Dead and Buried - Annabel Scholey, Colin Morgan and the cast and creatives discuss the new psychological thriller: “the audience have to work out who to trust” (2024)

Published: 12:01 am, 30 August 2024

Updated: 01:15 pm, 30 August 2024

Dead and Buried - Annabel Scholey, Colin Morgan and the cast and creatives discuss the new psychological thriller: “the audience have to work out who to trust” (1)

The new four-part psychological thriller Dead And Buried, written by Colin Bateman, starts on Monday 2 September on BBC One Northern Ireland at 10.40pm. The full series will be available on BBC iPlayer from 10pm that evening.

The series features Annabel Scholey (The Split, The Serial Killer’s Wife, The Salisbury Poisonings) and Colin Morgan (Humans, Belfast, Merlin), Kerri Quinn (Hope Street), Waj Ali (Carnival Row), Owen Roe (Vikings), Niamh Walsh (The Sandman), Micheal Hanna (He'll Have to Go) and Joanne Crawford (Blue Lights).

When out shopping with her son, young mum Cathy McDaid (Annabel Scholey) bumps into Michael McAllister (Colin Morgan), the man responsible for killing her brother Terry 20 years ago. Unaware he had been released from prison and is living in the same town, Cathy pays her solicitor a visit and discovers the killer had been released years ago.

Taking to social media, Cathy uncovers the successful career and family life Michael has forged for himself since his early release from prison, while she grieved for her brother.

Unable to comprehend that he's now a free man, teacher Cathy goes against the advice of her best friend Sally Bowman (Kerri Quinn) and creates an online alias in order to befriend Michael, instigating a clandestine relationship with the man she despises and embarking on a campaign of harassment and deceit.

As Cathy’s obsession grows, dark fantasies of revenge and reality blur as she sets out on a campaign of psychological warfare to destroy Michael’s life.

The series uncovers how far Cathy is prepared to go to seek revenge for her brother’s death and the catastrophic impact it has on all their lives.

Writer, Colin Bateman says: “Dead And Buried is going to be intriguing for the audience because the audience have to work out who to trust because there are so many red herrings. You're not quite sure what Cathy's up to or whether Michael is truly a reformed character, or if he still retains his capacity for violence.”

Laura Way, Director, says: “Dead And Buried entertains and compels but Colin’s script also explores bigger issues unique to past and present Northern Ireland and its border counties, which gives the show more depth and layers than your typical thriller, exploring themes of cyclical violence and forgiveness.”

Dead And Buried was commissioned by BBC Northern Ireland and Virgin Media Television in association with All3Media International and produced by Three River Fiction and Vico Films.

The drama is written by Colin Bateman (Murphy’s Law, Doc Martin) and directed by Laura Way (Maxine, Blood, The Holiday). It was jointly commissioned by Eddie Doyle, Head of Commissioning for BBC Northern Ireland and Sinead Stimpfig, Head of Commissioning & Acquisitions for Virgin Media Television.

Set on the border, the series was filmed earlier this year in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland with support from Screen Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen and Coimisiún na Meán.

The series will also begin on Virgin Media in the Republic of Ireland on the same evening.

Interview with Colin Bateman (Writer)

Dead and Buried - Annabel Scholey, Colin Morgan and the cast and creatives discuss the new psychological thriller: “the audience have to work out who to trust” (2)

What is the drama about?

Dead And Buried is about Cathy, an ordinary schoolteacher who, on a normal Saturday morning, literally bumps into the man who killed her brother 15 years before. It asks the question, what would you do in that situation? Do you turn the other cheek? Do you engage? Or do you begin to think about revenge? Cathy does what I think we would all do in this situation, she goes home and begins to stalk him on social media. She wants to know what his life is like. What throws her is that he appears to have such a perfect life -better than her own in many ways - whereas her brother is dead. And that begins to fuel some revenge fantasies, which again, we could all imagine doing, but never would. Cathy actually acts on them.

Tell us about where the drama is set?

Dead And Buried is set along the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, with the action moving back and forth. And when we're in quite a small community, the chances of you meeting people who've affected your life from the past is so much greater. And that's what happens with Cathy and Michael, so that when they do finally meet, it sets off an explosive response.

