ITV Greenlights The Secret

LONDON: ITV has commissioned the three-part drama The Secret, from Hat Trick Productions.

Starring James Nesbitt, The Secret tells the story of a real-life double murder. Nesbitt portrays Colin Howell, a respectable dentist and pillar of the community, who became a killer alongside a Sunday school teacher, Hazel Buchanan, played by Genevieve O’Reilly. The two fall in love and hatch a plot to murder their partners. The drama is based on a best-selling book by veteran reporter Deric Henderson, the former Ireland editor of the Press Association, and draws on primary source material. Production will begin in Northern Ireland in November with additional funding from Northern Ireland Screen. 

“The Secret is a powerful true-life crime story,” said Steve November, the director of drama at ITV. “The production team at Hat Trick, led by Mark Redhead, has a long-held reputation for producing quality drama focusing on human frailties and tragedy.”

Executive producer Mark Redhead remarked, “This is the story of an audacious and wicked crime. It tells us something very surprising and revealing about the dark side of human nature.”

Henderson added, “It’s an extraordinary story, certainly the most remarkable I’ve ever covered in a long career.”

Richard Williams, the CEO at Northern Ireland Screen, commented, “We are delighted to welcome Hat Trick back to Northern Ireland. It is good that they are returning to film an important local story with James Nesbitt in the lead role. We wish Mark and his team all the best for the shoot.”