Karen Pirie star Mark Rowley has been confirmed in the "fantastic" cast for a new Scotland-set thriller.

The actor, who portrayed Mick Prentice in the second season of ITV's beloved crime drama, will be part of the line-up for The Dark, a new six-part series from the same broadcaster.

Based on GR Halliday's 2020 novel From the Shadows, the upcoming series sees Rowley play Connor Crawford, a detective who teams up with Monica Kennedy (Laura Donnelly) to solve a murder case in the "idyllic" Scottish wilderness.

"When the body of a young man is found eerily staged in the idyllic Scottish wilderness, detective Monica Kennedy fears this is just the beginning of a terrifying campaign that will strike the heart of a rural community," reads the logline.

"As paranoia rises, suspicions and secrets are forced into the light, and the locals start to realise that there is a serial killer hidden amongst them. With her experience of dealing with the darkest of humanity, Monica quickly becomes entangled in a heightened game of cat and mouse with a cunning killer.

mark rowley, karen pirie season 2
ITV

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"Only she can stop this monster before he claims any more victims. But when her own history creeps up on her, she begins to lose trust in her own judgement. Will it be her own actions that are the biggest risk to herself and her family?"

Donnelly, who has appeared in Outlander and The Nevers, said that she was "excited" to work with the "fantastic" cast, with the actor promising a "unique, thrilling" and "compelling" series.

"I can’t believe we have such an excellent cast at the helm of Poison Pen’s first drama," added producer Ben Stephenson. "We are delighted to be working with a cast of such great actors bringing these complex characters to life."

laura donnelly as amalia true, the nevers
HBO

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In addition to Donnelly and Rowley, the cast for the series includes Emun Elliott, Helen Baxendale, Rona Morrison, Cal MacAninch, Stella Gonet, Phil McKee, Tunji Kasim and Catherine McCormack.

Matt Hartley is penning the scripts alongside Lena Rae and Nessah Muthy, while Gilles Bannier is serving as the director. Filming has begun in the Glasgow area.

The Dark will air on ITV.


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Lettermark

Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media.  His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.