{"id":4290,"date":"2026-07-12T12:00:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T07:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=4290"},"modified":"2026-07-12T12:00:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T07:00:14","slug":"i-wrote-itvs-chilling-new-thriller-because-it-wasnt-about-women-being-massacred","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=4290","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I wrote ITV\u2019s chilling new thriller because it wasn&#8217;t about women being massacred\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"video-player\">\n<div class=\"video-player\">\n<div 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serial killer stalks the Scottish wilderness. When a young man's body is discovered, DI Monica Kennedy must catch the murderer before a small community is torn apart.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;The Dark official trailer&quot;,&quot;videoId&quot;:3676721}\" preload=\"metadata\" playsinline=\"\"><source src=\"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/07\/06\/3856006615525996828\/480x270_MP4_3856006615525996828.mp4\" type=\"video\/mp4\"\/><p class=\"vjs-no-js\">To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbrowser that<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/videojs.com\/html5-video-support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">supports HTML5<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo<\/a><\/p><\/video>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>For anyone who has seen <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/true-detective\/\">True Detective<\/a>, the opening scene to <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/itv\/\">ITV<\/a>\u2019s new crime thriller The Dark will feel hauntingly familiar: a naked body is found, eerily staged, in the remote wilderness.<\/p>\n<p>Except this victim is a young man, on the cusp of adulthood in the Scottish Highlands. The distinction of not having a female victim is one that made adapting GR Halliday\u2019s novel From the Shadows \u2018unturndownable\u2019 for show writer Matt Hartley.<\/p>\n<p>Ahead of the release this weekend, he tells <strong>Metro<\/strong>: \u2018It wasn\u2019t young women getting massacred in woods. It did feel like it was a different prism in which victimhood was going to be explored.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>As the six episodes unspool, the body count racks up and the coppers on the case quickly realise they\u2019re dealing with a serial killer.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2018frustrations\u2019 of a young man in the middle of nowhere were something Hartley could relate to from his own adolescence, adding: \u2018I don\u2019t think we often see those young men, at that age where independence is there, and that\u2019s a core theme of the motive of driving somebody to do this.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It was a great chance to explore what it\u2019s like when we think that young men are not as vulnerable as their female counterparts, and just start to disappear. How does the community react differently to that?\u2019<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_304259123-0b49-e1783346778206.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29064866\" alt=\"A still from The Dark of a woman in front of a field holding a gun.\" decoding=\"sync\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>The Dark on ITV follows the hunt for a serial killer, who\u2019s murdering men in their teens and early twenties (Picture: ITV)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_304259106-d697.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29064870\" alt=\"ALL IMAGES AND CONTENT WITHIN STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL TUESDAY 7 JULY, 2026. From Poison Pen Studios The Dark Sr1, Ep1 on ITV1 and ITVX. Pictured: LAURA DONNELLY AS DI MONICA KENNEDY. This photograph is (C) ITV Studios and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Publicity. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Publicity. Full Terms and conditions are available on the website www.itv.com\/presscentre\/itvpictures\/terms Picture Publicity Manager: liberty.warner@itv.com\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Laura Donnelly stars as the detective on the case, Monica Kennedy (Picture: ITV)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2019\/12\/17\/the-rise-and-fall-of-true-detective-how-the-best-show-on-tv-managed-to-ruin-its-own-legacy-11921128\/\">True Detective did loom large<\/a> when drawing inspiration for the show, with its \u2018haunting use of landscape, atmosphere and tone\u2019. Hartley speaks of The Dark as funnelling that into a distinctly British drama, which steps out of a police precinct and into the great beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Another reference point was <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/bbc-2\/\">BBC<\/a>\u2019s <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2013\/05\/14\/the-fall-may-plug-the-broadchurch-shaped-gap-in-your-tv-viewing-3757452\/\">The Fall<\/a>, with its cat-and-mouse chase between detective and killer.<\/p>\n<p>The detective is Monica Kennedy, played by Laura Donnelly, while the mouse is an incredibly creepy masked figure, whom Hartley described in the script as someone you could glimpse driving past and first think \u2018that\u2019s a normal face\u2019, before doing a double take.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It\u2019s like a ghostly presence,\u2019 he says. \u2018We talked a lot about at what point we really truly see this person that\u2019s going to be haunting both the show and our detectives.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>When it does come, it packs a punch.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I don\u2019t want to be instilling fear in the hearts of people, but maybe I do\u2026<\/p>\n<p><svg><title>Quote<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-quote\" href=\"#common-quote\"\/><\/svg><svg><title>Quote<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-quote\" href=\"#common-quote\"\/><\/svg>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Hartley promises that the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/agatha-christie\/\">Agatha Christie<\/a> disciples tuning in might be able to piece together exactly who the culprit is before the big reveal.