Coldwater star addresses show's future after facing 'real challenge'

Coldwater writer David Ireland has hinted at the possibility of a follow-up series for the spine-tingling ITV drama.

FeaturingThe Walking Dead's Andrew Lincoln alongside Eve Myles, Indira Varma and Ewen Bremner, the six-episode thriller chronicles Andrew's character John as he grapples with historical trauma that returns to torment him.

Having relocated himself and his loved ones to the peaceful Scottish countryside of Coldwater to distance themselves from London as much as possible, John discovers himself growing bitter about his suppressed emotions and tedious existence as a house husband in his middle years, with his hidden fury threatening to destroy the life he knows.

Following a personal crisis in London where John failed to step in during a brutal altercation at a children's playground, he yearns for a more peaceful future for his household, yet discovers fresh troubles emerging in Coldwater.

When he befriends next-door neighbour Tommy (Ewen), a seemingly charming man and devoted husband to the local vicar Rebecca (Eve), John finds himself at the centre of a series of unsettling events, ensnared in Tommy's trap, reports Glasgow Live.

Whilst their marriage deteriorates, John's spouse Fiona (Indira) grows increasingly doubtful and sceptical that Tommy is what he appears to be.

As John's long-suppressed fury reaches breaking point with catastrophic consequences, he quickly discovers himself owing Tommy a debt, whose own terrifying mysteries start to surface.

The summary reveals: "This is the story of a normal man, in a normal marriage, who finds himself in a far from normal situation.

"A man who discovers a newfound sense of his own power, right at the moment he falls under the influence of someone incredibly dangerous."

When quizzed about the possibility of a second series, David - who has previously admitted that some elements of Andrew's character are drawn from his own life - confessed: "Because I'd never really written this kind of stuff before, I never even thought of a second series, like I couldn't even imagine how you set up for a second series, but as I got towards the end of writing the last two episodes, I thought it would be good, if possible, to keep this going because I do find the characters really fascinating and it would be great to keep them going for a few more seasons."

He further admitted that he found the process of creating the show "exhausting and impossible", adding: "It was really, really hard. Writing six hours of TV and drama and thriller is really hard just to find ways to keep the audience interested. Instead of writing one play it's like writing six plays that have to interconnect with each other.

"But also, it did feel like it was something that had been in me for a long time, like I've always loved thrillers. And I've never written one before, but I thought it would be really exciting and interesting to write one and see if I could do it.

"The characters of John and Tommy had been building up inside me for a while so once I started writing, it became very easy for those characters to exit. They took on a life of their own, the real challenge was trying to not make the entire series just Andrew and Ewan talking to each other and bringing in the other characters."

Meanwhile, Ewen expressed his desire for a second instalment, whilst Eve confessed: "This is certainly a series that we all thoroughly enjoyed doing and feels like a very different type of drama that will hopefully take people by surprise and connect with people in ways we would hope.

"We genuinely don't know like most first series if this will continue or not."

Coldwater is available to watch on ITVX.