Dead And Buried is a psychological thriller. It's quite dark, quite funny, and it's going to be intriguing for the audience because they have to work out who to trust because there are so many red herrings, and you're not quite sure what Cathy's up to or whether Michael is truly a reformed character, or if he still retains his capacity for violence.

How did the project go from a one woman play to a four part TV series?

Dead And Buried was originally a BBC Radio 4 short story called ‘The Gaining of Wisdom’, and then became a one woman play called ‘Bag for Life’ for the Playhouse Theatre in Londonderry before finally becoming this four part TV series – so it’s been on quite a journey. Who knows what’s next, a musical version?

What are the different challenges writing this story for TV compared to the theatre?

I love writing for the theatre and getting a different audience response every night – but you are necessarily limited by budgets and settings and the size of your cast. Writing a television version allowed me to really open up the story, introduce many new characters and really take it in many new directions while still remaining faithful to the original idea. It still asks the basic question, what would you do if you were in this situation?

How did you feel about seeing the cast put your words in to action on set?

It’s always very exciting seeing how an actor, or a director, or a set designer, basically how everyone interprets what I’ve conjured up sitting at my kitchen table. For actors in particular, it’s whether they get the humour, the intention – and it's even better when they come up with a way of doing or saying something that I hadn’t even thought of. It is very much a collaborative medium – with the added bonus of if they come up with something new and it really works, I still get the credit for it!

What would you do in the situation where you are confronted with an enemy from the past? Would you seek revenge?

I think everyone has these fantasies, but luckily we very rarely act on them. But imagine how amplified those thoughts would be if they related to a really serious crime? I know when I staged the original play, lots of people in Derry came up to me and said they’d been in that exact position, bumping into people who’d had violent acts against their loved ones, and being powerless to do anything about it, and they were traumatised as a result.

Interview with Laura Way (Director)

Dead and Buried - Annabel Scholey, Colin Morgan and the cast and creatives discuss the new psychological thriller: “the audience have to work out who to trust” (3)

What attracted you to the project?

Colin’s script. It’s a multi-narrative thriller/drama that was unpredictable, twisted and dark but still grounded in authenticity and truth. Colin writes real people, really well and when your characters are real you know you can bring your audience on their journey no matter how twisted they become. He doesn’t shy away from characters who are complex and, at times, unlikeable. I didn’t feel safe with his characters and that’s the kind of material I like to work with. It’s a gift when you’re given material, characters and structure that is challenging with dream sequences, flashbacks and multi-narrative structure.

Dead And Buried had a distinct tone being set in Northern Ireland on the Northern Ireland border. The characters, the setting, the inherent trauma and history of these two people who share the same traumatic past but from very different perspectives were extremely compelling, not to mention the secondary characters who have their own struggles and distinctiveness. Dead And Buried, entertains and compels but Colin’s script also explored bigger issues unique to past and present Northern Ireland and its border counties, which gives the show more depth and layers than your typical thriller, exploring themes of cyclical violence and forgiveness.

Throughout the series, Cathy slowly reveals her inner demons, the nature of her obsessions and how she manifests her desires for revenge while Michael has forged a new identity for himself although he can never truly escape his dark past.

Gradually, as her story unfolds we start to understand that this is a woman who is not really telling anybody the truth.

Both characters can be unreliable narrators throughout the show at times. Although we don’t like to admit it, I think we all are unreliable narrators at times and that’s what makes the show so relatable.

Also, the producers. From the moment I spoke to Ben McGrath and Cormac Fox, I knew it would be an incredibly satisfying, fulfilling creative experience. There was complete trust and a collective vision from the beginning which remained through to the end. One of the most creatively fulfilling experiences I’ve had in my career. And when John Wallace came on board I knew we could assemble a team that would elevate the production across the board.

You recently worked with Annabel Scholey. What was your experience in working with her again on this project and with the other cast & crew?

