Fantastic news for Tom Riley fans! ITV has confirmed the broadcast date and time for the new series of Dark Heart. Tune in to ITV at 9pm on Wednesday 31st October 2018 for episode 1 of the 6 part series - part 1 of a 2 part story by Chris Lang. Episode 2 (part 2), will broadcast at 9pm on Thursday 1st November 2018. More details about the series can be found here.
The first story opens with Staffe at London City airport when his colleague, DC Josie Chancellor (Anjli Mohindra) calls him to tell him there’s been a gruesome murder. Being the workaholic he is, Staffe abandons his personal plans and heads to the scene of the crime. Staffe, along with Chancellor, DS Dave Pulford (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) and DS Rick Johnson (Tom Brooke), are confronted by a horrific scene – Ray Collins (Mark Fleischmann), a man in his mid-thirties, has been tied to his own bed, choked and severely mutilated.
As the team, based at Leadengate police station in London, investigate further, they learn the victim was arrested two and a half years ago on suspicion of sexual assault of his own daughters, Holly and Jasmine, who were just nine and eleven at the time. He was remanded in custody for three weeks but there wasn’t sufficient evidence and Collins was released.
As Staffe and his team delve deeper they speak to his ex-wife, Debbie Collins (Simone Kirby), who is mother to his daughters. She admits she is relieved to hear of his death; grateful that no other child will go through what hers did. Soon after Collins’ death, a lawyer, Guy Dawlish (Nicholas Asbury), is brutally attacked. The style of attack is similar to the way in which Collins was killed – he was tied using knots that are exactly the same as the ones used to restrain Collins. The similarity doesn’t end there – Dawlish was arrested two years ago following allegations of child sex abuse. There was insufficient evidence so he wasn’t charged. Staffe fears this could be just the start…
