The Night Caller: All you need to know about Channel 5's creepy new drama with Sherwood and Shetland stars
Channel 5 has fast become the home of a wide range of gripping original dramas – and its latest offering, The Night Caller, looks seriously tense.
Starring Sherwood's Robert Glenister, the Liverpool-set thriller follows lonely taxi driver Tony as he develops an unhealthy obsession with late-night radio DJ, Lawrence (played by Sean Pertwee).
Described as a "claustrophobic tale about the power of influence those with the loudest voice have over the most vulnerable people," the four-part series promises to be a "timely and unique" thriller. Intrigued? Find out all you need to know from filming locations to release date schedule and the impressive cast.
What is The Night Caller about?
The series follows lonely black cab driver Tony, who works night shifts in Liverpool after losing his job as a popular and respected teacher. Since the collapse of his career, plus the breakdown of his marriage, Tony has become increasingly isolated and is now living a solitary life.
The synopses continues: "Now his only lifelines are cafe-worker Rosa (Suzanne Packer), whom he forms a growing attachment to, and a radio DJ called Lawrence (Sean Pertwee) whom he spends his nights listening to.
"One night Tony plucks up the courage and rings NightTalk to speak to Lawrence, and soon becomes a 'friend of the show'. For the first time in years, he feels listened to. But as time passes his developing bond with the late-night DJ begins to turn into an unhealthy obsession as he starts interpreting Lawrence's 'world view' in dangerous ways that have devastating impacts on Tony's life.
"One night, by chance, Lawrence gets into Tony's cab. The initial excitement at meeting takes a turn when Tony realises this DJ isn't the man he purports to be. Lawrence is a fake and Tony feels betrayed."
You may also like
7 amazing ITV shows to look forward to in 2024 - from return of hit crime drama to Sophie Turner's Joan
11 TV shows that are a total must-watch coming to Netflix in July
All Creatures Great and Small cast out of costume: their real-life looks away from the show
Who stars in The Night Caller? Meet the cast
Robert Glenister leads the cast as lonely taxi driver Tony. Speaking about the drama, the Spooks star said: "This is the story of a man who has suffered a major trauma that nobody knows about, plus he’s lost his job as a teacher. He has chosen to work nights and when we meet him he’s at a very low ebb.
"He feels like he has been thrown on the scrap heap and then he finds solace talking to the presenter of a late-night radio talk show, who gets inside his head. And then it all goes Pete Tong!"
Robert stars opposite Sean Pertwee (Gotham) as DJ Lawrence and Suzanne Packer (Casualty) as cafe worker Rosa. Meanwhile, Stephen Walters (Outlander, Shetland) plays Tony's colleague, fellow cabbie Rob.
The Night Caller filming locations
While the show is set in Liverpool, filming took place in Dublin over a period of seven weeks – and it sounds like the hours were pretty long!
Sharing his experience, Robert said: "I think we only did normal hours for one day, the rest of the time it was split days, so 11am-midnight and then we did two full night shoots. We were filming in Dublin, and it's interesting seeing a city at night, you do see it in a completely different light. We didn't use any green screen – I was driving the cab myself a lot, or we were on a low loader with lights and a camera, which was quite exciting going through the clubbing part of Dublin on a Thursday night. Everybody wanted to be in the scene after a couple of jars!
He added: "I loved it, and I got quite good at pressing the fare button casually, I could do it without looking!"
On how he filmed driving scenes in the taxi, the actor explained: "The low loader is really good because the front wheels are connected to the steering wheel, so you don't have to concentrate on the driving, you just literally hold onto the steering wheel."
The Night Caller release date and episode schedule
All four episodes will be available on My5 on Sunday 7 July. Episode one will premiere on Channel 5 on Sunday at 9pm, with the three remaining episodes airing nightly from then.
