David Threlfall and Russell Tovey to star in new BBC One mystery drama

David Threlfall stars as Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's Shameless. Image: Channel 4/Matt Squire
David Threlfall stars as Frank Gallagher in Channel 4’s Shameless. Image: Channel 4/Matt Squire
An all-star cast including Shameless star David Threlfall and Being Human’s Russell Tovey has been announced for What Remains, a major new BBC drama series.

When couple Michael (Tovey) and his heavily pregnant partner Vidya (Amber Rose Revah) move into flat 4 of number 8 Coulthard Street, a leak in the loft causes them to discover the remains of Melissa Young (Jessica Gunning) hidden in the eaves. She had not been seen for over two years.

Melissa hasn’t been reported as missing and it seems no-one has even noticed her disappearance.

A week before retiring, Detective Inspector Len Harper (Threlfall) is assigned to the case.

With no sign of a struggle, no suicide note, no motive for murder, the investigation should be pretty cut and dry, but afraid of the loneliness retirement will bring, Len refuses to let Melissa’s death remain unanswered.

Instead he resolves to offer her the attention she so sorely lacked during her lifetime. Len is determined to uncover the secrets hidden behind the doors of Melissa’s neighbours in Coulthard Street.

Writer Tony Basgallop says: “The key to writing and casting What Remains has been in ensuring that we had the right chemistry between the characters. We have to believe in the partnerships for the drama to work, because at its core this is an ensemble piece about the spaces we share, the compromises we make, and the unwritten rules of communal living.

“It’s also a whodunit, so we need to empathise with these characters whilst at the same time presenting them as suspects in a murder. No mean feat. Fortunately, we’ve landed a cast with the quality and experience to pull the audience in any direction we choose to take them.”

What Remains is currently filming in London.

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