everything is not as it seems.

So, what is going on in Chadder Vale? Is it nothing? Is it fracking? Is it something unnatural? Could it be something supernatural?

ROWAN ROBINSON as Katie Wells. © ITV

‘I’ve always loved shows where the known collides with the unknown,’ says series creator, writer and producer Andy Buchan. ‘Where you see communities faced with something horrifying and inexplicable, where, as a viewer, you’ve nothing in your kit-bag to explain it. When I started writing the scripts, I wanted to create something epic and unknown, but also bed it somewhere close to home. Having grown up in Lancashire, it felt like the perfect place for it. We’ll definitely see the residents of Chadder Vale pushed to their limits.’

Executive Producers Jane Featherstone and Lucy Dyke added: ‘Andy has an incredible ear for character; brilliantly blending the comedy and idiosyncrasies of everyday life with such a twisted, horrifying vision of such gleeful inventiveness we were blown away. The fact this is his first screenplay makes it even more remarkable.’

Is There A Trailer?

Yes, ITV has released a suspenseful trailer giving us an insight into snowy Chadder Vale. Watch below.

Who Stars?

• Wunmi Mosaku as Detective Riya Ajunwa
• Jo Hartley as Chief Constable Linda Markel
• David Threlfall as Jim Bracknell
• Daniel Ryan as Derek Jackson
• Rowan Robinson as Katie Wells
• Barry Sloane as Eddie Wells
• Natalie Gavin as Joanne Wells
• Debbie Rush as forensic analyst Terry Jackson
• Nico Mirallegro as Kane Jackson
• Sean Gilder as Tony Corrigan
• Hubert Hanowicz as Jakub Makowski
• Jack James Ryan as John Trowbridge
• Matilda Freeman as Lilly Wells
• Shervin Alenabi as Mehmet Shah
• Ella Bruccoleri as Ali Day
• Arian Nik as Nish Chowdry

Is Chadder Vale A Real Place?

No, Chadder Vale is a fictional village, but it is supposed to be situated in a northern county like Lancashire.

Where Was Passenger Filmed?

Passenger was filmed in Cornholme, Lancashire, a village north of Manchester.

NICO MIRALLEGRO as Ken Jackson. © ITV

Release Date

Passenger kicks off on Sunday 24 March at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX. Episode two will air on Monday 25 March at 9pm, before the remaining four episodes air in the same pattern. Catch up on ITVX.

Release Schedule

• Episode 1: Sunday 24 March at 9pm
• Episode 2: Monday 25 March at 9pm
• Episode 3: Sunday 31 March at 9pm
• Episode 4: Monday 1 April at 9pm
• Episode 5: Sunday 7 April at 9pm
• Episode 6: Monday 8 April at 9pm

Where Is It Streaming?

Passenger will stream on ITVX in the UK and on BritBox in the US, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.