Gripping ITV thriller written by Broadchurch actor cancelled after just one series
ONE of ITV’s most gripping thrillers has been cancelled after one series.
Passenger, written by Broadchurch star Andrew Buchan, has come to an end and won’t be returning for another series on ITV.
It was Andrew’s debut as a screenwriter but there will be no further instalments of the programme to come.
TVZone were the first to report the news with a spokesperson for ITV confirming to The Sun that there would not be a second series.
ITV said: “Passenger was enjoyed by the viewers that watched the drama, but sadly we’ve decided there won’t be a second series.”
The dark thriller made its debut in March of this year and starred Wunmi Mosaku, David Threlfall, Rowan Robinson and Jack James Ryan in leading roles.
Wunmi played Detective Riya Ajunwa who finds herself investigating a slew of strange and unexplained crimes in the fictional Northern town of Chadder Vale.
In the show, Riya is tired of solving petty crimes and taking care of her senile mother-in-law, so when Katie Wells goes missing from the forest in the middle of the night, Riya hopes the case can bring some much-needed excitement into her life — until Katie shows up safe and sound 24 hours later.
Passenger was filmed in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England.
Speaking about the shooting locations, show star Daniel Ryan said: “When you go to some of these locations, and you don’t know whether it’s the design of the show or whether they’ve just found this extraordinary location.
“I love my bread factory, which is a surprising location. It’s an old department store. But the work that they’ve done to make it completely and utterly believable is fantastic.
“We were all breathing in flour for two weeks while we were there. I mean, you wouldn’t ever question that it wasn’t a real bread factory.
“A lot of my locations have been indoors, but within beautiful, beautiful surroundings.”
Ahead of Passenger’s premiere earlier this year, screenwriter and Broadchurch star Andrew teased that there would be more questions and mysteries.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, he said: “You don’t want to insult the audience’s intelligence, and it hopefully takes them on a very exciting ride.
“What I will say is that you will have to wait until episode six to find out some of the answers to all the clues that we leave along the way, and believe me, there are quite a few clues.
“But, by the end of episode six, you’ll hopefully realise that these people are still at the start of a very big journey.”
Crime dramas on ITVX
Crime drama buffs have a wide selection of choices on ITVX - here is a selection of some of the programmes available to binge.
- Professor T: Based on a Belgian TV series of the same name, former Death in Paradise lead Ben Miller plays the title character. Professor Jasper Tempest is a criminologist with OCD who helps the police solve crimes. The cast also includes Emma Naomi, Barney White and Andy Gathergood.
- The Beast Must Die: This series follows a mother’s grief for her son, who was killed in an accident. Nicholas Blake’s novel of the same name has been adapted for the programme. Stars include Cush Jumbo, Jared Harris, Billy Howle and Geraldine James.
- Red Eye: Starring Richard Armitage, Jing Lusi and Lesley Sharp star in this six-part thriller, which mostly takes place during an all-night flight between London and Beijing. With dead bodies piling up and a mystery to unravel, the heroes must work fast to get to the truth.
- The Twelve: This Australian drama originally aired as a miniseries in 2022, with the episodes dropping in the UK in February 2023. Four months later, the show was renewed for a second season. Jurassic Park star Sam Neill stars in the leading role of barrister Brett Colby.
- Manhunt: Martin Clunes stars in this drama based on true murder investigations. Series one focused on the death of Amélie Delagrange, which took place in 2004, while the second depicted the search for serial rapist Delroy Grant.