Star cast in new gripping four-part drama The Inheritance

Fair play to Channel 5 – of late, they have pulled in a few big names to star in their dramas recently as they look to strengthen that area of their output.

However, The Inheritance features arguably the strongest cast of any of the broadcaster’s shows so far, with an incredibly talented line-up of British stars appearing in the gripping four-part series.

Among the headline names are Robert James-Collier and Samantha Bond, who starred alongside each other as Thomas Barrow and Lady Rosamund Painswick in all six seasons of Downton Abbey.

They are joined by other familiar faces, including Kevin Whately (Lewis, Inspector Morse), Gaynor Faye (The Syndicate), Jemima Rooper (Gold Digger), Larry Lamb (New Tricks), Pauline McLynn (Father Ted), Adil Ray (Blithe Spirit), Moe Dunford (Vikings) and Kevin Harvey (Time).

Paul Testar, Commissioning Editor, Drama, Channel 5 and Paramount+ says: “With an exceptional ensemble cast, The Inheritance is a brilliant addition to the channel’s ever-expanding drama slate and will have viewers on the edge of their seats.”

Lesley Douglas, Founder, Lonesome Pine Productions added: “We are thrilled at the cast who have come together to bring these characters to life.”

Filmed in the picturesque village of Inistioge in County Kilkenny, The Inheritance tells the story of three siblings – Sian (Faye), Daniel (James-Collier) and Chloe Watson (Rooper) – who are left reeling after a family death.

When it turns out they haven’t been left anything in the will, they embark on a dangerous journey to figure out whether this death was truly a tragic accident, or whether it was, in fact, murder.

Secrets explode, relationships are ripped apart, and lives are lost as the siblings try desperately to claw back their inheritance and make sense of what is happening around them.

In tonight’s opening episode, Sian, Daniel and Chloe learn that their father Dennis (Lamb) has passed away and bequeathed everything, including the family home, to someone they’ve never heard of.

This woman, it turns out, apparently had a 14-year affair with their father and married him in secret.

The siblings begin to question everything they thought they knew about their beloved father and become increasingly suspicious that this woman, Susan (Bond), had something to do with his death.

Why didn’t he tell them about her, or that he was suffering from signs of dementia?

Why is there high-strength alcohol and chemicals hidden around his house?

And why does his will state he wants to be cremated, when he was always going to be buried next to the siblings’ mother?

As the children try to work out their next move, little do they know that they are being watched – somebody is in possession of Dennis’s family home videos and is keeping tabs on each of his children.

What they also don’t know is that the trio are keeping secrets from one another, which have the potential to destroy already strained relationships.

On the day of their father’s funeral, as Dennis’s body is about to be cremated, the coroner bursts in – she also has reason to suspect foul play in Dennis’s death.

The Inheritance tells the story of a family who look harmonious and loving to start with, but soon crumbles when cracks borne of years of secrets and jealousy appear.

And it all raises the questions: do you really know your loved ones and is blood really thicker than water?