I’m Bel’s biggest fan. She is an outstanding actress, something I came to discover on the last show we worked on. Bel is so authentic and engaging on screen. She makes her performance look effortless which is a testament to her professionalism and her craft. She is prepared and thoughtful and elevates a production with her truth-fullness, her natural charm, ease and sense of humour. We share a short hand which makes working with her a very fulfilling experience as a director. Her instincts are so sharp, there is mutual trust and respect that allows us both to do our best work. I just feel very thankful that I met her and have had the pleasure of working with her twice. We’ll have to go for a hat trick next!

Colin Morgan brought such sensitivity and authenticity to the role of Michael. It was my great pleasure to work with Colin, he’s a beautiful actor and was completely invested in bringing complexity and originality to his character.

We had an incredible ensemble cast from the brilliant Kerri Quinn, Niamh Walsh, Owen Roe and our very talented new comer Michael Hannah who plays Andrew. This is my third show with cinematographer Evan Barry who is an outstanding talent, we share the same taste and a short hand which makes a tight schedule much easier to navigate.

Most of the crew, we’ve worked together before and really nothing else compares to their conscientiousness, professionalism and great craic. We had a lot of fun, even when the chips are down, we’re a big family and it was a crew who looked out for each other. It was a wonderful experience from start to finish. Not all jobs are as joyful. So much of that atmosphere I put down to the producers, particularly John Wallace and Lisa Kelly. This was my second production with my wonderfully talented and creative editor Eoin McGuirk who I love working with and the post production in Yellow Moon in Belfast was first class, there’s such an abundance of talent in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and an enthusiasm and passion for the work. It was a joy start to finish.

Interview with Ben McGrath (Exec Producer)

Dead and Buried - Annabel Scholey, Colin Morgan and the cast and creatives discuss the new psychological thriller: “the audience have to work out who to trust” (4)

What is Dead And Buried about?

Dead And Buried explores a number of universal themes connected and associated with that idea of ‘can someone truly forgive?’ It's about putting oneself in the shoes of the characters and asking the question 'what would I do'. This is something you get said a lot in television drama, but it's really important in this series. We want the audience to understand the issues and the psychology, so they can picture themselves in their local supermarket, bumping trolleys with somebody who's had such a cataclysmic impact on their lives and ask themselves the question of what they would do.

What can audiences expect?

Audiences can expect a darkly unpredictable and unsettling ride with two damaged people dealing with serious emotional trauma. The series is the TV equivalent of a literary page turner and I hope it will be that gem in the schedule that audiences will unearth, be hooked by, and will need to know how it ends.

Interview with Annabel Scholey (Cathy)

Dead and Buried - Annabel Scholey, Colin Morgan and the cast and creatives discuss the new psychological thriller: “the audience have to work out who to trust” (5)

Tell us about the character of Cathy?

Cathy is a mother, a wife, a friend and teacher. We meet her in episode one in a state of normality, of calm almost. Then she bumps into Michael McAllister who was responsible for her brother’s death many years ago and everything changes. Cathy is hyper focused, obsessed and lives life in the extreme when she is off her meds for bipolar [disorder]. She is very funny, stubborn and has a lust for following her instincts which can be dangerous and disruptive.

What attracted you to the part?

Cathy is so far away from who I am. For a start, the Northern Irish culture, humour, the accent! The fact that she is bipolar. For an actor, it was like tick tick tick. A huge challenge. Absolutely terrifying. All of it. Her emotional journey is so intense and complicated in its twists and turns and her moral compass is sometimes questionable (which is fascinating to explore for any actor). I enjoyed how physically she quite often moves in extremes.

Cathy has an alter ego, so I got to explore that version of her too. I read the script and thought, oh my God, this is incredible! I had also just finished working with Laura Way on a Paramount Plus UK series, Serial Killer’s Wife and I absolutely love her and her brilliant work.

You are acting with an accent from Northern Ireland – how did you prepare for that?

I worked HARD. For weeks. With my brilliant accent coach Brendan Gunn. I felt very strongly that to tell Cathy’s story with a bad accent would not only ruin the story for viewers by reducing the authenticity but as an actor, in a role like this, you need absolute freedom. If I had been limited because I wasn’t secure in the accent, it would have been a disaster I think. I absolutely loved the accent and found so much character within it.

