Strictly Come Dancing star Kara Tointon and Downton Abbey's Allen Leech are starring in Channel 5's latest thriller, Too Good To Be True, which premieres on Wednesday night – and it sounds gripping.
Kara plays cash-strapped single mum Rachel, who works hard as a cleaner to put food on the table for her academically gifted 11-year-old son, Liam. When she's offered a new job by wealthy businessman Elliot, Rachel jumps at the chance to work shorter hours for better pay as a housekeeper. But is it too good to be true? When Elliot's behaviour begins to ring alarm bells, Rachel begins to question his motives.
Chatting about the show during an appearance on BBC One's The One Show earlier this month, Kara teased what happens after her character accepts her new role with Elliot. "She gets the opportunity to work exclusively as a housekeeper in this mansion manor house in the middle of nowhere for a very successful businessman. It all kicks off from there," she explained.
"It's very strange, she wonders why he's chosen her. It turns out he's been staying at the hotel she's been working at and he takes a liking, for some reason, to this mother-son duo."
© Channel 5Intrigued? Check out the full synopsis: "Rachel (Kara Tointon) is a single mum with a young son, Liam (Charlie Hodson-Prior). They’re on the poverty line, and Rachel works all hours of the day as a cleaner to provide for her boy. One day, her boss is approached by a businesswoman, Simone (Sara Powell), who acts for an extremely wealthy client called Elliot (Allen Leech). Simone offers Rachel a new job: better pay, shorter hours. It sounds too good to be true…
"Elliot is incredibly generous and welcoming to Rachel and Liam, giving them presents and showing Liam his vintage car collection. But as Rachel and Liam get further drawn into this seemingly perfect life, Elliot’s motives come into question. Is it Rachel or Liam that he’s interested in?"
© Channel 5The series, which premieres on Wednesday 14 at 9pm, also stars Charlie Hodson-Prior as Liam, Sara Powell (The House Across the Street), Taj Atwal (Hullraisers), John Thomson (Cold Feet) and Oliver Devoti (Mr Holmes).
Rounding out the cast are Ciara McKeown, Esther Ayo James, Seamus Moran, Denise McCormack, Grace Evans and Colleen Keogh.
© Channel 5The drama's premiere comes amid the exciting news that Downton Abbey is reportedly returning to screens with a new series. Filming is underway, with the popular drama expected to make a comeback by the end of the year.
While it's not yet known whether Allen, who played Tom Branson in the series and two spin-off films, will appear in the new season, show bosses hoped to bring back some of the main cast members. Get all the details here.
© Channel 5Too Good To Be True premieres on Channel 5 on Wednesday 14 at 9pm.
