We've got some exciting news for thriller fans, as a brand new drama Missed Call has been announced by Channel 5. It comes hot on the heels of a number of others from the UK broadcaster, after The Rumour just topped its trending chart and the Jason Watkins-fronted crime drama, The Game, had viewers gripped.
So what's this new drama about? According to the official description, Missed Call unfolds against "the backdrop of a picturesque French village". The story follows a single mum called Sarah, whose "world is upended after receiving a late-night missed call from her teenage daughter, Katie, while she’s on a school exchange".
It continues: "When Sarah arrives in France, she finds the host family and local authorities disturbingly indifferent to Katie’s disappearance. As Sarah refuses to accept their complacency, her search for her daughter spirals into a gripping and dangerous race against time."
The cast is being led by BAFTA-winning actress Joanna Scanlan, who was recently seen in Apple TV's breakout hit Slow Horses, which returns for season five this week. Scanlan is also set to appear on our screens very soon in the BBC's highly-anticipated new drama from Happy Valley boss Sally Wainwright, Riot Women, which also stars Lorraine Ashbourne.
But back to the actors joining Missed Call; the rest of the ensemble cast includes Robert Lindsay (Sherwood), Rupert Graves (Sherlock), Claire Keim and François-Xavier Demaison.
Joanna Scanlan has said that "the script for Missed Call gripped me from the first page", which certainly makes the drama sound like something fans of the thriller genre will be desperate to watch.
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"It's a powerful story about every mother's worst fear, set in a place that's stunningly beautiful but weirdly unsettling," Scanlan added, before turning to her character: "Sarah is a complex, vibrant and determined woman, and I'm hugely excited to bring her to life in this tense and emotional thriller. It's a real pleasure to be working with Channel 5 on such a bold and compelling piece of drama."
The Commissioning Editor for 5, Paul Testar, described Missed Call as "an emotionally charged thriller that brings together a phenomenal international cast and a compelling story of maternal determination and cultural clash".
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Missed Call might also be of particular interest to those that enjoyed The Au Pair, the 2025 thriller which starred Beyond Paradise's Sally Bretton, as it also marks another collaboration between 5 and production company Pernel Media.
The new series Missed Call has been written by lead writer and co-creator Matthew Thomas, along with Sally Abbott (Vera, Call the Midwife) and Paul Matthew Thompson (Ridley, Shakespeare and Hathaway).
Missed Call is coming to 5 in the UK, but a release date has not been announced.
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TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK's biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world's oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).
