The Beast Must Die

The Beast Must Die

Full series drop available on ITVX here 

Series overview

The Beast Must Die is a gripping contemporary revenge thriller set on the Isle of Wight. Following the hit and run of a six-year-old boy, his mother (Cush Jumbo OBE, The Good Wife, The Good Fight, Deadwater Fell) is intent on avenging his death and the only thing keeping her going is the desire to hunt down and kill the man she believes is responsible. The troubled yet brilliant Detective Strangeways (Billy Howle, The Serpent, MotherFatherSon, On Chesil Beach) has to unpick this web of tragedy and steer a course to justice.

The stellar cast includes Bafta-winning and Golden Globe & Emmy nominated Jared Harris (Chernobyl, The Crown, Mad Men), Bafta-nominated Geraldine James OBE (Back to Life, Anne with an E, Utopia), Nathaniel Parker (The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, The Outcast, Vanity Fair), Maeve Dermody (Carnival Row, Marcella, The Frankenstein Chronicles), Mia Tomlinson (The Lost Pirate Kingdom) and newcomer Barney Sayburn.

The series is directed by Dome Karukoski (Tolkien, Tom of Finland), produced by Sarada McDermott (Bridgerton, Official Secrets) and adapted for the screen by screenwriter Gaby Chiappe (Their Finest, Shetland, Vera). The series is based on the novel by Nicholas Blake (pen name of Cecil Day-Lewis CBE). Executive Producers are Ed Rubin and Emma Broughton for New Regency, Marina Brackenbury and David W Zucker for Scott Free, Nathaniel Parker and Gaby Chiappe.

Episode 1

Frances Cairnes begins her search for the person who killed her six-year-old son in a hit and run. DI Strangeways arrives on the Isle of Wight, hoping for a fresh start after the death of his colleague.

Episode 2

Having found the man she believes is responsible for the death of her son, Frances sets out to inveigle her way into his home as she plots her revenge.

Episode 3

Staying on as a house guest, Frances must now work out how she is going to see through her murderous plan. While Strangeways continues his own investigation into the case, he begins to question what Frances’ presence on the island may mean.

Episode 4

Frances looks set to exact her revenge, when an unexpected turn of events threatens to derail her plans. While things heat up for DI Strangeways as he uncovers further leads into Frances’ unsolved case.

Episode 5

Frances struggles to deal with the fallout of her attempt to punish the man who killed her son. DI Strangeways, blindsided by a surprising discovery, scrambles to find answers before it’s too late.