The Tower is back with its second season on ITV and this time the team at Farlow police station are faced with a cold case of a teenage girl who disappeared in the 1980s. Gemma Whelan reprises her role as DS Sarah Collins and is joined by a new addition to the cast, Niamh Cusack, who plays Claire Mills, the mother of the missing schoolgirl.
Niamh is an acclaimed theatre actress and comes from a famous family of actors. But did you know that one of her relatives is a Call the Midwife star?
Who is Niamh Cusack?
Niamh Cusack is an actress from Dalkey in Ireland.
The 63-year-old has an impressive list of theatre credits, having served with the UK's two leading theatre companies, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre.
© ITVAs for her on-screen career, Niamh has appeared in various TV series, including New Tricks, Silent Witness and Brassic. She is perhaps best known for role as Dr. Kate Rowan in the ITV soap, Heartbeat.
© David M. BenettNiamh Cusack's connection to Call the Midwife
Niamh comes from a famous family of actors and is the aunt of Megan Cusack, who plays Nurse Nancy Corrigan, in Call the Midwife.
Megan's father is Irish theatre producer Pádraig Cusack, who is the son of famous actors Cyril and Maureen Cusack. He has two other sisters, Sorcha and Sinéad, who are also actresses.
© Ray BurmistonWhile Sorcha is best known for playing the title role in the 1973 TV series, Jane Eyre, Sinéad is recognised for her roles in the BBC period drama, North and South, and the sitcom Home Again. Both actresses are also known for their impressive stage careers.
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Megan, 27, has become a fan favourite on Call the Midwife since joining the cast back in 2020. In September 2021, she was nominated for Favourite Newcomer in the TV Times Awards, and in the same year also featured in the list of the top ten most popular period drama actresses.
© Nicky JohnstonWhen will Call the Midwife return to screens?
Call the Midwife will return with a Christmas special in December this year, with series 13 premiering in 2024.
Filming for the new episodes began back in May before the cast and crew went off on their annual summer break in July. When they return to set to shoot the second half of the series, filming is expected to run until November.
© BBCWho does Niamh Cusack play in The Tower?
Niamh plays Claire Mills, the mother of missing schoolgirl Tania whose cold case DS Sarah Collins is investigating.
Tania disappeared the morning after the Great Storm in 1987 and Claire remains hopeful that her daughter will return home.
© ITVElsewhere in the show, Lizzie returns to work after being cleared of misconduct for her role in the Portland Tower incident, and her first case back is a domestic violence dispute.
The synopsis reads: "The antagonistic relationship between the experienced Sarah Collins and the novice cop Lizzie Adama is at the heart of The Tower 2, as they are forced to work together for the first time and begin to get a sense of each other's unique strengths."
