The Couple Next Door

Psychological thriller television miniseries

Eleanor Tomlinson
Sam Heughan
Alfred Enoch
Hugh Dennis
Jessica De Gouw

ComposerHannes De MaeyerCountry of originUnited KingdomOriginal languageEnglishNo. of series1No. of episodes6ProductionExecutive producers

Jo McGrath
Walter Iuzzolino
Alison Kee

ProducerJen BurnetProduction companies

Eagle Eye Drama
Happy Duck Films

Original releaseNetwork

Channel 4 (UK)
Starz (US)

Release27 November (2023-11-27) –
14 December 2023 (2023-12-14)

The Couple Next Door is a British psychological thriller television series written by David Allison, based on the Dutch series Nieuwe Buren. Developed by Eagle Eye Drama for Channel 4 and Starz, the series stars Eleanor Tomlinson, Sam Heughan, Alfred Enoch, Hugh Dennis and Jessica De Gouw.

Synopsis

Evie and her husband Pete move next door to traffic-cop Danny and yoga instructor Becka and strike up a friendship, but a night of passion between Evie and Danny could have consequences.^[1]

Cast

Eleanor Tomlinson as Evie Greenwood, a primary teacher
Alfred Enoch as Pete Thomas, a journalist and Evie's partner
Sam Heughan as PC Danny Whitwell, a traffic policeman
Jessica De Gouw as Becka Whitwell, a personal trainer, social media influencer, and Danny's wife
Hugh Dennis as Alan Richardson, a bookkeeper and creepy neighbour
Kate Robbins as Jean Richardson, Alan's wife
Deirdre Mullins as Lena, the single mother of Danny's son from a brief relationship they had before he met Becka
Joel Morris as PC Gary Hudson, Danny's friend and fellow traffic cop
Ioanna Kimbook as Sophie Foxton, Pete's colleague and a junior reporter
Janine Duvitski as Gloria, an eccentric neighbour^[2]
Katie Clarkson-Hill as Rachel, Evie's sister.^[3]

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date ^[4]	Viewers (millions)
1	"New on the Block"	Unknown	Unknown	27 November 2023 (2023-11-27)^[a]	N/A
2	"Little Kids Full of Sin"	Unknown	Unknown	28 November 2023 (2023-11-28)	N/A
3	"Don't Stop"	Unknown	Unknown	4 December 2023 (2023-12-04)	N/A
4	"I Know It's a Secret"	Unknown	Unknown	5 December 2023 (2023-12-05)	N/A
5	"Inside You"	Unknown	Unknown	13 December 2023 (2023-12-13)	N/A
6	"The Cottage"	Unknown	Unknown	14 December 2023 (2023-12-14)	N/A

Production

The Couple Next Door is based on the Dutch series Nieuwe Buren, with Dries Vos directing from a screenplay by David Allison. The six-part thriller series is produced by Jen Burnet for the London-based Eagle Eye Drama, and executive produced by Jo McGrath, Walter Iuzzolino and Alison Kee.^[5]

Casting

In March 2023, it was announced Eleanor Tomlinson, Sam Heughan, Alfred Enoch, and Jessica De Gouw had been cast in the principal roles. Tomlinson described playing Evie as a "great challenge" because "she navigates devastating trauma, which isn't helped by unresolved issues from her past."^[6] Heughan said he was "thrilled to be working with Eagle Eye Drama and director Dries Vos again ... Dries has a unique visual flair and I'm sure we're going to make something special."^[7] Hugh Dennis described his character as someone who is dealing with ageing very badly, which made him "interesting" to him.^[8]

Filming

Principal photography was reported to have begun in March 2023, taking place in Leeds, England, Belgium and The Netherlands.^[9] Filming took place in Baildon in April 2023.^[10]

Broadcast

The series aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 27 November 2023, and on Starz in the United States and Canada. It was available on Lionsgate+, the international premium streaming service from Starz, in Brazil and Latin America. It was distributed further worldwide by Beta Film.^[11]

Reception

Critical reception

Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph described it as "nonsensical, ridiculous – and very, very bingeable".^[12] Lucy Mangan in The Guardian gave the series four stars out of five and praised the script which helped the show be "sexy rather than cringeworthy".^[13] There was a less positive review from Carol Midgely in The Times who found the series "cliched".^[14]^[15]

Notes

^ All 6 episodes were available on Channel 4 online on 27 November

References

^ Chapman, Wilson (29 March 2023). "Sam Heughan Staying at Starz with Suburbia Thriller 'The Couple Next Door'". Indie Wire. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
^ "The Couple Next Door: Cast & crew credits and character biographies". Channel 4 Press. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
^ Robinson, Abby (6 December 2023). "The Couple Next Door cast: Meet the characters in Channel 4 thriller". Radio Times. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
^ "The Couple Next Door on Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
^ Goldbart, Max (29 March 2023). "Starz & Channel 4 Greenlight Psychological Thriller 'The Couple Next Door' With Eleanor Tomlinson & Sam Heughan". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
^ Hibbs, James (29 March 2023). "Outlander's Sam Heughan and Poldark's Eleanor Tomlinson lead new thriller". Radio Times. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
^ Shillcock, Francesca (29 March 2023). "Outlander's Sam Heughan announces exciting news in major new update – and fans will be thrilled". Hello. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
^ Mensah, Katelyn (27 November 2023). "Hugh Dennis reveals Sam Heughan throws him in a bin in The Couple Next Door". Radio Times. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
^ Lawrence, Daniel David (29 March 2023). "Sam Heughan & Eleanor Tomlinson to Lead Psychological Thriller Series 'The Couple Next Door'". Collider. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
^ Broomhead, Michael (25 November 2023). "The Couple Next Door: Thriller partly filmed in area to air". The Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
^ Creamer, Jon (29 March 2023). "Shoot starts on C4, Starz drama The Couple Next Door". Televisual.com. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
^ Singh, Anita (27 November 2023). "The Couple Next Door, Channel 4, review: nonsensical, ridiculous – and very, very bingeable". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
^ Mangan, Lucy (27 November 2023). "The Couple Next Door review – a sexy, fantastic time with hot swingers". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
^ Midgely, Carol (27 November 2023). "The Couple Next Door review — not king of the swingers". The Times.
^ "'The Couple Next Door' Defended By Channel 4 As Producers Raise Nepotism Questions". Deadline.

External links

The Couple Next Door at IMDb

Starz original programming

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