After sparking plenty of curiosity with its debut last week, ITV's new gritty Sunday night drama continues this weekend.
While at first glance, its plot sounds like it could almost certainly be based on real life events, Karen Pirie is NOT a true story, instead based on the hit novels by acclaimed crime author Val McDermid, with series one inspired by her book The Distant Echo. Speaking about her books being turned into an ITV drama, Val said: "The Karen Pirie books were optioned for television quite a while back. I always thought this book could work well because it’s got such a dramatic opening and it’s an interesting story that takes place over a long period of time.
"The way it explores the nature of guilt and innocence and what suspicion does to people’s lives over time is something that fascinates readers and viewers alike."
The Karen Pirie cast is led by Lauren Lyle as Karen and, discussing how involved she was in the filming process, Val added: "I went to set a couple of times and I saw various bits along the way, but really and truly it’s the team’s job to bring the story to life on their terms. My job when the series is being made is only to occasionally step in and tell them if a plotline couldn’t happen, because I know what happens further down the line in the books."
How many episodes of Karen Pirie are there on ITV?
There are THREE two hour episodes. Episode one hit the ground running when three students were found at the scene of a murder, as young barmaid Rosie Duff has been assaulted, stabbed and left for dead. Twenty five years on, the still unsolved investigation is brought back into the spotlight when it becomes the topic of discussion on a true crime podcast. This leads to Detective Sergeant Karen Pirie being put in charge of a cold case review.
A teaser for episode two, which will air on Sunday, October 2 reads: "With suspects under attack, Karen’s cold case review has just become a live investigation overnight. But is the perpetrator Rosie’s killer, out to silence potential snitches? Or are they a wounded family member or friend, out to exact revenge? Finding the answer could give Karen her strongest hope yet of solving the case."
And then moving onto episode three, scheduled to go out on October 9, a preview teases: "With a new lead to pursue that could change the course of the entire investigation, Karen is thrown into mortal danger. Forced to confront a version of the truth she’d never thought possible, and with everything at stake, will she finally find Rosie’s killer and achieve justice after 25 years?"
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