The Long Call is a British crime drama television series developed by Kelly Jones and Silverprint Pictures based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Ann Cleeves. It premiered on ITV in the United Kingdom on 25 October 2021 and was released internationally as a BritBox original following broadcast.
Contents
Premise
The series follows Detective Inspector Matthew Venn as he returns to his hometown in Devon with his husband for his religious father's funeral, only to find himself investigating a local murder.
Cast
Main
Ben Aldridge as DI Matthew Venn
Declan Bennett as Jonathan Roberts
Siobhán Cullen as Caroline Reasley
Anita Dobson as Grace Stephenson
Dylan Edwards as Ross Pritchard
Sarah Gordy as Lucy Craddle
Aoife Hinds as Gaby Chadwell
Pearl Mackie as DS Jen Rafferty
Neil Morrissey as Christopher Reasley
Amit Shah as Ed Raveley
Martin Shaw as Dennis Stephenson
Juliet Stevenson as Dorothy Venn
Alan Williams as Maurice Craddle
Recurring
Melissandre St Hilaire as Ella Rafferty
Iona Anderson as Rosa Shapland
Nia Gwynne as Ruth Shapland
John-Paul MacLeod as Alfie James
Production
In November 2020, it was announced Silverprint Pictures would adapt Ann Cleeves' novel for ITV. Kelly Jones would pen the four-part drama as her first standalone series and third collaboration with Silverprint on a Cleeves adaptation, with Lee Haven Jones directing and Angie Daniell producing.
Principal photography took place in 2020 on location in Bristol and the North Devon coast, particularly around the Taw and Torridge estuary. Matthew and Jonathan's house is located in Appledore. Actor Ben Aldridge grew up in the area.