Channel 4 confirms November launch for new Scottish drama Summerwater
Channel 4 has today announced that its compelling new Scottish drama Summerwater will launch this November. To mark the news, the channel has released a striking set of new images from the six-part series, showcasing the intense and emotional world of this highly anticipated adaptation.
Based on the critically acclaimed, best-selling novel by Sarah Moss, Summerwater is a thrilling, character-driven drama that examines the quiet tensions and hidden lives of a group of holidaymakers whose worlds collide with devastating consequences.
The newly unveiled imagery offers a first look at the ensemble cast, including Shereen Cutkelvin (Crime, Vigil), Anders Hayward (Vigil, Guilt), James Harkness (The Victim, Lockerbie), Daniel Rigby (Black Mirror, Landscapers), Shauna Macdonald (Shetland, Outlander), and Jamie Sives (Dept. Q, Guilt).
They join a previously announced line-up featuring Emmy award-winner Dougray Scott (Crime, My Week with Marilyn), Shirley Henderson (Bridget Jones, Harry Potter), Valene Kane (Blue Lights, Gangs of London), Arnas Fedaravičius (The White Lotus S3, The Last Kingdom), Anna Próchniak (The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Showtrial), and Gabriel Scott (Masters of the Air, House of the Dragon).
Adapted for television by John Donnelly (The Pass, Utopia, The Assessment), the series is directed by Robert McKillop (Guilt, Ludwig) and Fiona Walton (Rebus, Shetland). Summerwater marks the debut production from Glasgow-based indie Freedom Scripted.
Set largely within a remote loch-side holiday cabin park, Summerwater unfolds over a single day as simmering tensions among visiting families build towards a shocking and emotional climax. Through interwoven stories, the series explores private struggles, fleeting moments of connection, and the unseen forces that shape each character’s life — both past and present.
Produced by Freedom Scripted in association with All3Media International, Summerwater is supported by Screen Scotland. Mike Ellen serves as Executive Producer for Freedom, with Jules Hussey (Ralph & Katie, You Don’t Know Me, Guilt) as Series Producer. The Commissioning Editor for Channel 4 is Gemma Boswell.