Truelove: release date, cast, plot, trailer, interviews, episode guide and everything you need to know

With Lindsay Duncan as its lead, Truelove on Channel 4 asks whether you’d help a friend to end their misery. Jam-packed with other stars too, including Sue Johnston, Phil Davis and Clarke Peters, the six-part series is made by Clerkenwell Films, the team behind comedy-drama hit The End of the F***ing World.

The drama had previously cast Julie Walters but sadly she is battling advanced bowel cancer and had to be replaced by Lindsay.

Truelove follows a group of old friends reunited at a funeral. Lindsay Duncan plays Phil, an ex-senior police chief enjoying her somewhat boring retirement, who comes face to face with old flame Ken (The Wire's Clarke Peters). And it’s not long before the pair realise they never quite got over one another. After a few drinks, the chat gets deep and they make a pact, along with the rest of the gang, to help one another have dignified deaths when the time comes. But the time comes sooner than they think.

Here's all you need to know about Truelove on Channel 4...

Truelove release date

Truelove is a six-episode drama that started on Channel 4 on Wednesday January 3 2024 at 9pm with the next episode on Thursday January 4 at 9pm. The subsequent four episodes play out on the following Wednesdays and Thursdays at the same time.

How to watch Truelove online for free – and from anywhere 

Is there a trailer for Truelove?

Yes there's a Truelove trailer which shows just what an emotional drama this is going to be. Take a look below...

Truelove plot

In Truelove, Lindsay Duncan plays Phil, an ex-senior police chief who is in the midst of her retirement. At a friend’s funeral she bumps into her teenage sweetheart Ken (played by The Wire's Clarke Peters) who is now an ex-special forces veteran and divorcee. The pair never really got over their feelings for one another and both feel a little at sea in their retirement.

At the funeral, the drinks flow and soon the pair and their friends start talking about their own deaths. And they make a drunken pact that if any of them are suffering a slow and terrible decline, they will step in to help them have a dignified death. But what starts out as a fanciful idea soon becomes a shocking reality. And they are all left wondering if it’s ever right to end a life? Can these pensioners take back control of their lives during their twilight years?

“If your friend reached a soul-destroying level of decrepitude, could you help them transition, if asked?” says Clarke Peters. “Would it be right, would it be noble, could you do it? Which of that internal triumvirate do you listen to — your head, heart or soul? You know it is illegal in law and scripture to take a life, but could you do it? These scripts explore that moral dilemma in a way I’ve never seen before. It’s funny, it’s dark and it’s full of twists and turns. And DAMN! To tell this story, with this cast, was something I would have dreaded missing out on… Roll on “action”!”

Truelove cast — Lindsay Duncan on playing Phil

Lindsay Duncan plays former police officer Phil in Truelove.  "Ken and Phil don’t expect this situation. When they made the pact in the pub everyone was drunk and filled with emotion,’" says A Discovery of Witches star Lindsay. ‘This is an unusual thriller as it spans long-standing friendships, marriage and a smouldering love affair.

"Phil was a high ranking deputy chief constable, so she’s tough," explains Lindsay. "You see her giving Ken instructions about how things should be done - but he disobeys!"

*Scottish actress Lindsay Duncan has previously starred in dramas such as Merlin, The Sinking of The Laconia, Doctor Who and Around The World in 80 Days. She played Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 2009 film Margaret.

Clarke Peters on playing Ken

In Truelove, Clarke Peters plays Phil's ex-flame Ken. "There was a wonderful sense of support on set, we had so much to talk about," says The Wire’s Clarke, 71, who was originally paired with Julie Walters for the roles of Ken and Phil. Sadly the National Treasure star stepped down from filming after being diagnosed with cancer. "I’m really sorry Julie didn’t do it, but I’m also glad that Lindsay was the one to step in. Working with both of them was wonderful, as they had different approaches to the piece."

* Clarke Peters is best known for his role as Detective Lester Freamon in the hit series The Wire. He’s also starred in Life on Mars, Marley & Me, Doctor Who, Holby City and Damages. He played Nelson Mandela in the TV movie Mandela: The Prison Years and starred as Sonny in The Tunnel. He was also in the huge movie Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Clarke plays Josiah in The Man Who Fell to Earth.

Who else is starring in Truelove?

Truelove also features The Royle Family, Brookside and Time star Sue Johnston, alongside Phil Davis (Whitechapel, Poldark), Peter Egan (Unforgotten, After Life), Karl Johnson (Mum), Fiona Button (The Split) and Kiran Sonia Sawar (Murdered by My Father) as PC Asher. 

Truelove episode guide (with some spoilers)

Here's a brief episode guide to the full series of Truelove. Please look away if you don't want spoilers...

Episode 1
Phil (Philippa) had a long and distinguished career in the police, but is thirteen years retired and very, very bored. Meanwhile Ken, a solitary SAS veteran, feels similarly at sea. They reunite for the first time in years at a friend’s funeral, and – at the drunken wake – they and their friends take it in turns to imagine what a dignified death looks like, dreaming of quality of years over quantity. Naturally, Phil and Ken would make the perfect team to help any ill friends with a ‘solution’. Ken could kill them, and Phil could use her detective skills to cover up the crime and make it look like a natural departure. It’s just like police work in reverse, after all. What starts as a joke morphs into reality when their beloved friend Tom asks them to make the ultimate sacrifice…

Episode 2      
Phil and Ken are badly shaken after Tom’s death, and desperate to cover up their crime. As they readjust to normal life, a young police officer Ayesha Kareem discovers Tom’s body washed up with his boat. However, she begins to suspect foul play…

Episode 3      
Ayesha can’t let her suspicions about Tom’s death go and becomes convinced she’s found evidence of murder. Meanwhile, Marion’s health deteriorates.

Episode 4      
Phil and Ken rekindle their romance and, spurred on by Phil, Ken reconnects with his family. But Ayesha is starting to suspect that her mentor might have something to do with all of these deaths…

Episode 5      
Phil’s antennae are raised when she finds out that Marion’s doctor had no idea about her dementia. Meanwhile, Ayesha closes in on Phil.

Episode 6      
Phil and Ken are left reeling by the truth about Marion. Phil must do everything she can to save Ken from ruining the rest of his life and make amends for a love she let pass her by fifty years ago.

Behind the scenes and locations on Truelove

Truelove filmed scenes in Burnham-on-Sea, in Somerset in south west England, with scenes taking place on boats. Filming also took place on the beach next to Burnham Sailing Club and the pontoons.