Shadow of GUILT
Katherine Kelly stars in a dark drama about a teacher wrongfully convicted of murder
When the first series of ITV’S thriller Innocent aired in 2018, we followed the story of a husband falsely accused of murder. Now, the drama’s four-part return features a new tale of a potential miscarriage of justice and stars Katherine Kelly as teacher Sally Wright, who has spent five years in prison for the killing of 16-year-old student Matty Taylor, whom she was suspected of having groomed.
However, when evidence comes to light that exonerates Sally, her conviction is soon overturned and she walks free. As Sally returns to her Lake District home town of Keswick, rebuilding her old life proves challenging because many people still believe she groomed Matty and the school refuses to reinstate her.
Adversity
‘To have been wrongly accused is hard to deal with. She’s been cleared of murder, but rumours are still rife,’ says Katherine. ‘But Sally has a steely strength and is determined to reclaim her life. She’s traumatised and vulnerable but quiet and stoic.’
To make matters worse, Sally’s ex-husband, Sam (Jamie Bamber), is about to marry forthright but insecure single mum Karen (Priyanga Burford).
‘Sally’s hurt that Sam turned his back on her as she hoped everything could go back to the way it was,’ says Katherine. ‘He’s moved on and Sally finds that hard to accept. He’s the only man for her and she’ll fight until the very end…’
Hunting a killer
Meanwhile, as determined DCI Mike Braithwaite (Shaun Dooley) reopens the case to discover who really murdered Matty, suspicion falls in several shocking directions… Will the truth finally emerge?
‘Mike is the driving force and because Sally knew Matty, she wants to help,’ says Katherine. ‘But there are no goodies and baddies in this story. Everybody’s going through difficult times.’