The Red King (TV series)

The Red King is a 2024 British crime drama television series, which was screened across six episodes from 24 April on Alibi. It was created and written by Toby Whithouse with Daniel O'Hara and Lisa Clarke directing. The Red King stars Anjli Mohindra as Grace, a detective sergeant posted to the fictitious island of St Jory, off the Welsh coast. St Jory is home to the True Way, a pagan cult which was established about 100 years ago by the Nancarrow family. Locals claim it no longer exists but celebrate festivals for the tourist trade. Grace and police constable Owen (James Bamford) investigate the murder of a boy, Cai, despite lack of cooperation from most residents. Main characters are former sergeant Gruffudd (Mark Lewis Jones), pub owner Lowri (Lu Corfield), her daughter Winter (Maeve Courtier-Lilley), doctor and Cai's father Ian (Marc Warren) and Nancarrow descendant Heather (Adjoa Andoh).

After informing on fellow police officers, Grace is posted as a sergeant to the small Welsh island of St Jory. She stays at the village's only pub, run by Lowri. The local doctor, Ian, asks Grace to solve the case of his missing son, Cai, who had disappeared a year earlier.^[1] Retired sergeant Gruffudd had concluded Cai had left the island and hence undertook a cursory search. Most locals react negatively when Grace re-opens the investigation with local constable Owen's initially hesitant assistance. She learns that St Jory is home to the True Way, a pagan, folk-based cult, which was established about 100 years earlier. Residents claim the cult has died out. Grace finds Cai's corpse in a derelict shelter, but homicide investigators from mainland Wales rule it an accidental death before returning. Cai's former babysitter Lucy had an affair with Ian. Lowri's daughter Winter supports Grace's investigation.

St Jory becomes isolated by an annual, severe weather storm. Grace obtains an aerial photo of the shelter area, on the date when Cai died, which shows True Way symbolism and Mihangel's car parked nearby. Grace and Owen confront Mihangel, but he suicides. Mihangel's corpse is later desecrated with pagan symbols and reference to a Biblical passage, which local priest Douglas provides. Owen believes the quote is directed at Grace. Grace begins to suspect Gruffudd, who spurns her questioning. Gruffudd is killed by Douglas after he finds Cai's backpack in the vicarage. Grace and Owen arrest Douglas but True Way's leader, Heather subverts police authority and kidnaps Douglas. Heather and her followers organise adult residents to attend the town hall to conduct a show trial of Douglas. Heather presents the case against Douglas for Cai and Gruffudd's deaths. Grace initially argues against the sham trial, but realises she must defend Douglas from True Way's planned execution. Heather reveals that Douglas is also an alleged paedophile who had been transferred to St Jory after sexual intercourse with a 12-year-old girl. Heather asks residents to vote for Douglas to be dealt with by True Way or returned to police custody and have a legal trial.

Heather lies that the vote is tied and so asks Grace to supply the deciding vote: Grace votes for True Way to take Douglas. Lucy's boyfriend, Silas explains to Grace that True Way are also planning a sacrifice after their victim's ruination. Winter and Lucy urge Grace to save Douglas' life due to Heather's lies. Grace realises that she herself is the sacrifice, due to her sense of justice having been ruined during the show trial. Grace and Owen retrieve Douglas and hide him. With Ian's help, they escape True Way's search party. Grace presents herself to True Way's adherents, while Owen organises other residents to appear at the island's 200m deep hole. Their presence as witnesses prevents Grace's sacrifice. Heather had intended to have Grace and Douglas thrown down the hole to their deaths. She had convinced her adherents that this would appease their gods and rejuvenate Heather's body. Ian rushes into the circle, grabs Heather, and both fall down the hole.

• Anjli Mohindra as Grace Narayan: Detective Sergeant replaces Gruffudd at St Jory's police station. She had reported her former boyfriend DC Cooper and another officer for grievously assaulting an alleged rapist.
• James Bamford as Owen Parry: police constable, Elan's husband, Owen junior's father
• Lu Corfield as Lowri Bain: pub owner, Grace's landlady, Winter's mother. True Way adherent
• Maeve Courtier-Lilley as Winter Bain: Lowri's daughter, Cai's friend, begins idolising Grace
• Mark Lewis Jones as Gruffudd Prosser: retired Detective Sergeant, deliberately misled search for Cai. Father of Bethan, who left for mainland two years earlier
• Tuyen Do as Minh Prosser: Gruffudd's second wife, married about two years earlier
• Sam Swainsbury as Father Douglas Carrisford: St Jory's Church priest, arrived five years earlier
• Adjoa Andoh as Lady Heather Nancarrow: St Jory's main business and landowner. True Way's secret leader but claims it no longer exists
• Marc Warren as Dr Ian Prideaux: local general practitioner, town drunk, Cai's father. Had an affair with Lucy before Cai disappeared a year earlier.
• Oliver Ryan as Mihangel Pugh: farmer, True Way adherent
• Rosie Sheehy as Elan Parry: Owen's wife, Owen junior's mother. True Way adherent
• Dylan Jones as Alun Crowther: Eric's twin brother, mortician's assistant, boorish bully. True Way adherent
• Lloyd Meredith as Eric Crowther: Alun's twin brother, mortician's assistant, boorish bully. True Way adherent
• Lauren Morais as Lucy Popkin: Cai's former babysitter, had an affair with Ian, Silas' girlfriend, True Way adherent, Bethan's friend
• Aled ap Steffan as Silas Bennion: Lucy's boyfriend, conspiracy theorist, fears True Way
• Jim Kitson as Leslie Crowther: local mortician, Gruffudd's friend, father of Alun and Eric. True Way adherent
• Wayne Cater as Dylan Onion: fisherman, reports attempt to steal his boat
• Connor Calland as Matt Benfield: uniform policeman warns Grace before suiciding. Former True Way adherent.
• Jill Halfpenny as Ann Fletcher: DCI homicide investigator, determines Cai died accidentally

The Red King is written by Toby Whithouse and directed by Daniel O'Hara and Lisa Clarke. The executive producers are Nicola Shindler and Davina Earl for Quay Street Productions, Philippa Collie Cousins for UKTV and writer Whithouse and director Daniel O’Hara. The series is produced by Guy Hescott.^[2]

The cast includes Anjli Mohindra, Adjoa Andoh, Marc Warren and Jill Halfpenny, as well as Mark Lewis Jones, Oliver Ryan, Sam Swainsbury, Lu Corfield, James Bamford and Maeve Courtier-Lilley.^[3]

The story is set on the fictitious St Jory island off the Welsh coast, but was filmed in Northumberland, and had begun by 19 June 2023.^[4][5] Filming locations included Embleton, Craster, Alnmouth, and Cambois.^[6] The Morris dancers featured in the series were from Black Gate Morris.^[7]

The series premiered in the United Kingdom on Alibi on 24 April 2024.^[8]

The Guardian gave it four out of five stars, comparing it favourably with The Wicker Man. They said "The Red King applies entertaining topspin to the road-tested premise, adding yet more rug-pulls and buckets of sarcasm and self-reflexiveness."^[9] Carol Midgley in The Times praised the "dry, dark wit" of Whithouse’s script, and said the cast is "high pedigree".^[10] Keith Watson in The Daily Telegraph awarded the series four stars out of five and praised the performance of Mohindra who "hits just the right note".^[11]

• The Red King at IMDb