Unfortunately I worked so hard that now if I try to do another accent, it comes out Northern Irish!

How did you find filming in Ireland/ Northern Ireland?

I have spent a lot of time in Northern Ireland and Ireland as my daughter is half Northern Irish. I have always found both to be very vividly beautiful places, full of friendly, open and artistic people and it was a pleasure to work with our crew who were quite simply excellent.

What can audiences expect?

I think audiences will be surprised by the central characters and tested by their choices. I think often as a viewer, we expect to be fully on side with them and the path they choose to take but Dead And Buried will test that. It is a bit gruesome at times. It's funny at times, it's heartbreaking at times - a bit of everything, I think. Expect to feel exhausted watching it. If I were watching it as an audience member, I would be confused in the best possible way. It has its own quality, its own flavour.

Interview with Colin Morgan (Michael)

Dead and Buried - Annabel Scholey, Colin Morgan and the cast and creatives discuss the new psychological thriller: “the audience have to work out who to trust” (6)

What is Dead And Buried about?

Dead And Buried is about trauma, about forgiveness, faith, happiness and unhappiness. Choice, healing, not knowing how to heal. Especially with Cathy and Michael. They're both on a journey to heal from something, and they just don't know that that's what they're doing and that each of them is could actually heal the other in a way that's very unexpected.

Michael’s family life is under the spotlight – tell us about where he is when we meet him in the series?

He's in a life that has been set up for him. He's a man who at a very pivotal point in his life - that point, whenever he's a teenager on the cusp of developing into a man - was actually in prison and is released into a world of a different kind of confinement. He met a pastor in prison who I think promised him a new life, a new beginning, which actually ended up being marriage to that pastor's daughter, a house and a job that was provided for him.

And I think now that he's reached this point in his mid-life that he realises nothing he has are things he's chosen. And so when this woman comes along online and he chooses her and he chooses to step outside of the life, it feels good. He just doesn't know that this is someone who actually has ulterior motives, because it's about a person's darkest places that their fears, their worst nightmares.

Dark humour runs throughout the series – how important is that to the character of Michael and the others in the series?

A very Northern Irish (and a very Colin Bateman) trait is the ability to "deal" with pain with humour, often on the darker side - the greater the pain the greater the need to off-set it in whatever way you can. It just so happens that Michael, and many of the characters in Dead And Buried, have dark-humour as a coping mechanism. I'm sure a psychologist could give the deep-dive on where it all stems from, all I know is that there's a lot of it in Northern Ireland and there's a lot of it in this show, which only adds to its twisted appeal as well as its authenticity.

The story is set on a border town – how was your experience filming in your own accent?

Continuing on the theme of authenticity, it's what this business is all about, and an actor is always looking for keys into the soul of their character. I often find that a character’s soul is inhabiting me when their voice starts to come through and I find myself speaking in a certain way, which sometimes can be in a different accent. When an accent isn't required there's a definite shorthand with a new character, we speak a similar language already and so however I end up sounding in the end, we've got off to a good start.

What can audiences expect for Michael?

This show is entirely about the unexpected. The unpredictable. Michael has no idea what's coming his way and will have no idea how to handle things when they do - audiences can expect to see a man trying to keep his head above water as it gets deeper and deeper - and deeper!

Interview with Kerri Quinn (Sally)

Dead and Buried - Annabel Scholey, Colin Morgan and the cast and creatives discuss the new psychological thriller: “the audience have to work out who to trust” (7)

What attracted you to the role of Sally?

I was drawn to Sally because she actually reminded me of myself. Not afraid to speak her mind and loyal to her own detriment. I love her morals. Sally provides a lot of light relief in a very dark piece so I fell in love with her instantly. She’s a good egg.

The majority of your scenes are with Cathy’s character played by Annabel Scholey – tell us a little about Cathy and Sally’s relationship?

