Emily Atack is gearing up for another major role following her recent appearance in the Disney+ series Rivals, this time in a Channel 5 thriller that’s brimming with small-town secrets and deadly rumours.
The show, drawn from Lesley Kara’s critically acclaimed 2018 novel The Rumour, sees Atack joining forces with Joanne Whalley and Rachel Shenton. Shenton leads the cast as young mother Joanna, who becomes involved in a deadly rumour, following her celebrated performance in All Creatures Great and Small, which scored an impressively high rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Set to hit screens in 2025, the series teases intense drama with its synopsis: “When Joanna stumbles upon an online rumour about a child killer living in the town, she uses it to win over the mums at the school gate. As gossip spreads, suspicions build, and Joanna finds herself drawn into a web of secrets and paranoia.”
It continues: “Balancing her efforts to protect her son with the growing unease in town, Joanna struggles to distinguish between truth and hearsay. With relationships strained and emotions running high, the boundaries between trust and fear blur.”
Speaking about her upcoming project, Shenton said: “I’m really excited to play Joanna”, reports the Mirror. “The Rumour is a story of a woman unravelling as she relentlessly pursues the truth. She’s very relatable and the cast are amazing. It’s lovely to work with so many women.”
The ensemble for the upcoming drama boasts talent from across the board, including Samuel Anderson of Doctor Who, Ellie Haddington who graced Enola Holmes, Unforgotten’s Lucy Speed, Liza Sadovy celebrated for her role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Carryl Thomas from Silo.
While telly enthusiasts will need to hang tight until next year to immerse themselves in the unfolding narrative, the literary source has already garnered accolades from readers.
A critique on Goodreads by one reader said: “The Rumour was such a twisted and addictive read, I couldn’t believe this was Lesley Kara’s debut novel. I was hooked right from the start as the characters and plot took me on a rollercoaster ride full of twists and turns.”
Another avid reader commented: “Kara is very good at keeping you on your toes until the last reveal. It was a slow start I think, but it keeps getting more interesting. I thought the end was glorious.”