Gavin and Stacey's Ruth Jones to star in new Netflix thriller from Missing You writer

Following the success of Missing You and Fool Me Once, the cast for the latest Netflix adaptation of a Harlan Coben novel has been announced and includes Cold Feet and Gavin & Stacey stars

Gavin & Stacey’s Ruth Jones and The Missing star James Nesbitt are among the cast who have been announced for the newest Netflix thriller based on a Harlan Coben novel.

Filming is set to begin in Manchester and the north west this month on the new drama, which is based on Coben’s bestseller Run Away. The eight part series will tell the story of Simon, who once had the perfect life with a loving wife and kids, a great job and a beautiful home.

Tragically, everything falls apart when his eldest daughter Paige runs away, and when he finds her, vulnerable and strung out on drugs in a city park, he finally has the chance to bring his little girl home. It turns out she’s not alone, however, and an argument escalates into shocking violence that leads Simon to lose his daughter all over again, and uncover secrets best left hidden.

The Missing and Cold Feet star James Nesbitt stars as Simon, while Wolf Hall’s Ellie de Lange plays Paige. They are joined by Minnie Driver as Simon’s wife Ingrid, The Couple Next Door’s Alfred Enoch, Ted Lasso star Annette Badland, former EastEnders actress Tracy Ann Oberman and sitcom star Ruth Jones.

Ruth has most recently been thrilling fans with her performance as Nessa in the last ever Gavin & Stacey episode that aired on Christmas Day. Ruth and her co-star and co-writer on the series, James Corden, recently revealed why there won’t be any more episodes after we saw their characters, Nessa and Smithy, get married. In the behind the scenes documentary A Fond Farewell, she said: "When Smithy and Nessa got together, that really is the end, because we can never see them actually together. Seeing Smithy put the bins out, it just won’t work."

Her next starring role in Run Away also heralds the return of lead writer Danny Brocklehurst, who adapted Harlan Coben’s Stay Close, The Stranger and Fool Me Once for Netflix. He is also the creator of hit TV shows Brassic and Ten Pound Poms, both starring Michelle Keegan. Following the cast announcement for Run Away, Danny said: “It's an enormous pleasure to be reteaming with Netflix, Harlan and the amazing Quay Street Productions team to produce another twisty thriller. Fool Me Once's phenomenal success has set a high bar but with Run Away's emotionally universal storyline and great cast, hopefully we can give audiences another fantastic ride”.

Fans of Harlan Coben’s novels have already had the chance to enjoy Netflix adaptations of nine of his novels, including Missing You, Fool Me Once, Gone For Good, The Stranger, Stay Close, The Innocent, Hold Tight, The Woods and Safe and there are more to come. In the pipeline as well as Run Away are Caught, which is being made in Argentina, Just One Look, and I Will Find You, which will be a US series.

Most of American author Harlan Coben’s novels are set in the US, but the Netflix adaptations have often been filmed and set in the UK, including The Stranger, which was filmed in Manchester and Bolton, Stay Close, which was filmed in Lancashire, Morecambe and Blackpool, and Missing You, which was also filmed in North West England.

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