The synopsis teases: “When the body of a young man is found eerily staged in the idyllic Scottish wilderness, detective Monica Kennedy fears this is just the beginning of a terrifying campaign that will strike the heart of a rural community.<\/p>\n
“As paranoia rises, suspicions and secrets are forced into the light, and the locals start to realise that there is a serial killer hidden amongst them.”<\/p>\n
If you’re as intrigued as we are, mark your calendars for Sunday 12 July 2026 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX, when The Dark<\/a> premieres. The second episode will follow the very next day on Monday 13 July.<\/p>\n Want to see this content?<\/p>\n Accept and continue<\/p>\n Donnelly will be well known to lovers of the romantic epic Outlander<\/a>, having portrayed Jenny Fraser Murray across the first three seasons of the historical drama.<\/p>\n Since then, she’s also taken key roles in Sky’s Britannia, HBO’s The Nevers, Hulu’s Say Nothing<\/a> and Marvel’s Werewolf by Night<\/a>, where she played reluctant monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone.<\/p>\n The Dark cast also features Mark Rowley (Trigger Point<\/a>, The Last Kingdom), Helen Baxendale (Noughts + Crosses, Friends<\/a>) and Emun Elliott (The Gold, Guilt).<\/p>\n Mark Rowley as Detective Connor Crawford.\u00a0ITV Studios \/ Mark Mainz<\/p>\n Lena Rae (Call the Midwife<\/a>) and Nessah Muthy (Grantchester<\/a>) have penned the adaptation, while Gilles Bannier (Blue Lights<\/a>) serves as lead director on the new series.<\/p>\n Speaking to the Royal Television Society<\/a> this week, Donnelly teased of the scripts: “While it has all the suspense and thrills of a detective-serial killer drama, it was so character-based.<\/p>\n “The most important elements seemed to be the relationships between the characters. I was drawn to Monica because she was carrying so much in terms of her past, her family and the way she approaches her work.”<\/p>\n The Dark premieres on ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday 12 July 2026. <\/p>\n Check out more of our Drama<\/a> coverage or visit our TV Guide<\/a> and Streaming Guide<\/a> to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/THEDARKMarkRowley-2bcecca.jpg\" "\\"THE_DARK_MarkRowley\\"")
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