The Feud on Channel 5 shows what can happen when a neighbourly dispute gets out of hand. It stars Jill Halfpenny and Rupert Penry-Jones as Emma and John Barnett, a couple who unwittingly find themselves in a deadly row with their neighbours.
The thriller has an impressive cast, including former Corrie stars Chris Gascoyne and Ray Fearon, ex Emmerdale star Amy Nuttall, Tessa Peake-Jones and Larry Lamb. The Feud shows how an apparently innocuous disagreement between neighbours can lead to obsession, paranoia and fear.
Here’s everything we know about The Feud on 5…
The Feud release date
The Feud is a six-part series that premieres on 5 (formerly called Channel 5) from Monday 14 April 2025 at 9pm, then at the same time Tuesday 15 April, Wednesday 16 April, with the remaining eps 4 to 6 stripped the following week Monday to Wednesday.
As soon as we hear of a release date or channel for the US or internationally, we’ll update this page.
* All episodes will also become available on streaming service 5. Check out our best Channel 5 dramas guide for more shows to enjoy.
The Feud plot
The Feud follows Emma (Jill Halfpenny) and John Barnett (Rupert Penry-Jones), who live with their teenage daughter in Shelbury Drive. The pair are close friends with their neighbours Sonia (Amy Nuttall) and Alan (Ray Fearon) and are also fond of older couple Derek and Barbara (James Fleet and Tessa Peake-Jones) who live on their street. But when the Barnetts decide to add a kitchen extension to their house, relations between the neighbours quickly sour. Objections are lodged and dangerous secrets begin to emerge. And as things take a deadly turn, Emma learns how one small decision can have huge repercussions for an entire neighbourhood.
The Feud cast — Jill Halfpenny on playing Emma Barnett
In The Feud, Jill Halfpenny plays aspirational wife, Emma Barnett, who is married to John. Jill Halfpenny says: “The spiral that we see Emma’s world take in The Feud, from one seemingly innocent situation to life altering revelations, is something I can’t wait to dive into! Getting to work in the Northeast with the teams at Channel 5 and Lonesome Pine, along with the rest of this brilliant cast, is a joy.”
Over the course of this new six-parter it becomes clear that the singleminded criminal defence solicitor makes enemies easily.
"Emma’s like a steamroller," says Jill. "From the outset many of their neighbours are unhappy with the renovation idea, but Emma has a vision that she wants to see through. She ignores all the red flags that pop up, and when her neighbours become aggressive, the gloves are off!
"Most people have experienced neighbours having work done, but The Feud is the stuff of nightmares!
"I love playing people who invite chaos into their lives, it's great TV."
Jill started her career in the BBC One children’s show Byker Grove and went on to play Rebecca Hopkins in Coronation Street. She then played Kate Mitchell in EastEnders and Izzie Redpath in Waterloo Road. Jill has also starred in Wild At Heart, Three Girls, Dark Money, The Long Shadow, Liar, The Holiday and The Cuckoo.
Rupert Penry-Jones on playing John Barnett
Rupert Penry-Jones plays Emma’s husband John Barnett (see our first look main picture).
This is Jill and Rupert's second project together, and they're thrilled to be working together again after the success of their Channel 5 miniseries The Drowning in 2021.
"Rupert and I enjoy playing characters under tension," says Jill when WTW joins the actors to talk about their latest collaboration.
"Yes, we’re good at portraying people who don’t like each other, which was great for this piece," agrees Rupert with a grin. "From the very beginning you know that everything is going to go horribly wrong!"
In The Feud, it's clear from the opening episode that things have gone very wrong for the couple...
"It opens with Emma at a house that’s covered in blood and looks like a disaster area," reveals Rupert. "Then events flash back a month to a street party where you learn how the Barnett’s kitchen conversion plans have unravelled the facade of a group of people whose lives are imploding."
As the series progresses it becomes obvious that Emma’s unemployed husband is not only unhappy in his marriage, he's also hiding things from his wife!
"John has too much time on his hands and is not as honest as he pretends," says Rupert. "He bottles everything up until he explodes."
