Liar (TV series)
Liar is a British thriller television series created by Harry and Jack Williams, and co-produced by ITV and SundanceTV. The series stars Joanne Froggatt and Ioan Gruffudd as two people whose initial attraction leads to far-reaching consequences for them and their friends and families. The series premiered on ITV on 11 September 2017, with the first series concluding on 16 October 2017. Upon its debut, it received positive reviews, with many critics praising the performances of Froggatt and Gruffudd. The programme was renewed for a second and final series, which premiered on 2 March 2020, concluding on 6 April 2020.
| Liar | |
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| Genre | |
| Created by |
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| Starring | |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Eliza Mellor |
| Cinematography | Matt Gray BSC |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production company | Two Brothers Pictures |
| Distributor | All3Media |
| Release | |
| Original network |
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| Picture format | 2:1 |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 11 September 2017 – 6 April 2020 |
Plot
Laura Nielson, a smart and capable teacher in the middle of a breakup, is set up on a date with widowed surgeon Andrew Earlham. However, the morning after, Neilson realises she has been raped. When reporting the rape to the police proves fruitless, Nielson investigates the incident herself, ultimately discovering video evidence of her own and several other rapes. Before Earlham can be arrested, however, he is found dead, and the second series focuses on the hunt for his killer.
Cast and characters
Main
- Joanne Froggatt as Laura Nielson, a smart and dedicated teacher who is newly single[1]
- Ioan Gruffudd as Andrew Earlham, a renowned surgeon whose son, Luke, is a pupil in Laura's class[1]
- Zoë Tapper as Katy Sutcliffe, Laura's older sister, a doctor who works with Andrew at the local hospital
- Richie Campbell as Liam Sutcliffe, Katy's unsuspecting husband and father of her two children
- Jamie Flatters as Luke Earlham, Andrew's son who is a pupil in Laura's class
- Shelley Conn as DI Vanessa Harmon, a detective with the fictional Thanet and Dover Police who investigates Laura's allegation of rape
- Danny Webb as DS Rory Maxwell, a Thanet & Dover Police detective and second in command to Vanessa Harmon
- Kieran Bew as Ian Davis, Laura's new love interest
Recurring
- Warren Brown as PC Tom Bailey (Series 1), Laura's ex-boyfriend who is having an affair with her sister, Katy
- Eileen Davies as Andrew Earlham's elderly friend Sylvia (Series 1)[2]
- Jill Halfpenny as Jennifer Robertson, Vanessa's wife, a soldier
- Dawn Steele as Catherine McAulay (Series 1), an Edinburgh barmaid and friend of Andrew Earlham
- Katherine Kelly as DI Karen Renton (Series 2), an officer from the Metropolitan Police
- Sam Spruell as Oliver Graham (Series 2), an old acquaintance of Andrew Earlham
- Amy Nuttall as Winnie Peterson (Series 2), a nurse
- Howard Charles as Carl Peterson (Series 2), Winnie's husband who owns a boatyard, an ex-soldier and Afghanistan veteran
- Dermot Crowley as Henry Neilson (Series 2), the father of Laura Neilson and Katy Sutcliffe
- Jack Colgrave Hirst, as Greg Maxwell (Series 2), son of DS Rory Maxwell, a National Crime Agency officer
- Lucy Speed as a Counsellor (Series 2)
- Michael Wildman as DI Michael McCoy (Series 2)
- Jenny Galloway as the Marina Inn hotel receptionist (Series 2)
Production
Liar was announced on 15 April 2016 as the first full production from Two Brothers Pictures.[3] On 30 September 2016, the miniseries was commissioned by American cable network SundanceTV and British commercial broadcaster ITV.[4] Commercial broadcasters TF1[5] and Seven have also ordered the series.[6] Filming for the series began in London and Kent in November 2016.[7] The marshes were filmed in Tollesbury, Essex. The seaside hometown for main character Laura was filmed at Deal, Kent and Kingsdown. Some inner town sequences in Brockley, Nunhead, Shortlands (Episode 3), South Ealing, and Edinburgh (Episode 4).[8]
After the first series concluded on 16 October 2017, it was announced that the programme would be returning for a second series. The second series, which premiered on 2 March 2020,[9] focuses on a whodunnit storyline involving the cliffhanger of the first series' finale. Froggatt and Gruffudd both returned.[10][11][12]
Episodes
Series 1 (2017)
| No. overall | Episode | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [13] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | James Strong | Harry Williams & Jack Williams | 11 September 2017 | 8.86 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | James Strong | Harry Williams & Jack Williams | 18 September 2017 | 8.50 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | James Strong | Harry Williams & Jack Williams | 25 September 2017 | 8.87 |
