In a break from the norm ITV are broadcasting a major new drama on a Friday night instead of the usual favoured Sunday night slot. Time will tell if this is a good decision or not but they have certainly trialled it with a powerful and compelling drama which gives the channel a great chance of success.
When Colin Howell and Hazel Buchanan meet at their local Baptist Church in rural Northern Ireland, they start an affair which will have cataclysmic consequences.
In a seaside town in Northern Ireland in 1991, two bodies are found in a carbon monoxide filled car. A former nurse Lesley Howell, and a police officer Trevor Buchanan – both have apparently taken their own lives together.
The Secret is the true story of a Sunday school teacher and a respectable dentist who formed a murderous partnership.
Hazel Buchanan and Colin Howell meet at their local Baptist Church in Coleraine, Northern Ireland and embark upon a passionate and destructive affair, which climaxes in an elaborate plot to commit the “perfect murder” to kill both their partners, Lesley and Trevor, and make it look like a suicide pact.
The killers fool the police and get away with murder, but their relationship soon sours and they separate. They rebuild their lives, each remarrying and prospering, but can never escape what they have done. As a series of disasters befalls Howell, he finally confesses his crimes to the horrified elders of his church.
Convicted of murder, Howell implicates Hazel in the killing. Hazel admits involvement but pleads not guilty, claiming she was coerced. In a climactic murder trial, Howell gives evidence against his former lover.
The story begins on Friday 29 April at 9pm on ITV and is sure to captivate audiences in the web of intrigue that is told in the 4 week series.
- Colin Howell JAMES NESBITT
- Hazel Buchanan GENEVIEVE O’REILLY
- Lesley Howell LAURA PYPER
- Trevor Buchanan GLEN WALLACE
- Pastor John Hansford JASON WATKINS
- Grandpa Harry Clarke JAMES GREENE
- Andy Comerford DAVID PEARSE
- Hilary McAuley ALI WHITE
- Dental Receptionist EILEEN McCLOSKEY
- Matthew Howell RILEY HAMILTON
- Lauren Howell NINA WOODS
- Daniel Howell MURRAY SPEERS
- Andrew Buchanan JACK ERDIS
- Lisa Buchanan SOPHIE MELLOTTE