We’re only a month into the year, but Sheridan Smith is already starring in her third drama of 2022 with the arrival of No Return this week.
Having appeared in the BBC’s Four Lives and Channel 5′s The Teacher, the actor will next be seen on ITV as she plays the mother of a teenager who is arrested on suspicion of sexual assault while on holiday in Turkey.
Here’s what you need to know about her latest turn on the small screen...
What is No Return about?
Exploring the themes of parenthood, justice and consent, No Return sees the Powell family heading off on an idyllic all-inclusive luxury break in Turkey to enjoy the sun. Whilst there, their son is arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, and he is soon facing 15 years behind bars.
An official synopsis for the series reads: “Their holiday is a chance to unwind and for Kathy and Martin to spend some much needed time together. Until an unsuspecting Noah accepts a seemingly innocent invitation to a beach party from a fellow holidaymaker, Rosie, who is staying at the same hotel.
“Suddenly Kathy and Martin’s world spectacularly falls apart when they are left desperately fighting for their son’s freedom against extremely challenging circumstances.
“An arrest, an expensive and alien legal system, looming media coverage and resistance from fellow holidaymakers to come to their aid leaves the distraught parents fighting for Noah’s freedom when ironically he should be at school sitting his latest exams.”
Who is in the cast of No Return?
Sheridan Smith (Cilla, The C Word, The Moorside) plays Kathy Powell. She is described as a passionate, headstrong and fiercely protective when it comes to her family.
Sheridan says of the drama: “What happens to this family is so unexpected. They go off on holiday to Turkey which they have been really looking forward to and it turns into a disaster when their son Noah is arrested. I’m sure people will think about what they would do if that was their child.
“Suddenly they are plunged into a completely different legal system. It’s just a nightmare.”
Louis Ashbourne Serkis (The Kid Who Would Be King) plays Noah, Kathy’s 16-year-old son, who is soon facing up to fifteen years in a prison thousands of miles from home after events on his family holiday.
Louis describes the show as “highly complex, tension filled and explosive” and says the family’s holiday “shatters all of their lives, challenges their relationships but finally allows each of them to come to terms with the lies and untruths they have lived with for so long”.
Michael Jibson (Quiz, Isolation Stories, Hamilton) plays Martin, Kathy’s husband and Noah’s father, who is described as “ordinary dad trying to do right by his family”.
He says: “I feel like I’m part of a really exciting piece of ITV drama. We hope people will go on this journey with this family. But also look at their own families and think, ‘Am I doing everything possible to listen and communicate with my family? To be there for them. “Do they feel they can come to me and tell me things they might not feel confident talking about? Whatever it is.’”
Newcomer Lily Sutcliffe plays Jessica, Kathy and Michael’s youngest child, while Jodie Campbell (Bulletproof) plays Rosie.
Completing the cast are Siân Brooke (Stephen, Good Omens, Sherlock) who plays Kathy’s sister Megan, David Mumeni (Sliced, Dead Pixels) who plays Megan’s husband Steve, Philip Arditti (House of Saddam, Black Earth Rising) as Noah’s legal representative Rico Karvalci, Murat Seven (SOKO Stuttgart) as hotel worker Ismail, and Rufus Hound (Trollied) who plays private investigator Al Milner.
What else is there to know about No Return?
No Return was written by award-winning screenwriter Danny Brocklehurst, who is behind the likes of Brassic, Harlan Coben’s The Stranger, Come Home, and is produced by Red Production Company, whose previous credits include It’s A Sin and Stay Close.
The show originated from a real-life story of a friend of Danny’s who was caught up in something of a similar nature where a relative of their’s became entangled in a foreign legal system.
“The story obviously stayed with me and percolated because quite a long time later I suddenly thought, ‘I’ve got two sons, we go on package holidays from time to time, this strikes me as a really good idea for a drama,’” he says.
How did they film No Return?
While the show is set in Turkey, it was actually filmed in Spain as it would have been “too complicated” to shoot in Turkey, owing in part to the pandemic.
“The area of Spain we have chosen looks like Turkey anyway,” writer Danny Brocklehurst explains. “All you need to do is change the signage. Including an exterior prison location near Malaga. With hotel and prison sets built in Manchester. It looks amazing.”
How can I watch No Return?
No Return begins on Monday 7 February at 9pm on ITV, with all four episodes available immediately after on the ITV Hub and BritBox.
The remaining three episodes will then air weekly on ITV.