The enemy within

The arrival of a mysterious stranger causes upheaval and threatens to tear a close-knit family apart in a new ITV thriller

With its sandy beach and rolling hills, it’s hard to imagine anything sinister going on in the pretty coastal hamlet of Normans Bay, East Sussex. But when TV&Satellite Week arrives on the set of new ITV thriller Flesh and Blood, we discover that appearances can be deceptive.

As the drama unfolds over four nights, viewers soon learn there’s been a shocking incident. Someone’s seriously hurt – but we don’t know who, how or, more importantly, why.

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As the story begins, the lives of three siblings – Jake (Russell Tovey), Helen (Claudie Blakley) and Natalie (Lydia Leonard) – are thrown into disarray when their recently widowed mother Vivien (Francesca Annis) reveals she’s in love with a new man, retired surgeon Mark (Stephen Rea).

‘Vivien’s had quite an intense and full life, bringing up her family and caring for her husband, who died after a long illness. And now she’s decided it’s “me time”. She’s nearly 70 but very fit and, as one of life’s optimists, is ready to take on what comes her way,’ says Annis.

When Mark is introduced to the family at Vivien’s beachside home, he doesn’t receive the warmest welcome from her children.