Rachel Shenton's New Drama The Rumour Finally Gets A Release Date

Channel 5 has a new pot-stirrer on the way. The Rumour, a five-part thriller led by Rachel Shenton, takes one tiny whisper and lets it wreck an entire town. We finally have the start date, and it is soon.

When and where to watch

The Rumour premieres Wednesday 10 September at 9pm on 5 (Channel 5 in the UK). The broadcaster is rolling straight into it too: the next two episodes air on consecutive nights after the launch. It is a compact five-parter, so expect a tight run.

What it is

Based on Lesley Kara's Sunday Times bestselling novel, the series centers on Joanna, a mum who thinks she has found the perfect icebreaker with the local school crowd: a rumor that a convicted child killer is living among them under a new identity. That little conversation starter spreads fast and ugly, and Joanna gets pulled into a spiral of paranoia, finger-pointing, and second-guessing. As trust collapses, she starts to question the town's past and her own instincts. The hook is simple and nasty in a good way: who can she actually trust, and what is it going to cost to get the truth?

"a single whisper can shatter everything"

Rachel Shenton leads the cast

Shenton, best known as Helen Alderson in All Creatures Great and Small, headlines as Joanna. The ensemble around her is stacked with familiar faces:

• Rachel Shenton
• Joanne Whalley (Wolf Hall)
• Emily Atack (Rivals)
• Samuel Anderson (Amandaland)
• Ellie Haddington (Enola Holmes)
• Lucy Speed (Unforgotten)
• Liza Sadovy (A Real Pain)
• Carryl Thomas (Silo)

Behind the scenes

The series is written and executive produced by Giula Sandler (The House Across the Street), with Richard Clark directing. Clark's genre credentials are solid: Doctor Who, Chemistry of Death, and War of the Worlds are all on his CV.

The Rumour lands Wednesday 10 September at 9pm on 5. The premise is pure neighborhood dread, the kind that spreads faster than facts. Buckle up for a whisper campaign gone nuclear.