The First Look At C4’s Tense New Thriller Shows James Nesbitt As A Grieving Detective

There’s nothing quite like settling down to watch a good Channel 4 crime thriller, so you can imagine our excitement about this upcoming offering. Suspect, adapted from the original Danish series Forhøret, tells the story of a detective who goes to routinely identify a body, only to discover that it is, in fact, his estranged daughter. With Line of Duty’s James Nesbitt leading the cast, the drama sounds like one to add to your watchlist. If you’re keen to learn more about the forthcoming series, read on for everything we know about Channel 4’s Suspect.

Suspect plot

The eight-part drama centres on veteran detective Danny Frater (Nesbitt), who arrives at a hospital mortuary for what he thinks is a routine ID check on a young woman’s body. However, he is devastated to learn that the body is that of his estranged daughter, Christina (Imogen King).

A post-mortem report reveals that Christina has taken her own life. However, Danny refuses to accept this, and decides to retrace his daughter’s final days in a bid to discover what really happened to her.

A Channel 4 synopsis reads: “He [Danny] is forced to confront his own failings as a father whilst struggling to make sense of a mass of contradictory testimony and circumstantial evidence, and he must decide who, if anyone, is responsible for Christina’s death, and what he’s going to do about it.”

Suspect cast

James Nesbitt (Bloodlands) leads the drama as detective Danny Frater, while Imogen King (Clique) appears as Christina. They are joined in the cast of Suspect by Richard E. Grant (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), Joely Richardson (The Tudors), Anne-Marie Duff (Sex Education), Ben Miller (Bridgerton), Niamh Algar (Deceit), Antonia Thomas (Small Axe), Sacha Dhawan (The Great, Doctor Who), and Sam Heughan (Outlander, Party Animals).

Speaking of his latest role, Nesbitt said he could “relate” to the character of detective Danny Frater “from the very first moment” he picked up the script.

He told Channel 4: “Each episode of Suspect is an intensely theatrical double-hander, a psychological battle of wits between Danny and another character who may know something about his daughter's untimely death, and I really can't wait to lock horns with my fellow cast members and to lead this incredible array of acting talent."

Meanwhile, Channel 4’s Head of Drama, Caroline Hollick, said she is “delighted” to welcome Nesbitt back to the TV network. “It’s a testament to James’ star power and Matt’s gripping scripts that Suspect has attracted such a sensationally stellar ensemble cast,” she remarked.

Suspect release date

Channel 4 is yet to confirm the show’s official airdate. Although, Radio Times reports that the series is scheduled to air later in 2022.

While we eagerly await further details of the show’s debut, Channel 4 has released first-look images of the much-anticipated drama, giving fans a small tease of what to expect from the tense new thriller.