Celebrity Traitors and MobLand stars lead first look at "gripping" six-part detective thriller

5 has released first-look images from An Impossible Way to Die, a new six-part detective thriller fronted by Celebrity Traitors star Sharon Rooney and MobLand actor Emmett J Scanlan.

The broadcaster confirmed that the "gripping" original crime drama, produced by Clapperboard Studios, is due to air on 5 in 2027.

Rooney, best known as Rae Earl in My Mad Fat Diary and recently seen competing in the latest series of The Celebrity Traitors, plays DS Katie Salter, a detective whose quiet local policing life is upended when she is thrust into a high-pressure murder investigation.

Aside from her beloved leading role in My Mad Fat Diary, her other notable credits include Two Doors Down, Dumbo and Barbie. Most recently, she was seen in The Revenge Club.

Rooney's co-lead in the new 5 drama is Scanlan, who plays Paul O'Donnell in Guy Ritchie and Tom Hardy's Paramount+ crime series MobLand. His other recent work includes A Working Man, Gangs of London and How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.

In the series, Salter is "happily solving everyday crimes until fate drags her into an impossible murder mystery". As the new images show, tension seems to be woven throughout the show, with both leads looking preoccupied, clearly trying to get to the bottom of the case at hand.

The setup is deliberately strange in the series and as per the synopsis: "Four people sit around a table seemingly set for a dinner party, except they are all dead. The only clue is a scorpion crawling out of one of the victim's mouths."

Described as a character-driven, unpredictable drama exploring identity, protection, power and corruption, the story pairs Salter with Scanlan's DI Niall Conway, the lead investigator on the case.

5 describes Salter as "not your stereotypical damaged and tormented TV detective", being smart, diligent and committed to her family.

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The synopsis continues: "Salter’s measured, grounded approach clashes with Conway’s all-consuming dedication to the job. At first, the two detectives appear fundamentally incompatible.

"Yet, as the investigation deepens and the pressure intensifies, Conway begins to recognise the value of Salter's empathy, optimism, and instinctive understanding of people. As the case grows increasingly impossible, secrets are unearthed and conspiracies emerge, lives are put at risk as the detectives race against time to connect seemingly disparate cases and unmask a killer before it’s too late."

The confirmed cast also includes Lois Chimimba (Coldwater), Jonny Lavelle (Down Cemetery Road) and Ashley McGuire (This Country).

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Authors

Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.