I’ve been a massive fan of Annabel’s for a long time so when I heard I was auditioning to play her best mate the pressure was on. I had to play Sally. From the recalls I knew we were the perfect fit for Cathy and Sally. Our chemistry and craic was off the scale. Every job is a learning curve so getting to work with actors like Bel, Colin, Owen, Declan and Joanne is joyous.

What should audiences expect of this four part drama?

I think people are in for quite a shock. It’s dark, exciting, sexy with some very humorous moments. I’m so excited for people to see it.

Interview with Waj Ali (Raymie)

Dead and Buried - Annabel Scholey, Colin Morgan and the cast and creatives discuss the new psychological thriller: “the audience have to work out who to trust” (8)

Tell us a little about Raymie? Who/ where is he in life when we meet him in the series?

Raymie's a caring and down to earth family man. He's a football fanatic, goes to the pub with friends, plays five aside when his knee doesn’t give in. He grew up in London but has roots in Ireland and by the time we meet him in the show he is married to Cathy whom together have a son (Sasha) and has been working as a English Teacher in Ireland for a number of years.

What attracted you to this role?

The script by Colin Bateman drew me in immediately, I read the first episode so quickly, it was a tense experience and I needed to read more. It's very different to most of the roles I've played before. He is so similar to myself in real life which was slightly unnerving and felt at times quite naked metaphorically speaking. It was a very exciting challenge.

Did you enjoy filming in Ireland and with a cast and crew from ROI & NI?

I loved Ireland! Unbelievably it was my first time there so I felt so lucky filming in Wicklow which was just so beautiful. It was such a tight filming schedule but the cast and crew really pulled together and made it a very nice working environment.

What do you think audiences will enjoy most about this series?

The suspense... and having worked alongside the brilliant actors in this show, you're in for a treat.

Interview with Niamh Walsh (Lena)

Dead and Buried - Annabel Scholey, Colin Morgan and the cast and creatives discuss the new psychological thriller: “the audience have to work out who to trust” (9)

Who is Lena McAllister? What is her relationship to Michael/ Andrew/ her father?

Lena is wife to Michael and mum to Andrew; strong, dutiful and caring in complicated circumstances. Faith and family are everything to her.

What attracted you to this role?

I loved the play it was based on, and the chance to tell a story which truly reflects Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland

Did you enjoy filming in Ireland and with a cast and crew from ROI & NI?

I love getting the chance to work at home and think we have some of the finest actors and crew in the world.

What do you think audiences will enjoy most about this series?

Nothing and no one is what you think; it will keep audiences guessing right up until the final episode.

Interview with Micheal Hanna (Andrew)

Dead and Buried - Annabel Scholey, Colin Morgan and the cast and creatives discuss the new psychological thriller: “the audience have to work out who to trust” (10)

Tell us about the character of Andrew?

Andrew is a curious, interested but also quite an angry kid. He’s very close with his family but when things start to unravel he isn’t sure how to react or what to do. Moving from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland has hit him quite badly too and forces him to adapt to the new area and school. Preparing for Andrew wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be as I really clicked and related with character on a personal level; I would compile a playlist of songs that I thought Andrew would resonate with. I used the song lyrics as thoughts for Andrew and implemented them into the scenes.

This is your first TV acting job - how did you find the experience on set?

I’ve been training for the industry by taking Acting for Screen classes at The Shelley Lowry School for several years. Dead And Buried was my first actual on set TV acting experience and although I wasn’t sure what to expect, I couldn’t have felt more welcome and comfortable with all of the cast and the crew making sure that the newbie (me) was safe and felt ready to take on the day.

How did you find the experience working with your TV mum and dad - Colin Morgan & Niamh Walsh?

Working with Colin and Niamh was a blessing and to have them be playing my parents in the show was even more of a blessing. On and off-screen they really did treat me like a son. We would be laughing and having the best conversation one minute and then be putting our acting faces on to bring the scenes we would be doing to life. The experience working with them was just incredible and I’ll never forget it. I have a lot of love for them.

What can audiences expect from this new series?

Audiences can expect so many twists, turns, dark corners and comedy. It’s the kind of show that you never really know what’s going to happen next, how crazy things are about to get and how shocked you’ll end up.

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