Apocalypse Slough: A Murder, They Hope Mystery is the latest in the series of comic murder mysteries written by Jason Cook and starring Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson as Terry and Gemma Bremmer, former coach tour operators turned private investigators.
Following the success of the 2023 Christmas special Blood Actually, the new feature-length story sees Gemma and Terry — along with Gemma's wannabe influencer sister Monica, played by Sarah Hadland — investigating some extremely suspicious goings-on at a rugby club.
"It's so good to be back with Gemma and Terry, and this time Monica's tagging along to increase the chaos!" says Jason. "What an amazing cast we managed to get for this one, with some really fantastic performances. I can't wait for everyone to see."
Here's everything you need to know about the dynamic duo's latest adventure...
Apocalypse Slough release date
Apocalypse Slough: A Murder, They Hope Mystery will air on Thursday, September 26 at 9pm on GOLD.
Apocalypse Slough plot
Apocalypse Slough: A Murder, They Hope Mystery sees Gemma recruited by the Serious Crimes Agency (SCA). It's a dream come true for the ambitious sleuth, who can finally live as the kick-ass investigator she always dreamed of being... but unfortunately the SCA don't want Terry because of his criminal past.
As Gemma's new status puts a strain on the couple's relationship, they are hired to solve a double murder at a local rugby club, where all of the members seem to be behaving very strangely — and then more bodies start appearing.
To make matters even weirder, the dead bodies all bear the same strange symbol somewhere on them — could this be a gentleman murderer leaving a calling card? And why does a camouflaged figure keep calling Gemma from a mysterious bunker?
Apocalypse Slough cast
Along with returning regulars Sian Gibson, Johnny Vegas and Sarah Hadland, the cast of Apocalypse Slough: A Murder, They Hope Mystery also includes Annette Badland (Midsomer Murders), Sanjeev Bhaskar (Unforgotten), Simon Day (King Gary), Charlie Hardwick (Ackley Bridge), Jim Howick (Ghosts), Gemma Jones (Gentleman Jack), Matthew Kelly (Benidorm), Ben Bailey Smith (The Sixth Commandment) and Shaun Williamson (Extras).
Apocalypse Slough character guide
Johnny Vegas as Terry: Former coach driver Terry is still somewhat reluctant to embrace the lifestyle of a private investigator, but his love for Gemma keeps him going — and he does have a talent for the job, with a tendency to pick up on important details that other people miss.
"Quite honestly, I would say Terry is afraid of Gemma!" says Johnny. "He may voice his concerns sometimes, but there's a lot of eye-rolling from Terry, and he's just asking for a quiet life. As Gemma's confidence is building in leaps and bounds, Terry is a little bit more reserved. His brain is always working on the crimes, but he is happy to let her take the lead."
Sian Gibson as Gemma: Ambitious and driven (not just by Terry in the coach), Gemma craves excitement and her new job with the Serious Crimes Agency — plus the gun that comes with it — is everything she's ever wanted. But there's a possibility that this newfound authority might go to her head...
"Gemma is loving her new responsibilities, and rubbing it in Terry's face!" says Sian. "She has always been the more ambitious of the two, and Terry has reluctantly followed her into a career of private investigating to make her happy. He is supportive of her new promotion at the start, but as Gemma becomes more and more ruthless, Terry becomes more despondent, and their relationship begins to suffer."
Sarah Hadland as Monica: Gemma's brash, loud sister is a wannabe influencer who, after being asked to help with the latest case by Gemma, insists on livestreaming the ongoing investigation for her followers. Will she be able to keep herself away from her phone long enough to solve the crimes?
"Filming the vlogging scenes was hilarious," says Sarah. "I had to sort of hold the frame of the camera, without pushing our lovely camera man Dan over! Between us, we practised him moving backwards and me scuttling at speed without causing an accident. I loved it, though — anyone who knows me will tell you I speak very quickly in real life, so rattling off these epic monologues Jason Cook writes was a joy."
Sanjeev Bhaskar as Gwyn: The chairman of the rugby club who just wants this unfortunate incident cleared up as soon as possible — and if he can advertise his skip hire business in the process, that's even better.
Jim Howick as Bernard: The club's groundsman has a slightly off-putting manner, but is passionate about conservation — perhaps a little too passionate. Still, he does a nice line in vegan BBQ...
Matthew Kelly as Gregor: A well-travelled man with plenty of anecdotes if you want to hear them (and even if you don't), particularly involving the time he was held captive in Rio.
Charlie Hardwick as Ursula: Gregor's snooty wife is a descendant of the rugby club's founders — and she won't let you forget about it. She doesn't care who she offends, which might come back to haunt her.
Simon Day as Mr Bradley and Shaun Williamson as Mr Martin: Two property developers who have planned to tear down Berrington Rugby Club and turn it into housing. They're also prone to turning against each other when the chips are down.
Annette Badland as Margaret: The rugby club's cleaner who also cleans the homes of most of the members, so there aren't many secrets that she's not privy to. She also has a habit of taking things that don't belong to her.
Gemma Jones as Brenda: Margaret's friend and fellow cleaner, Brenda is more of the shy and retiring type — you might not even notice she's there, and that's how she prefers it. Then again, it's always the quiet ones...
Ben Bailey Smith as Dinger: He's the rugby club's resident referee, and about as popular as you'd expect. He's also fastidious about personal hygiene, to the point of making his own handwash at home rather than buying it from shops.
Is there a trailer for Apocalypse Slough?
GOLD hasn't released a trailer for the show yet, but we'll update this article if they do!
