The Drowning (TV series)
A grieving mother seeks the truth after seeing a familiar boy.
The Drowning is a four-part thriller miniseries created by Francesca Brill and Luke Watson. It aired on Channel 5 over four consecutive nights starting 1 February 2021. The cast includes Jill Halfpenny, Jonas Armstrong, Deborah Findlay, and Rupert Penry-Jones.
The story follows Jodie Walsh, a woman running a struggling landscaping business while coping with the loss of her four-year-old son, Tom, who drowned nine years earlier. His body was never recovered. When she spots a boy who strongly resembles an older version of Tom, she pursues the truth despite disbelief from her family and the police.
The cast also features Babs Olusanmokun as Ade, Jade Anouka as Yasmin, Cody Molko as Daniel Tanner, Dara Devaney as Ben Gilmour, Deirdre Mullins as Kate Gilmour, and Jason Maza as DS Harvey. Filming took place in and around Dublin, Ireland.
Reviews were mixed but generally positive. Flora Carr of the Radio Times gave the first episode three stars, calling it “a predictable yet gripping thriller about a grieving mother.” Katie Rosseinsky of the Evening Standard also awarded three stars, noting Jill Halfpenny’s compelling performance. Anita Singh of The Telegraph gave four stars, writing that while the plot is not credible, it is a “no-nonsense thriller that keeps you guessing.” Lucy Mangan of The Guardian also gave four stars.
The series became Channel 5’s highest-rated show since September 2020, surpassing *All Creatures Great and Small*. According to BARB consolidated ratings (including live and 28-day catch-up), the 1 February 2021 episode drew 6.10 million viewers, and the other three episodes each exceeded 5 million.
- Genre
- Thriller drama
- Country
- United Kingdom
- First broadcast
- 1 February 2021
- Network
- Channel 5
- Number of episodes
- 4
- Creators
- Francesca Brill and Luke Watson
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Thriller
- Creator
- Francesca Brill / Luke Watson
- Starring
- Jill Halfpenny / Jonas Armstrong / Deborah Findlay / Rupert Penry-Jones
- Director
- Carolina Giammetta
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Num Series
- 1
- Num Episodes
- 4
- Producer
- Noel Clarke · Jason Maza
- First Aired
- df=y · 2021 · 02 · 01
- Last Aired
- df=y · 2021 · 02 · 04
- Runtime
- 60 minutes (inc. adverts)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Drowning follows Jodie Walsh, a woman struggling with a failing landscaping business and financial troubles, who has been trying to rebuild her life after the drowning death of her four-year-old son, Tom, whose body was never recovered. Nine years later, she sees a boy who looks like an older version of her son. Faced with skepticism from her family and the police, she sets out to find the truth. The cast includes Jill Halfpenny as Jodie, Jonas Armstrong as her brother Jason, Deborah Findlay as her mother Lynn, and Rupert Penry-Jones as Mark Tanner, the father of the boy Jodie believes is Tom.
Reader's Guide
The Drowning was filmed in and around Dublin, Ireland. Reception was mixed but generally positive: Flora Carr of Radio Times gave the first episode three stars out of five, calling it 'A predictable yet gripping thriller about a grieving mother,' while Katie Rosseinsky of Evening Standard also gave three stars, noting 'Jill Halfpenny is compelling as a grieving mother in this gripping thriller.' The Telegraph's Anita Singh gave four stars, writing 'Yes, it's not remotely credible but The Drowning is a no-nonsense thriller that keeps you guessing,' and Lucy Mangan of The Guardian also awarded four stars. The series bypassed All Creatures Great and Small to become Channel 5's highest rated show since 1 September 2020. Using BARB's consolidated ratings, The Drowning is Channel 5's most popular broadcast ever, with the episode on 1 February 2021 getting 6.10 million viewers and the other three episodes getting more than 5 million viewers per initial broadcast.
Did You Know?
- The Drowning was filmed in and around Dublin, Ireland.
- It bypassed All Creatures Great and Small to become Channel 5's highest rated show since 1 September 2020.
- The first episode received 6.10 million viewers, making it Channel 5's most popular broadcast ever.
- The series was written and created by Francesca Brill and Luke Watson.
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