‘Merlin’ and ‘Glue’ stars lead supernatural cast

Colin Morgan (Humans, Merlin) and Charlotte Spencer (Glue, Stonemouth) are to lead the cast of BBC One’s new six-part supernatural drama, The Living And The Dead.

Created by Ashley Pharoah (Life On Mars, Ashes To Ashes), the eerie 1894-set Somerset mystery, follows the love story of husband and wife Nathan and Charlotte Appleby (Colin and Charlotte). A brilliant young couple who inherit a farm and are determined to start a new life together. But their presence in this isolated corner of England starts to unleash strange, unsettling and dangerous supernatural phenomena that will start to threaten their marriage.

This is a drama steeped in the eeriness of the rural world at the moment when the industrial revolution came crashing in to disrupt all the old certainties. Uncanny, intriguing, disturbing. At the series’ heart is the love story of Nathan and Charlotte Appleby: deeply in love with each other but put under extraordinary pressure, they will have to fight to save their marriage and their home.

Colin Morgan says: “The Living And The Dead is one of those scripts that you read and are instantly compelled and engaged by. It’s intelligent, chilling and engrossing. It’s going to be very special and I can’t wait to start working on it with the wonderful creative team.”

Charlotte Spencer says: “It’s always been a dream of mine to appear in a period drama and they don’t come better than this – fantastic, original scripts and, in Charlotte Appleby, a superb character who’s strong, passionate and gutsy. Couple this with an incredible director, crew and cast, I can’t wait to get started!”

Ashley Pharoah adds: “I am completely thrilled that Colin and Charlotte are joining us on our adventure. The characters they play – Nathan and Charlotte Appleby – dominate the series and I couldn’t be more excited to see what they do with them.”

The Living And The Dead is a BBC Wales Drama production in association with Monastic Productions and co-produced with BBC America. The drama will be directed by Alice Troughton (Cucumber, In The Flesh).

The Living And The Dead is currently filming in the West Country.