A "riveting" Irish psychological thriller has found another streaming site to call home. The Boy That Never Was stars Merlin's Colin Morgan and God's Creatures star Toni O'Rourke as an Irish couple, Harry and Robin, whose six-year-old son Dillion was killed in a earthquake while the family are on holiday in Morocco.
However, when a grieving Harry supposedly sees Dillon in a crowd on the streets of Dublin, he becomes obsessed with the thought that his son is still alive, tearing his and Robin's marriage apart as devastating secrets boil to the surface. The four-part show released in 2024 and is based on the 2014 book of the same name by Karen Perry.
A review of the book by The Sunday Mirror describes it as a "beautifully written, tense and twisty tale", while The Mail on Sunday writes: "Cleverly written. A tense domestic thriller that is full of surprises."
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And reviews for the show aren't too bad either, as one viewer on IMDb called it "a riveting show from the get-go" and praised Morgan's performance in particular as an "incredible actor".
Meanwhile, another said on social media (via Hello! Magazine): "Just finished the brilliant #TheBoyThatNeverWas. It's one of those dramas that makes you want to binge watch right up to the end as you desperately want to know the ending. Such brilliant and compelling performances from all the actors involved!"
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However, the i Paper's review was less glowing. Giving it 2 out of 5 stars, they described it as "far too hammy to convince", adding: "It’s rare that an Irish drama makes it over to UK television, so it’s a shame that The Boy That Never Was is below par."
On 13 June, all four episodes of The Boy That Never Was became available to stream on U, a free streaming site in the UK. It is also available to stream on Channel 4.
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In an interview with RTE in 2024, Morgan said his favourite part about playing Harry was the "difficulty" and the "challenge", adding: "Yeah, it's all the challenges which actually don't feel good, you know, emotionally. But it's great to finish your day feeling exhausted and knowing that you've kind of rung the towel mostly dry."
As for how difficult it can be to shake off those emotions after leaving the set, he said: "I think you do on any project. It's only when you finish that you hear a lot of people talking about getting sick and having a bit of a come down.
"It's only then that you realise you've actually - your body and your mind - has had a relationship with, as far as it's concerned, someone who now suddenly isn't there."
The Boy That Never Was is available to stream on U and Channel 4.
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