Murder, he wrote!

Author Graham Norton and actor Conleth Hill on their crime drama set in rural Ireland

- SEAN MARLAND

HOLDING

NEW MONDAY / ITV / 9PM / EP 1 of 4 / DRAMA

A gentle police officer who fills his days with comfort food has his world turned upside down after he’s tasked with his first murder case in ITV’s darkly comic new drama Holding.

Based on award-winning chat show host Graham Norton’s bestselling 2016 debut novel and directed by comedian Kathy Burke, the four-parter follows Sergeant PJ Collins (played by Game of Thrones and Magpie Murders star Conleth Hill) as he investigates the death of a local legend, Tommy Burke, whose remains are discovered on a building site.

The story is set in the insular (fictional) Irish village of Duneen, West Cork, home to an array of interesting characters who are each harbouring secrets that are set to be exposed as news of the gruesome discovery ripples through the community.

TV Times caught up with Graham, 58, and star Conleth, 57, to find out more…

Graham, your novel was inspired by stories you heard growing up in Ireland. Was it hard handing over the reins to writers Dominic TreadwellCollins and Karen Cogan, who adapted the book for the small screen?

GRAHAM No, because I didn’t want to do the adaptation! I think that’s a skill and a job other people are able to do.

I also felt like I’d had my time with those characters. I did my work with them, I enjoyed them and it was time to hand them over.

I thought I might feel weird about it, but I’ve loved seeing the direction the characters and the story have gone in and the way the world of Holding has opened up.

What changes have Dominic and Karen made to your story?