Poldark star Eleanor Tomlinson is set to star in a “gripping” new psychological drama titled The Family Secret. The countryside-set mystery series also stars Harry Potter actor Matthew Lewis opposite Tomlinson.
Announced by 5 earlier this year, The Family Secret is described as “a gripping, psychological drama that asks: what if your past isn’t what you think it is?”
The new show follows Tomlinson as a woman named Amanda Blakefield, who is happily married to her husband Jimmy (Lewis), with whom she shares a son named Luke (James Younger).
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Per the synopsis: “Amanda has her world shattered after she is left an enormous inheritance by a man she has neither met nor heard of before.
“Her life starts to disintegrate as she becomes embroiled in the world of The Worrall Family. The patriarch Martin Worrall (Denis Lawson) is head of a family which is bound in past secrets.
Channel 5
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“As Amanda’s story leads her further and further into the Northumbrian countryside, she begins to unravel the past. And all of their lives are turned upside down.”
Joining Lewis and Tomlinson on the cast are The Thick of It star Rebecca Front, who plays Martin’s wife Fiona, while All Creatures Great and Small actor Callum Woodhouse will play his son Anthony.
Also on the cast are Wild At Heart star Stephen Tompkinson, Upstart Crow’s Paula Wilcox, Kill Your Friends actor Danielle Walters and Eastenders star Nina Wadia.
Mammoth Screen / BBC
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Filming on The Family Secret is already under way, taking place on location across the North East of England, with the show expected to air on 5 some time in 2026.
Opening up about what to expect from the new story, 5 commissioning editor Paul Testar said in a statement: “The Family Secret explores the fragility of family and the ripple effects of long-buried truths, all anchored by a brilliant cast led by Eleanor Tomlinson.
“This is a drama that promises to keep audiences hooked from the very first minute and we’re delighted to work with Lonesome Pine again after the success of The Inheritance and The Feud.”
The Family Secret will air on 5 in 2026.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.Â
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.Â
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.