Rupert is best known for playing Adam Carter in Spooks but has also starred in Match Point, The Four Feathers, Persuasion, The Drowning, Our House, Silk, Whitechapel, Lucky Man and The Batman. He is the son of the late To The Manor Born star Angela Thorne.
Who else is starring in The Feud?
Other cast in The Feud includes Ex-Emmerdale and Downton Abbey star Amy Nuttall who plays the Barnetts' neighbour Sonia while Fleabag and Corrie’s Ray Fearon stars as her husband, Alan.
"There’s a lot of fake camaraderie between Emma and John and next-door couple Sonia and Alan," explains Rupert. "They're all supposedly best friends, but tensions are bubbling underneath."
"You learn early on that Sonia has a secret,’ says Amy, who plays her. "The spat over Emma’s kitchen extension escalates quickly and disturbingly."
"Alan and Sonia’s relationship has turned stale," adds Ray, who plays Alan. "When you peek behind the curtains there’s a lot more going on…"
James Fleet (Bridgerton) and Tessa Peake-Jones (Only Fools and Horses) are Derek and Barbara, who also live on their street.
Derek is something of a controlling busybody, yet he refuses to discuss his son Marcus and is suspiciously protective of his back garden.
"Derek’s marriage is bleak," says James. "He’s a deeply horrible and unpleasant man."
"Barbara has a public and a private face," says Tessa, who plays Derek's downtrodden wife, who desperately misses Marcus and mysteriously sobs over a tree by her kitchen window. "She’s dealing with something extreme behind closed doors."
Speaking about working with the TV legends, Jill told TWT: "One of the best bits of the job for me was seeing what Tessa Peake-Jones and James Fleet were up to as Barbara and Derek. It doesn’t take long for passive aggression to become out and out aggression!"
Newcomer Megan Tower is the Barnett’s daughter Beth while Larry Lamb (EastEnders, Gavin & Stacey) is Emma’s father, Terry.
Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O’Donnell is PC Gallagher and Chris Gascoyne (Coronation Street, New Street Law, Moving On) as intimidating builder Lee.
The Thick of It and The Inbetweeners star Alex Macqueen plays nosy neighbour Nick, who is obsessed with monitoring his neighbours via security cameras.
"There’s an added pressure on them all because they’re being watched by Nick, who lives across the street and has a CCTV camera pointed at their houses!" says Rupert.
Judith Alexander, Joel Beckett, Luke Hammond and Joel Kai Ali round off the cast.
Is there a trailer?
Yes, 5 has released this tasty snippet of The Feud on their social media channels adn YouTube. Check out noth below...
When renovations begin, so does the unraveling. New drama The Feud starts Monday 14th April. Watch | Stream on 5 #TheFeud #JillHalfpenny #AmyNuttall #RayFearon #LarryLamb #JamieLeeODonnell #AlexMacQueen #RupertPenryJones #JamesFleet#TessaPeakeJones #ChrisCascoyne pic.twitter.com/ULrmfXfcQtApril 4, 2025
Behind the scenes, locations and more on The Feud
The Feud filmed in Newcastle, UK, in 2024. The series was ordered for Channel 5 by Paul Testar, Commissioning Editor, Drama, Channel 5.
Speaking about filming on a real residential road, Rupert told us: "If there’s one person I know who loves filming in Newcastle, it’s Jill! I think it helped the show that we shot there, and some of the residents are even in the fête scenes. They're a great bunch of people."
"Everyone was lovely," adds Jill. "And yes it really is an extra draw for me because I got to go home every night!"
It was written and created by Aschlin Ditta (The Inheritance, The Catherine Tate Show, Doc Martin), and is directed by Andy de Emmony (Vigil, Lucky Man, The Nest) with Lesley Douglas producing for Lonesome Pine Productions.
Aschlin Ditta and Andy de Emmony are also executive producing the series, with Banijay Rights onboard for international distribution and funding by North East Screen Industries Partnership delivered by North East Screen.
Paul Testar says: “Neighbourly disputes happen every day. The Feud takes that premise and runs with it to its extreme limit. What starts as an innocuous renovation triggers an extraordinary sequence of events. We’re excited to work with the wonderful team at Lonesome Pine again to bring this great story and stellar cast to the Channel 5 audience.”
