Is Channel 5’s The Feud Based On A True Story?

By Olivia Emily

1 day ago

Plus: when the rest of the series will air

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Suburban disputes take a dark turn in Channel 5’s new series The Feud. Led by Jill Halfpenny, the six-part drama imagines the fallout when one couple on a harmonious street decides to invest in a kitchen extension. It’s a squabble many of us have experienced first hand – perhaps without The Feud’s menacing slant. But is The Feud based on a true story? Here’s what you need to know.

Channel 5’s The Feud: Plot, Cast, Release Schedule & More

Emma Barnett (Jill Halfpenny) in The Feud. (Channel 5)
Emma watching the prospective buyer.

What Is The Feud About?

The Feud is a new six part drama centring on feisty criminal defence solicitor Emma and John Barnett who live on a seemingly idyllic street with their daughter, Beth. Shelbury Drive is a neighbourly road, and the Barnetts are close friends with their neighbours Sonia and Alan and, despite their foibles, older neighbours Derek and Barbara, too.

But these friendships are put to the test when Emma and John decide to add a kitchen extension to their home. As her seemingly harmonious relationships unravel, life-threatening secrets rise to the surface, and Emma’s aspirational dreams quickly spiral into obsession, paranoia and fear.

Watch the trailer below.

‘From the very outset, so many people are unhappy with the [kitchen extension] idea and there are so many reasons not to have an extension,’ Jill teased ahead of the series launch. ‘Emma doesn’t have the money or a good builder, the neighbours hate the idea, and her relationship is volatile. Yet there’s no part of Emma which admits it’s not the right time. She’s like a steamroller.’

Emma Barnett (Jill Halfpenny) in The Feud. (Channel 5)
Emma examines the row of houses for sale.

Is It Based On A True Story?

The Feud might be based on a somewhat common experience – feuding neighbours in suburbia – but luckily the rest of the drama that unravels is entirely fictional.

‘I never imagined it would turn quite so gruesome,’ Jill teases, ‘and I never expected it would go as far as it goes when it starts out in such a domestic setting.’

Where Was It Filmed?

The Feud was filmed in and around Newcastle in summer 2024, with three houses in the suburb of Benton used to create Shelbury Drive. Some scenes were also shot nearby in Heaton Park and Jarrow.