UKTV’s Gold prepares for Apocalypse Slough with new Murder, They Hope special

Apocalypse Slough comes from writer, creator and executive producer Jason Cook

BBC Studios-owned UKTV has commissioned another instalment in its Murder, They Hope franchise starring Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson.

Produced by Banijay UK-owned Tiger Aspect, Apocalypse Slough (1×120′) will air on UKTV’s Gold in September, with Vegas and Gibson returning as Terry and Gemma Bremmer.

The Bremmers were last seen in 2023 Christmas special Blood Actually, which launched to 863,000 viewers in December and also starred Jane Horrocks, Martin Kemp, Robert Webb, Rose Ayling-Ellis and Sherrie Hewson.

In Apocalypse Slough Gemma achieves her dreams of becoming an investigator at the Serious Crimes Agency (SCA), while Terry is denied the dream because of his colourful criminal history. With this new strain on their relationship, they’re thrown in headfirst to crack a curious double murder at a local rugby club – whose members seem to have dark and disturbing secrets of their own.

The show will also star Sanjeev Bhaskar, Shaun Williamson, Annette Badland, Sarah Hadland, Simon Day, Jim Howick, Ben Bailey Smith, Jason Lewis, Matthew Kelly, Charlie Hardwick, Gemma Jones, Harry Peacock and newcomer Dane Williams.

The standalone special has been commissioned for UKTV by Sarah Asante, commissioning editor for scripted comedy, and ordered by Gerald Casey, channel director for Gold, and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning. The writer, creator and executive producer is Jason Cook.

Murder, They Hope began in 2021 and ran for two 3×45′ seasons after the success of the comedy drama TV films Murder on the Blackpool Express (2017), Death on the Tyne (2018) and Dial M for Middlesbrough (2019).