Emma Thompson & Ruth Wilson to Star in Apple TV+'s 'Down Cemetery Road'

Apple TV+ has been described as “the place celebrities go to hide,” and it’s more true than John Oliver knew when he said that. Even though it is one of the least watched streaming services around, its offerings have some of the best working actors in Hollywood and the U.K. From Anthony Boyle and Tobias Menzies on Manhunt to Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden on Slow Horses; it is ridiculous how much amazing work is hiding on that little streaming service that doesn’t need to worry about money. Now, the subscription service meant to sell you a new iPhone and iPad will add the great Dame Emma Thompson and future Dame Ruth Wilson to the roster with the latest thriller, Down Cemetery Road.

The series is adapted from the 2003 debut novel of the same name by Mick Herron, the first of his Zoë Boehm series, also known as his Oxford Mysteries. If the name Mick Herron sounds familiar to Apple TV+ viewers, it should. After he finished his four Oxford novels in 2009, his next book, published in 2010, was Slow Horses, otherwise known as the Jackson Lamb series. Those books, which are still ongoing (13 novels and counting), are the basis for the Apple TV+ series mentioned above and one of the streaming service’s biggest critical darlings. 

Jay Hunt, the creative director for Apple TV+’s European arm, wasted no time connecting the new series and the service’s reigning hit. “Down Cemetery Road has all the hallmarks of Mick Herron’s funny and acerbic writing, and I’m delighted we will be bringing it to life for Apple TV+ with such a stellar cast. Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson will make it an unmissable companion piece for Slow Horses on our service.”

Here's the series synopsis:

When a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappears in the aftermath, neighbor Sarah Tucker becomes obsessed with finding her and enlists the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm. Zoë and Sarah suddenly find themselves in a complex conspiracy that reveals that people long believed dead are still among the living, while the living are fast joining the dead.

Thompson will star as plays struggling Oxford private eye Zoë Boehm, and Wilson is Sarah Tucker, who becomes obsessed with the whereabouts of a child she believes to have gone missing. They are the only two actors cast currently, though more are expected to be announced in due course. Actor Morwenna Banks (Funny Woman) serves as lead writer; however, it is unknown if she will take a supporting role at this time.

Banks is joined behind the camera by helmer Natalie Bailey (Run), who serves as the series' lead director. Banks executive produces alongside Thompson, Herron and Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, and Tom Nash at 60Forty Films.

Down Cemetery Road is expected to start filming later in 2024 and arrive on Apple TV+ in 2025.