| 4 | Episode 4 | Samuel Donovan | Harry Williams & Jack Williams | 2 October 2017 | 8.82 |
| 5 | Episode 5 | Samuel Donovan | Harry Williams & Jack Williams | 9 October 2017 | 9.03 |
| 6 | Episode 6 | Samuel Donovan | Harry Williams & Jack Williams | 16 October 2017 | 9.49 |
Series 2 (2020)
| No. overall | Episode | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [13] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Episode 1 | James Strong | Harry Williams & Jack Williams | 2 March 2020 | 7.02 |
| 8 | Episode 2 | James Strong | Harry Williams & Jack Williams | 9 March 2020 | 6.85 |
| 9 | Episode 3 | James Strong | Harry Williams & Jack Williams | 16 March 2020 | 6.69 |
| 10 | Episode 4 | Chris Sweeney | Harry Williams & Jack Williams | 23 March 2020 | 7.15 |
| 11 | Episode 5 | Chris Sweeney | Harry Williams & Jack Williams | 30 March 2020 | 6.59 |
| 12 | Episode 6 | Chris Sweeney | Harry Williams & Jack Williams | 6 April 2020 | 6.91 |
Broadcast
The series premiered on ITV on 11 September 2017 at 9pm, in exactly the same slot that the Two Brothers Pictures series Rellik premiered on BBC One.[14] It premiered on SundanceTV on 27 September 2017.[15] The series was acquired in Australia by the Seven Network and in New Zealand by TVNZ.[16]
Adaptations
Up to five remakes of Liar have been produced by networks in other countries, including Italy, Spain. Germany, France and Turkey. The Italian remake, Non mentire, premiered on Canale 5 on February 17, 2019.[17] The Spanish remake, Mentiras, was first released on Atresplayer Premium on April 19, 2020, before eventually premiering on Antena 3 on January 12, 2022.[18] The German remake, Du sollst nicht lügen, was first released on Joyn Plus+ on February 2, 2021, before debuting on pay television on Sat.1 Emotions on February 7 and premiering free-to-air on Sat.1 on February 9.[19] The French remake, Mensonges, was first released on Salto on July 30, 2021, before premiering on TF1 on September 2, 2021.[20] The Turkish remake, Yalanci, premiered on Show TV on September 17, 2021.[21]
References
- ^ a b Petski, Denise (30 September 2016). "Joanne Froggatt & Ioan Gruffudd To Star In 'Liar' For Sundance TV & ITV". Deadline.com.
- ^ express.co.uk (2017). "Liar spoilers: Andrew Earlham secret Bombshell could expose all in finale plot".
- ^ Barraclough, Leo (15 April 2016). "'The Missing' Writers Harry and Jack Williams Unveil Thriller 'Liar'". Variety.
- ^ Holloway, Daniel (30 September 2016). "Sundance TV, ITV Partner for 'Liar' Starring Joanne Froggatt, Ioan Gruffudd". Variety.
- ^ Barraclough, Leo (28 March 2017). "Joanne Froggatt Thriller 'Liar' Picked Up by France's TF1". Variety.
- ^ Knox, David (20 June 2017). "Seven picks up UK drama Liar". TV Tonight.
- ^ Kent Film Office. "Kent Film Office Liar (2017-2020) Article".
- ^ Moon, Ra. "Filming locations and pictures". atlasofwonders.com. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ Anderton, Joe (19 February 2020). "Liar season 2 finally confirms return date – and it's soon". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ Meechan, Lauren (17 October 2017). "Liar season 2: Joanne Froggatt and Ioan Gruffudd WILL return for another series". Express. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ^ Perkins, Eleanor (31 October 2019). "Fans of ITV's Liar to be kept waiting until 2020 for season 2". KentOnline. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- ^ Williams, Kathryn (6 February 2020). "Ioan Gruffudd's ITV drama Liar is back for a second series and it starts soon". WalesOnline. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ a b "Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)". BARB.
The viewer figures take into account total live viewing in SD and HD, and +1 figures, and are viewed under ITV Total (Incl. +1).
- ^ Griffiths, Eleanor Bley (19 June 2017). "Downton's Joanne Froggatt is a serious schoolteacher in first-look image from ITV thriller Liar". Radio Times.
- ^ Hale, Mike (26 September 2017). "Review: A 'Downton Abbey' Star in Peril Again in SundanceTV's 'Liar'". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ "UK drama Liar with Joanne Froggatt coming to Seven". Mediaweek. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- ^ Santalmassi, Silvia (29 January 2019). ""Non mentire", dal 17 febbraio parte la nuova fiction di Canale 5". TgCom24.
- ^ Heredia, Sara (13 March 2020). "'Mentiras' llega a Antena 3 después de que la serie original, 'Liar', haya arrasado". SensaCine.
- ^ "Du sollst nicht lügen". Fernsehserien.de.
- ^ Dunand, Jérémie (30 July 2021). "Mensonges : la nouvelle série de TF1 avec Audrey Fleurot et Arnaud Ducret déjà disponible sur Salto". Allociné.
- ^ "Sezonun en iddialı dizisi Yalancı'nın çekimleri başladı!". Show TV. 12 August 2021.
External links
- Liar at IMDb
- Liar at epguides.com