The Beast Must Die: The first BritBox original thriller

The Beast Must Die is the brand new thriller-drama series coming to BritBox in May, about a woman who sets out to murder the man she believes has murdered her son.

30/04/2021

The Beast Must Die is the brand-new thriller-drama series coming to BritBox in May, about a woman who sets out to murder the man she believes has murdered her son. Read on to find out more about the who’s in it, who wrote it, and some sneak peeks!

Based on the book...

Already said to be brilliant, US channel AMC have bought the rights, making this the most highly anticipated British drama of the year. The Beast Must Die is based on the classic murder mystery novel of the same name by Nicholas Blake (Cecil Day-Lewis, father of actor Daniel Day-Lewis), which follows the story of a respected crime writer named Frank Cairns who plots the perfect murder – a murder that he himself will commit. With the intent of murdering the hit-and-run driver who killed his young son for vengeance, his intended victim is soon found dead and Cairns becomes the prime suspect. Insisting he has been framed, the story is full of twists and turns that will constantly keep you guessing. This isn’t one to miss, but the drama adaptation has one big difference!

Stars...

Cush Jumbo (The Good Wife) is set to star alongside Jared Harris (The Crown, Chernobyl) as a grieving mother who infiltrates the life of the man who she believes has killed her son. Also included in the stellar cast is Billy Howle (MotherFatherSon, On Chesil Beach), Nathaniel Parker (The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Vanity Fair) Geraldine James (Back to Life, Anne with an E), Maeve Dermody (Carnival Row, Marcella, The Frankenstein Chronicles) and newcomers Mia Tomlinson and Barney Sayburn.

Tense times ahead...

Check out a sneak peek below of an interaction between the two main characters – if this doesn’t get you excited to curl up on the sofa with a blanket and snacks, we don’t know what will!

A bit about the leads...

Cush Jumbo, who starred in The Good Wife, Deadwater Fell and Vera is an English actress and writer who will be playing the character of Francis (adapted from Frank in the novel), who has just lost her very young son. Speaking of her character, Jumbo said on the Graham Norton show (currently streaming on BBC iPlayer) that:

“Francis goes on a revenge mission to infiltrate the family of the man that she believes murdered her son”

In season 28, episode 22 of The Graham Norton Show, you can check out the opening scene of The Beast Must Die at minute 22:20, and we guarantee you’ll be left wanting more.

Location, Location, Location...

The Beast Must Die was filmed in the Isle of Wight, and Jumbo noted that the location was ‘very atmospheric.’

She also said:

“We were on this island. These characters are trapped on this island. Everything is cyclical, and energised in a different kind of way.”

The Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely mentioned recently in an article about the launch of Filmwight, that “Creative industry jobs are valuable. When the BritBox series, The Beast Must Die, was filmed on the Island last year it brought in tens of thousands of pounds a day.”

Whodunnit?

Writer Gaby Chiappe, who also wrote for big shows like ITV’s Vera, BBC’s EastEnders and many more, made the decision to replace the male lead with a woman because she wanted to adapt the plot for a modern audience. She said of her decision: “In the book, Cush’s character is actually male. Instinctively, it felt rather familiar now, and I was personally much more interested in that character as a woman. The mechanics about forensics change. But what’s happening internally to people, that journey is still the same.”

When is The Beast Must Die coming to BritBox?

You can expect the new drama thriller to land on the streaming platform on May 27th.

Got BritBox?

If you want to know how to get BritBox on your TV just check out our BritBox article here for all the information you need to get you started on the British streaming service!