<\/p>\n<p>But he isn\u2019t keen on traversing the message boards, even if the prospect of fan theories is \u2018fantastic\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It means we\u2019re doing a good job in some ways,\u2019 he says. \u2018But I think it would terrify me. I would be going, \u201cOh, they saw it\u201d, or \u201cThat could have been a great idea\u201d, or \u201cWhy didn\u2019t I pursue that even more?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I\u2019m wary that I would lose so much of my life to doing that and then joining in. That would not be well advised.\u2019<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"386\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_304258857-fa02-e1783346841412.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29064876\" alt=\"ALL IMAGES AND CONTENT WITHIN STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 10AM, WEDNESDAY THE 27TH OF MAY. From Poison Pen Studios The Dark Sr1, on ITV1 and ITVX. Pictured: This photograph is (C) ITV Studios and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Publicity. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Publicity. Full Terms and conditions are available on the website www.itv.com\/presscentre\/itvpictures\/terms Picture Publicity Manager: liberty.warner@itv.com\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>\u2018It\u2019s like a ghostly presence\u2019 (Picture: ITV)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_304258921-ff28.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29064880\" alt=\"ALL IMAGES AND CONTENT WITHIN STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 10AM, WEDNESDAY THE 27TH OF MAY. From Poison Pen Studios The Dark Sr1, on ITV1 and ITVX. Pictured: Tunji Kasim as Michael Bach. This photograph is (C) ITV Studios and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Publicity. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Publicity. Full Terms and conditions are available on the website www.itv.com\/presscentre\/itvpictures\/terms Picture Publicity Manager: liberty.warner@itv.com\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>The Dark\u2019s writer describes it as a detective wilderness thriller (Picture: ITV)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Before Hartley was instilling fear into hearts on primetime ITV, he was pumping out melodrama on the soapy shores of Hollyoaks and EastEnders. <\/p>\n<p>I imagine this must be an ideal training ground for grinding out scripts.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018In all honesty, I wasn\u2019t very good at it,\u2019 he says, with surprising candour. \u2018There are so many people that are fantastic at it, because they have that muscle and they know the show and the characters so well.\u00a0<\/p>\n<section class=\"metro-comment-cta\"\/>\n<p>\u2018I didn\u2019t know the characters as well as I know the characters in the world that I\u2019m going to create. Like with this show, yes, it was based on Gareth\u2019s brilliant books, but I was creating a lot of these characters, and they were living and breathing because of a heartbeat that I put into them.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>This novel is the first in the trilogy. The second has a \u2018very, very distinct crime\u2019, says Hartley, but there is no word yet on whether The Dark will become a longer-running show. Colour me curious, after that description.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As for the ending of this series, he quotes former <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2022\/02\/23\/crimewatchs-nick-ross-pays-tribute-to-jill-dando-after-collecting-cbe-16159823\/\">Crimewatch presenter Nick Ross\u2019s<\/a> infamous sign-off, \u2018Don\u2019t have nightmares\u2019, and adds: \u2018But I think if that happens, then that was part of the job done.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>The Dark is available to watch on ITV1 tonight at 9pm, with the whole series on ITVX.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/11\/who-are-the-bbc-and-itv-world-cup-presenters-pundits-and-commentators-5-29104872\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Who are the BBC and ITV World Cup presenters, pundits and commentators?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/11\/tv-presenter-dermot-murnaghan-dies-aged-68-cancer-diagnosis-29110663\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">TV presenter Dermot Murnaghan dies aged 68 after cancer diagnosis<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/11\/tom-brittney-admits-quit-grantchester-worst-time-what-done-29097170\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Tom Brittney admits he quit Grantchester at the worst time: \u2018What have I done?\u2019<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\"><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Comment now<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-comment\" href=\"#social-comment\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-preferred-source\" href=\"#social-preferred-source\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-preferred-source__label\">Add as preferred source<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card accent--tv\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card__inner\">\n<h4>TV Newsletter<\/h4>\n<p>Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video For anyone who has seen True Detective, the opening scene to ITV\u2019s new crime thriller The Dark will feel hauntingly familiar: a naked body is found, eerily staged, in the remote wilderness. Except this victim is a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4291,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_304259123-0b49-e1783346778206_1783602457.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200&h=630&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4290"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4290\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}