Scottish actress Lauren Lyle is starring in a brand new drama that will air on ITV this evening, Sunday, September 25, at 8pm until 10pm. Karen Pirie is a cold case murder drama that has been based on the novel by acclaimed author Val McDermid, The Distant Echo and adapted for screen by British actress and screenwriter, Emer Kenny - who also stars in the show.
Keeping in line with Val McDermind's protagonist, the show's namesake Karen - played by Lauren - is described as a "young and fearless Scottish investigator with a quick mouth and tenacious desire for the truth".
The show follows the Detective Sergeant in the town of St Andrew's in Scotland as she reopens an investigation into the unsolved murder case of Rosie Duff which happened in 1996 and, 25 years on, is the subject of a provocative true crime podcast. At the time, three young drunken students were discovered at the scene of the crime, stained with her blood - yet claiming they simply stumbled upon the scene.
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Now, over two decades later, new evidence emerges and Karen is tasked with tracking down one of the students to try and piece together the missing pieces from the initial investigation. But with someone seeming to risk everything just to keep the secrets surrounding the case hidden, will Karen be able uncover the truth and bring justice to Rosie after all these years?
Alongside Emer Kenny and Lauren Lyle, the star-studded cast includes Sex Education's Chris Jenks and Rakhee Thakrar, Zach Wyatt, Anna Russell-Martin, Jack Hesketh and Jhon Lumsden.
Best-selling Scottish crime author Val said of her book being adapted for the screen: "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."
Speaking of getting the lead role, the show's star, Lauren, 29, also said: "It felt like a really natural fit – the script for the first episode was really unlike anything else you would get sent as a mid-twenties, female Scottish actor, this kind of role doesn’t come along often. Usually, you don’t get the chance to play a detective until you’re a bit older, but I felt really akin to her."
Adding that it's not a "boring whodunnit", Lauren said: "It’s exciting that within this story a lot of things happen within the 25-year gap – there’s the night of the crime and the case itself, but also everything that has gone on in the years that followed. It just makes for a much more delicious, satisfying story, because there’s so much to unpack, and it means you’ve got to keep up. It’s not a boring whodunit and people won’t expect theway it ends, which is the best part."
Karen Pirie cast list
Lauren Lyle - DS Karen Pirie
Chris Jenks - DC Jason Murray
Zach Wyatt - DS Phil Parhatka
Jhon Lumsden - Sigmund ‘Ziggy’ Malkiewicz Junior
Jack Hesketh - Tom ‘Weird’ Mackie Junior
Buom Tihngang - Alex Gilbey Junior
Alec Newman - Sigmund ‘Ziggy’ Malkiewicz Senior
Michael Shaeffer - Tom ‘Weird’ Mackie Senior
Ariyon Bakare - Alex Gilbey Senior
Bobby Rainsbury - Grace Galloway
Anna Russell-Martin - Rosie Duff
Gilly Gilchrist - DI Barney Maclennan
Kevin Mains - DS Jimmy Lawson Junior
Stuart Bowman - Chief Superintendent Lawson Senior
Gemma Mcelhinney - PC Janice Hogg Junior
Emer Kenny - River Wilde
Rakhee Thakrar - Bel Richmond
Steve John Shepherd - DI Simon Lees
Karen Pirie starts on ITV and ITV Hub at 8pm on Sunday, September 25.
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