Sheridan Smith thriller with Call the Midwife and Bridgerton actors is coming to Channel 5

Nicky Morris
·2-min read
Sheridan Smith 'Pretty Woman: The Musical' musical, Gala Night, London, UK - 02 Mar 2020
Sheridan Smith 'Pretty Woman: The Musical' musical, Gala Night, London, UK - 02 Mar 2020 (Dan Wooller/Shutterstock)

Sheridan Smith leads the cast of the gripping thriller The Castaways, which is coming to Channel 5 on Sunday 26 January 2025.

Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Lucy Clarke, the five-part series follows sisters Lori and Erin whose holiday of a lifetime in Fiji quickly turns into a nightmare. After a huge argument, Erin decides to skip the trip and Lori boards the plane alone – but the flight never makes it to its destination.

Sheridan stars as Lori alongside Celine Buckens (Showtrial, Bridgerton) as Erin. Meanwhile, Brendan Cowell (Avatar: The Way of the Water, Game of Thrones) portrays the plane's pilot Mike Brass, alongside Lasarus Ratuere (The Leftovers, The Tourist) as Felix Vatabua and Dominic Tighe (The Boys In The Boat, Call the Midwife) as Daniel Eldridge. The thriller will also feature Charlotte Vega (The Lodgers, Burial) as Amber Gordon.

The synopsis continues: "Months later, no wreckage has been found, no survivors discovered. With the search abandoned, Erin remains a lone, desperate voice refusing to give up hope. Suddenly, Lori's credit card is used in a corner shop in a remote village in Fiji. On the CCTV, Erin recognises the plane's pilot back from the dead. She immediately sets out from the UK to find him and discover the mystery of her sister's fate.

Sheridan Smith in The Castaways
Sheridan Smith stars in The Castaways (Paramount+)

"Jumping between the two sisters' perspectives, we follow Erin's present-day investigation and Lori's struggle for survival following the crash onto a tropical and remote desert island. As dark secrets are revealed both in the past and present day, each shocking twist and turn slowly reveals the truth about what happened to Lori and her fellow passengers - a truth that someone on the island will kill to keep secret."

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Celine Buckens as Erin Holme in The Castaways
Celine Buckens as Erin Holme (Paramount+)

The series first premiered on Paramount + in 2023.

Sheridan is a national treasure on British TV thanks to her various small-screen credits over the years, such as Gavin and Stacey and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.

She's also known for her impressive stage career, having starred in productions of Funny Girl, Legally Blonde and Little Shop of Horrors.

Brendan Cowell in The Castaways
Brendan Cowell plays the plane's pilot Mike Brass (Paramount+)

Some of her other TV credits include: Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything, No Return, Four Lives, The Teacher and

The Castaways arrives on Channel 5 on Sunday 26th January 2025.

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