All Creatures Great and Small stars Callum Woodhouse and Matthew Lewis have teamed up for Channel 5's new four-part drama, The Family Secret – and it sounds like a binge-watch waiting to happen. Matthew leads the cast alongside Poldark actress Eleanor Tomlinson, who stars as Amanda Blakefield, a mum-of-one whose happy life with her husband Jimmy is shattered when she's left a huge inheritance by a man she has neither met nor heard of before. Filming is currently underway in the North East of England, with the series set to air on 5 in 2026.
The Family Secret is the latest addition to Channel 5's ever-growing slate of gripping dramas, which seems to get better year on year, and it sounds like a must-watch. Not only is the plot immediately intriguing, but with the brilliant Matthew Lewis and Eleanor Tomlinson leading the series, it will no doubt be a compelling watch. Keep reading to find out all we know about the show so far.
© Channel 5What is The Family Secret about?
© GettyThe series is billed as a "gripping, psychological drama that asks: what if your past isn't what you think it is?". The story follows Amanda Blakefield (Tomlinson), whose life is a happy one with her husband, Jimmy (Lewis), and their son Luke, played by newcomer James Younger. The synopsis continues: "Amanda has her world shattered after she is left an enormous inheritance by a man she has neither met nor heard of before. Her life starts to disintegrate as she becomes embroiled in the world of The Worrall Family. The patriarch Martin Worrall, played by Denis Lawson (Bleak House, New Tricks), is head of a family which is bound in past secrets. As Amanda's story leads her further and further into the Northumbrian countryside, she begins to unravel the past. And all of their lives are turned upside down."
© Karwai TangPaul Testar, Commissioning Editor for 5, said the series "explores the fragility of family and the ripple effects of long-buried truths" and promises to "keep audiences hooked from the very first minute".
Who else stars in the show?
The series, which is penned by Aschlin Ditta (The Feud, Doc Martin) and directed by Andy de Emmony (Vigil, The Feud), also stars Rebecca Front (The Thick of It, Lewis) as Martin's wife Fiona, with Callum Woodhouse (All Creatures Great and Small, The Durrells) as his son Anthony. Meanwhile, Stephen Tompkinson (DCI Banks, Wild At Heart) plays farm worker Boots Maddison, alongside Paula Wilcox (Trying, Upstart Crow) as Amanda's mother Linda, Danielle Walters (Chewing Gum, Kill Your Friends) as Amanda's best friend Sandy, and Nina Wadia (Eastenders, Goodness Gracious Me) as solicitor Laura.
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