Michelle Keegan is as much at home in thrillers as she is on soaps, having made the move from Coronation Street to crime dramas. After taking on the lead role in Harlan Coben's Fool Me Once, where she played a woman reeling from the death of her husband only to find him alive on a nanny cam. She's also taking centre stage in a new detective drama, which is being hailed as ITV's answer to Happy Valley.
Keegan is set to star alongside Douglas Booth in The Blame, a drama series that promises to be an "edge of your seat" thriller, as Keegan and Booth's police characters are called in to investigate the murder of a young girl.
With ITV's head of drama Polly Hill, saying of the new series: “The Blame is a brilliant new crime thriller full of surprising twists and a compelling investigation that also cleverly tackles police corruption, exploitation and misogyny as the thriller unravels. Megan is such a wonderful and clever writer, and with Michelle Keegan in the lead and Nicola Shindler at the helm, this is going to be an unmissable drama and one I’m very proud to have on ITV.”
The series was announced around a year ago in August 2025, and if you're just as curious as us, here's everything you need to know about it.
What is The Blame about?
The Blame is a six-part ITV series, based on the novel of the same name by Charlotte Langley. Michelle Keegan star as DI Crane, alongside her colleague DI Radley (Booth). The pair investigate the death of a young figure skater, Sophie Madsen, whose body is discovered and sends shock waves through the community. As they delve deeper into the mystery, Crane discovers a web of lies and a deep level of corruption within her own team.
The series is produced by Nicola Shindler and Richard Fee (who worked with Michelle on Fool Me Once), at for Quay Street Productions, who said, “We are so delighted to be working with Megan [Gallagher, the series writer] again, she is an exceptional writer who has written a compelling series taking viewers on a twisty journey to discover what really happened through the lens of a contemporary police station brimming with secrets, corruption, and betrayal.
"We are also thrilled at the brilliant cast led by Michelle and Douglas, who will keep viewers on the edge of their seats, wondering who to trust at a time when the themes explored in The Blame are more relevant than ever.”
What has Michelle Keegan said about The Blame?
Speaking at the ITV Showcase in mid-April, the actor said (via OK! Magazine) that The Blame was her first project after welcoming her first baby with husband Mark Wright in March 2025: "Coming back to work after having a baby is quite daunting. The production were so supportive, and I was so looked after, and it was like working with family."
Who is in the cast of The Blame?
As mentioned, Michelle Keegan will be at the helm as DI Emma Crane. Michelle is of course best known for her roles in Fool Me Once, Our Girl, Ten Pound Poms and Brassic.
Douglas Booth from LOL (our absolute fave), Romeo and Juliet, Great Expectations and The Sandman will take on the role of her sidekick as DI Tom Radley.
Also joining the cast are:
- Nathan Mensah as DC Lewis
- Nigel Boyle as digital forensic technician Brett Shergill
- Joe Armstrong as ice-skating coach Kyle Frasie
- Matilda Freeman as Sophie Madsen
- Gavin Spokes as DC Joel Stevens
- Josh Bolt as DC Douglas James
- Ceallach Spellman as PC Callum Drummond
When is The Blame released?
According to TellyMix, the series is due to arrive on ITV later this year, while Michelle also confirmed this on her Instagram with a post which read, "Thursday evening we spoke all things ‘The Blame’ coming to @itv sometime this year!!! 👀 Exciiiiiited 🙌🏽"
The series began filming in summer 2025 in and around London.
