Cold Call on Channel 5 — A complete guide
Here, Sally Lindsay reveals fact and fiction are in close contact in Cold Call...
Imagine an anonymous cold caller stole your life’s savings in a single phone call. That’s exactly what happens to care worker June Clarke, played by Coronation Street legend Sally Lindsay, in new cat-and-mouse thriller Cold Call.
With the police and bank powerless to help, June despairs… until she meets old school pal Des (Daniel Ryan) who happens to know a thing or two about modern fraud. Having had a bellyful of being a victim June joins forces with Des against criminal mastermind Kirk (Paul Higgins), unintentionally embarking on a path of pure, cold revenge.
Cold Call release date
Channel 5’s thriller Cold Call originally aired on Monday, November 18, 2019 at 9pm, however, viewers now have a second chance to watch the four-part thriller as it airs nightly at 9pm from Monday, June 17, 2024.
We caught up with former Coronation Street star Sally Lindsay, who reveals why C5’s new four-part series Cold Call is compulsive viewing…
How is June tricked in Cold Call?
Sally Lindsay: "June’s not particularly vulnerable and she’s not stupid, but she’s a nice person and a crowd pleaser. The cold callers are clever – they make her question herself. It’s a vile practice that can happen to anyone."
Have you experienced anything like this in real life?
SL: "Funnily enough, before I went to a meeting for this role, I actually got a cold call. It was supposedly from the gas board, and even though I knew it wasn’t because of how we pay our bills, I still questioned myself. That’s what they make you do. I’ve had a few more calls since filming but now I know what I’m looking for."
Is the series well researched?
SL: "The writers could do a PHD on scams; they literally know everything about them. It’s mind-blowing and scary. At one point I had to ask them to stop telling me anything or I’d never put a card into a machine ever again."
Do you think viewers will learn something from Cold Call?
SL: "I think so, because Cold Call shows how they take June’s money, where it goes and who it goes to. I think it will answer a lot of questions. It’s very realistic and of the times. Our director Gareth Tunley is really clever. He drips suspense in a subtle way, taking June down a scary rabbit hole… And then all is revealed!"
Cold Call — episode guide
Episode 1
June Clarke's world is turned upside down when she becomes the victim of a cold call scam in this tense cat-and-mouse thriller. With the police and bank powerless to help, June despairs… until she meets old school pal Des who happens to know a thing or two about modern fraud. Having had a bellyful of being a victim June joins forces with Des, unintentionally embarking on a path of pure, cold revenge.
Episode 2
Thanks to Des, June discovers more about Kirk, but he grows more and more suspicious a bout his new employee leaving her trapped in his home.
Episode 3
June and Des are dangerously close to the violent criminals — including Kirk's boss, Mr Zima.
Episode 4
June and Kirk are both pushed to breaking point, as the day of his daughter Lizzie's wedding arrives. Will June and her family escape this nightmare with their lives?
Who's who in Channel 5 drama Cold Call
Cold Call stars Mount Pleasant’s Sally Lindsay as June Clarke, a hardworking care worker who lives with her mother Sophie (Melanie Kilburn) in Manchester. The family’s troubles begin after June and Sophie sell the family home in order to help support June’s daughter Hana (Taj Atwal) who discovers she’s unexpectedly pregnant. Yet what should be a joyous new beginning for the three generations of Clarke women turns into a living nightmare.
Here Sally Lindsay gives us her verdict on Cold Call’s main players…
June Clarke — Sally Lindsay
Manchester matriarch June Clarke embarks on a dangerous path in a bid to recover her hard-earned money. Will she be corrupted in the process?
Sally says: “June has always thought that if she is a good person and cares for others, that everything would be all right. But she finds out that’s not always the case after this horrible thing happens. Her entire life and family are destroyed.”
Sophie — Melanie Kilburn
June’s mum Sophie is played by Melanie Kilburn. Melanie is best known for roles in Coronation Street and EastEnders.
In Cold Call Sophie blames herself after she’s groomed by the scammers. When they end up living in poverty she hatches a plan to solve the family’s financial woes…
Sally says: “June’s very close to her mum and her daughter. She’s the family lynchpin and just wants to do what’s best for everyone. When something else heart-breaking happens within June’s family that puts a fire in her belly for revenge!”
Hana — Taj Atwal
June’s daughter is played by Taj Atwal, whose credits include In the Club and Line of Duty.
When Hana reveals June is going to be a granny, June sells the house to give the baby the best start in life.
Sally says: “With Sophie, June and Hana it’s history repeating itself in a way. They all have their children quite young. But I think it shows the strength of these female characters. They’ve all brought each other up.”
Des — Daniel Ryan
June’s old school pal is played by Daniel Ryan, who has starred in Home Fires and Mount Pleasant.
Dodgy Des uses his shared past to connect with June when she’s on her uppers. Yet he seems to know what he’s talking about when it comes to online fraud… Is there more to him?
Sally says: “I’m not saying anything because the thing about Cold Call is you don’t know who’s who, or who’s to blame! Our director Gareth Tunley is really clever. He drips suspense in a subtle way, taking June down a scary rabbit hole… And then all is revealed!”
Kirk — Paul Higgins
Cold Call’s criminal mastermind is played by Paul Higgins from The Thick of It and Line of Duty.
Often highly-strung and uncomfortably intense, is Kirk the master manipulator Des has painted?
Sally says: “I’ve not worked with Paul before and it was a wonderful experience — he’s just so clever. The character he’s created with Kirk goes everywhere. He’s a genius.”
Elizabeth — Elizabeth Counsell
June cares for Kirk’s mother, who is played by Elizabeth Counsell, best known for Brush Strokes and Doctors.
As June cares for Kirk’s dementia stricken mother Elizabeth she learns disturbing secrets about his past.
Sally says: “We discover Elizabeth has a big past! The way Elizabeth Counsell plays this character with dementia who is in and out of reality is stunning. I’m an ambassador for the Alzheimer's Society, so it’s something I know a lot about, and she is just brilliant.”
Is there a trailer for Cold Call?
Yes, check it out here.
Cold call — additional information
Written by creative duo Karyn Dougan-Buckland and Mark Buckland, Cold Call is a threatening, dark thriller, set in Manchester, detailing the story of a single mother caught up in a fraudulent cold call scam that threatens to see her life unravel.
Mike Benson from Chalkboard TV said at the time of Cold Call's announcement in 2019: "We’re over the moon to have the chance to continue to build the scripted side of Chalkboard with Channel 5 – they share our ambition to create something darkly thrilling, which leaves you punching the air and covering your eyes in equal measure!"
