Cold Water: cast, plot and everything we know

Andrew Lincoln will lead the cast of Cold Water, an upcoming ITV drama about a normal man who falls under the influence of a dangerous stranger.

After playing Rick Grimes in hit US series The Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, for many years, this will be Lincoln's first role on British television in well over a decade.

Also starring Ewan Bremner (Trainspotting) and Indira Varma (Game of Thrones) the show tells the story of a man who leaves London for a new life in the Scottish countryside, yet finds dark secrets lurking in the rugged wilderness.

“Cold Water started with a question I was asking myself," explains the show's creator, David Ireland. "Where do I want to live – the countryside or the city? Such an innocent beginning, but from it came this dark, funny, twisted thriller.

"I was delighted when Sister loved the script and thrilled when ITV decided to commission it. And I’m amazed we’ve managed to attract such a peerless cast, led by the formidable Andrew Lincoln. I hope viewers will be find it intoxicating.”

Here's everything we know about Cold Water...

Cold Water release date

Filming on this ITV series was due to begin in late 2024, which means we could potentially see this one on our screens in late 2025. As soon as we hear more on a release date, we'll be sure to let you know.

ITV Studios will handle the international distribution of the series.

Cold Water plot

The six-part series sounds like a dark and sinister thriller. An official ITV synopsis reads as follows...

"Andrew Lincoln plays John, a repressed man who is shocked to find himself in middle age, secretly raging at his life as a stay-at-home dad.

"When his failure to intervene in a violent confrontation in a playground brings his identity crisis to a head, John ups and moves his family to the rural idyll of Coldwater, as far away from London as possible.

"Upon arrival, John is quickly befriended by next-door neighbour Tommy (Bremner), a charming, confident man, devoted husband to the local vicar Rebecca (Eve Myles). He is a man of faith, a pillar of the community and self-appointed leader of the village’s all-male book group.

"John is both impressed and slightly fascinated by Tommy. His wife Fiona (Varma) despises him. As a successful former chef hoping to launch a new venture in Coldwater, Fiona sees the move as an opportunity to leave the past behind them. To not only re-build their lives as a family but re-ignite the long-lost spark in their fading marriage. When her husband’s relationship with their enigmatic new neighbour becomes increasingly intense, Fiona’s suspicions are aroused. She is unconvinced Tommy is all he seems to be.

"But John remains blissfully unaware that Tommy is harbouring horrifying secrets, and it’s only after a series of unsettling incidents start to occur that John begins to wonder who the real Tommy actually is.

"And when John’s long-repressed rage comes to a head with disastrous results, he soon finds himself unexpectedly indebted to his new friend. This is the story of a normal man, in a normal marriage, who finds himself in a far from normal situation. A man who discovers a newfound sense of his own power, right at the moment he falls under the influence of someone incredibly dangerous."

Cold Water cast

Andrew Lincoln will lead the cast as John. The London-born star is most famous for his portrayal of Rick Grimes in hit AMC zombie drama, The Walking Dead.

However British audiences might also know him as the romantic/creepy (depending on your point of view) guy who silently professes his love for Keira Knightley in Love, Actually.

Ewen Bremner is most famous for playing Spud opposite Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle in hit 1996 movie, Trainspotting. He also starred in HBO show, Our Flag Means Death.

The cast is completed by Indira Varma (Obsession, Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Eve Myles (Hijack, Keeping Faith).

Cold Water trailer

There's no trailer for this one at the moment, but we'll be sure to let you know as soon as it lands.