The Killing Kind on ITV1 and Paramount Plus is based on the bestseller by Jane Casey. The drama stars The Witcher’s Emma Appleton as Ingrid Lewis, a top-flight barrister while Colin Morgan (Merlin, Humans) plays her charismatic but dangerous former client John Webster, who she successfully defended when he was accused of harassment and stalking but who ended up ruining her life.
Now, Ingrid is just about getting back on her feet, but Webster enters her life again and her world starts to implode.
Colin Morgan says: “Getting the opportunity to explore a more dark and complex role with John Webster has been enlightening and such fun. Working with the brilliant Emma Appleton has already been such a highlight, along with the rest of the incredible cast. The story had me hooked from page one and I am looking forward to seeing it play out on screen.”
The drama has now aired but you can still watch it on Paramount Plus. It's had a largely positive audience reaction, scoring over 80 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Here’s everything you need to know so far about The Killing Kind...
The Killing Kind release date
The Killing Kind will become available on ITVX from Thursday September 12 2024 and as a weekly six-part series on ITV1 from Saturday September 14 2024 at 11.10pm.
The Killing Kind previously premiered on Paramount Plus on Thursday September 7 2023 with all six episodes shown as a box set from that date.
* How to watch The Killing Kind online: stream the British crime drama
Is there a trailer for The Killing Kind?
Yes, there's an official trailer...
The Killing Kind plot
The KIlling Kind is a six-part thriller series that follows a compelling past and present relationship between high-flying defence barrister Ingrid (Emma Appleton) who defended John Webster (Colin Morgan) when he was accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend. Ingrid won the case and ended up getting into a relationship with Webster herself. But when she tried to end things, he turned on her and threw everything into turmoil. We join Ingrid as she’s finally rebuilding her life but then tragedy occurs when her mentor dies and Webster reappears making sensational claim that could ruin her forever.
When Webster gets back in touch with Ingrid out of the blue to warn her that her life is in danger, her instinct is to ignore him after everything he’s put her through. But then tragedy strikes Ingrid’s charismatic mentor Belinda (Sara Powell), and an increasingly paranoid Ingrid starts to suspect foul play. But she is unsure who she can trust and whether, this time, John is hero or villain.
The Killing Kind cast — Emma Appleton on playing Ingrid Lewis
In The Killing Kind Emma Appleton plays hot-shot barrister Ingrid Lewis who becomes involved with her client John Webster.
"Ingrid defended John on stalking charges and got quite close to him but, when she tried to leave the relationship, he made her life very hard work,’ explains Emma Appleton. "He turns up again after a big event happens and it’s a real rollercoaster!
"John is Ingrid’s Achilles heel, because he is the first person who she thinks really sees her as she wants to be seen. ‘That is absolutely intoxicating, and she is fascinated by him. There is this mutual magnetism and intrigue that they have and, as soon as you are in that orbit, you are just completely sucked in."
As well as the psychological aspect of the script, Emma Appleton says she enjoyed being immersed in the high-stakes world of a defence barrister.
"It’s really fun to enter the headspace of doing a job where you are fighting for justice and truth, but you also want to win. Ingrid has to divorce herself from thinking: “Do I think this person is guilty, or do I think they are innocent?’” She shuts that part of her brain off.
"We’re also getting to examine the legal system, how it works and how real people’s lives are affected by it. Cases of coercive control and stalking are famously hard to prosecute, so many of these them collapse. Hopefully this will bring that to light a bit more."
* In 2022, Emma played Maggie in Everything I Know About Love and Nancy Spungen, the girlfriend of Sid Vicious in Pistol, the Disney Plus series about The Sex Pistols. She’s also been in Traitors, The Witcher, The End of the F***ing World, Clique and Grantchester.
Colin Morgan on playing John Webster
Colin Morgan plays John Webster the handsome and successful former client with the potential to ruin Ingrid’s life. The trailer (above) suggest John is a creepy stalker and not at all pleasant.
"John is one of those people who both men and women feel drawn to. You'd feel good if John wanted to be your friend. As a man, if he said: “Do you want to grab a drink or catch the game later?” I think you would feel like that’s a real validation of yourself.’
That fatal attraction helps to explain how Ingrid and John initially got together, and provides the drama with its central and gripping dilemma. "John is a very intriguing, complex character, who I wanted to know more about, and had lots of questions about," adds Morgan. "Even by the end of the project I didn’t have all the answers. But hopefully that lends an authenticity to the process."
* Colin Morgan of course shot to fame in BBC1 fantasy drama Merlin about the legendary sorcerer as a young man, and DS Tom Anderson in The Fall, alongside Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan. He’s also had roles in Humans, Quirke, The Huntsman: Winter’s War, Belfast, We Hunt Together and Mammals.
Who else is starring in The Killing Kind?
Other cast in The Killing Kind includes Elliot Barnes-Worrell (Jericho, Doctor Who, Van Der Valk) as Ingrid’s ex-fiance, Mark Orpen, Kerr Logan (Strike, Showtrial) as DS Luke Nash, Sara Powell (Unforgotten, Last Christmas) as Ingrid’s mentor and close friend, Belinda Grey and Nicholas Rowe (A Spy Among Friends) as Belinda’s husband and Head of Chambers, Angus Grey.
The Killing Kind episode guide
Here's the lowdown on each of teh six episodes of The Killing Kind, with a few spoilers...
Episode 1
Following a trauma, Defence Barrister Ingrid Lewis is rebuilding her life when tragedy strikes when her friend and mentor dies. Ingrid believes she is a target and questions if John Webster, her former client turned stalker, is back in her life.
Episode 2
Ingrid sets out to prove Belinda’s death wasn’t an accident. Detective Nash dismisses Ingrid’s theories, but Webster says he believes her and can help. Ingrid receives an unsettling gift and finds herself in a dangerous situation.
Episode 3
Ingrid hides away, determined to work out what is happening but when her ex-fiancé turns up can she trust him? Ingrid visits a former colleague, to help her investigation, but events take an unexpected turn.
Episode 4
Ingrid believes a past case may provide the answer. Detective Nash warns Ingrid off pursuing her own investigation. Webster tells her to trust him, helping take Ingrid another step closer to identifying the killer - but then events turn dangerous.
Episode 5
Ingrid challenges Webster for concealing information and visits a lonely place and when Detective Nash arrives his conduct seems suspicious - but does Ingrid now have the evidence she needs?
Episode 6
Ingrid is forced to re-examine the original Webster legal case she worked on. In an explosive final twist, Ingrid must fight to right the wrongs to ensure that justice is done. But can Ingrid ever escape her past?
Locations and more about The Killing Kind
Some of the The Killing Kind filming took place on the Southbank in London. Emma Appleton said: “I’m just surrounded by an incredible team of talent both on and off-screen. Ingrid is a compelling character and working out her complexities as we go deeper into the story is fascinating.”
Colin Morgan added: “Southbank has set the tone perfectly and these scenes which Emma and I are filming will simply weave in yet another layer of brilliantly complicated context to Ingrid and Webster’s back story.”
The Killing Kind produced by Eleventh Hour Films for Paramount+ and was written and created for television by Zara Hayes and Jonathan A.H Stewart. The Killing Kind is a UK original series for Paramount+ and distributed internationally by Sony Pictures Television.
