The four-part Channel 5 thriller sees Joanna Scanlan play a mother whose daughter vanishes while on a school exchange in France
JOANNA SCANLAN as SARAH GLEASON
The Larkins actress Joanna Scanlan takes the lead role in Channel 5′s latest drama, Missed Call.
Billed as every parent’s worst nightmare, the compelling four-part series begins tonight (April 13) at 9pm, with subsequent episodes broadcast nightly until Thursday, when the drama reaches its heart-stopping conclusion.
Portraying single mother Sarah, Scanlan’s character falls apart when her daughter Katie disappears while participating in a school exchange programme in France.
The opening episode sees Katie set off on her French adventure. She’s hosted by the highly respected Morvan family, whose daughter, Emma, greets her with somewhat stilted formality. While Sarah savours a peaceful weekend at home, Katie finds herself swept into the students’ social circle, where house parties, alcohol, and simmering conflicts begin to surface.
During her stay abroad, Katie makes a late-night missed call to her mum. Yet when Katie doesn’t respond to Sarah’s increasingly frantic messages, despite assurances from the host family, the school, and the supervising teacher, Sarah decides to take matters into her own hands, reports the Mirror.
With her concerns mounting, Sarah feels compelled to journey to the French village where Katie was last spotted, though her alarm deepens as the local residents appear oddly indifferent to her daughter’s absence.
Later on in the programme, a message comes through from Katie’s phone – one that turns Sarah’s mounting anxiety into something altogether more sinister. Discussing the drama, Scanlan remarked: “It’s a powerful story about every mother’s worst fear, set in a place that’s stunningly beautiful but weirdly unsettling.”
She continued: “Sarah’s gut feeling is that everybody’s got something to hide and they’re lying to her. It seems to Sarah that Katie fell into the hands of cold, rich, snotty French people who seem really unbothered about what’s happened.”
Here’s a look at the cast of this four-part thriller.
Joanna Scanlan as Sarah Gleason
Joanna Scanlan boasts an impressive portfolio of performances, including Requiem, The Woman In White, No Offence, and The Larkins, amongst others. She’s also recognised for her part in Apple TV’s critically acclaimed series, Slow Horses.
Elaborating on her character and the show’s narrative, she explained: “Sarah is a fairly ordinary, relatable, single mum and at the beginning of the drama she’s seeing her daughter Katie off for a fairly ordinary French exchange trip with the school and then after a few slightly uneasy days, she gets a missed call in the night and a message that says, ‘Help me, Mum.'”
Claire Keim as Virginie Taylor
British television audiences are unlikely to be familiar with actress Claire Keim, unless they caught her brief appearance as a waitress across two episodes of Highlander: The Series in 1992. Also a vocalist, she enjoys far greater recognition in her homeland of France, where she featured in the enormously successful miniseries Zodiaque (2004). She has additionally provided her voice for the French-language versions of Zootropolis and Monsters, Inc.
In Missed Call, she portrays Virginie Taylor, a local police officer, and one of the handful of individuals demonstrating genuine concern about Katie’s disappearance. She provides assistance to Sarah, though audiences must watch on to discover whether she’s genuinely trustworthy.
Robert Lindsay as Andrew Taylor
Recognised for his performances in My Family and The Wimbledon Poisoner, Robert Lindsay remains a familiar presence on British television screens.
Assuming the part of Andrew Taylor in the four-episode drama, Lindsay portrays an enigmatic figure whom Sarah encounters while he savours a bottle of wine in the village square.
Offering a perspective on his character, the actor remarked: “His daughter works in the local gendarmerie (police force), but he’s very English, doing everything that’s very French, but not knowing much of the language at all!”
Emily Coates as Katie Gleason
Actress Emily Coates previously appeared in the 2023 live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid, starring alongside Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, and Javier Bardem. Her small-screen work also includes the fantasy drama Cursed (2020) and the coming-of-age comedy Ladhood (2019–2022).
In Missed Call, the 30-year-old portrays teenager Katie Gleason, daughter of Sarah (Joanna Scanlan), who vanishes while on an exchange visit with an affluent French family.
Rupert Graves as Jason Bradley
Actor Rupert Graves has cultivated a diverse career spanning film and theatre, though he’s perhaps most recognised for his television roles. His significant screen appearances include Garrow’s Law, Sherlock and Riviera in 2020, amongst others.
Rupert portrays Sarah’s fairly recent partner in the programme, but could he be concealing something from his new girlfriend?
The actor hinted, “He seems a good guy. But everybody, even our partners, has secret lives, different sides to them.”
Dean Fagan as Neil Scott
Dean Scott previously portrayed Coronation Street mechanic Luke Britton from 2014 to 2018. He subsequently appeared as an inmate in the drama Time.
In the new Channel 5 drama, Dean plays teacher Neil Scott, whose obstructive behaviour raises eyebrows.
Lya Lessert as Emma Morvan
Actress Lya Lessert, recognised for her performances in Last Journey of Paul W.R., The Soul Eater and Sweetheart, assumes the role of Emma Morvan in episode one.
Katie is accommodated by the highly respected Morvan family, where their daughter Emma greets her with courtesy but a faintly uncomfortable demeanour.
Missed Call begins Monday, 13 April at 9pm on Channel 5.