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Rachel Shenton, Emily Atack and Joanne Whalley have been cast as the leads in upcoming U.K. psychological drama “The Rumour,” which depicts how small-town gossip can spiral out of control.

Based on Lesley Kara’s novel, the new five-part series sees Shenton play Joanna, a mother who moves to a quiet town with her young son looking for a fresh start. But she soon finds herself in an unsettling dynamic when she becomes entangled with a group of local mothers.

“When Joanna stumbles upon an online rumour about a child killer living in the town, she uses it to win over the mums at the school gate,” reads the logline. “As gossip spreads, suspicions build, and Joanna finds herself drawn into a web of secrets and paranoia. Balancing her efforts to protect her son with the growing unease in town, Joanna struggles to distinguish between truth and hearsay. With...

Created by Chris Lang, ITV’s Unforgotten pairs Nicola Walker’s Dci Cassie Stuart with Sanjeev Bhaskar’s Di Sunil Khan. Along with their team, those two investigate decades-old murder cases, piecing together events that transpired many years ago to deliver justice and closure to the victim and their relatives.

Series one saw the duo called to investigate the remains of a man long-buried under the foundations of a London home, while series two began with the discovery of a skeleton dredged up from the River Lea. Series three was the distressing story of a missing teenager whose body was discovered under the central reservation of a motorway.

Series four, which starts with the discovery of a body stored for decades in a domestic freezer, will star New Tricks’ Sheila Hancock, Killing Eve’s Susan Lynch, Wanderlust’s Andy Nyman and more. See below for the full cast and plot details.

This week includes several brand new shows to get excited about while one cult series says goodbye.

From the premiere of Fear the Walking Dead to the finale of Hannibal, these are Digital Spy's top TV picks over the next seven days.

Monday - Fear the Walking Dead, AMC UK on BT at 9pm

The long-awaited spinoff to The Walking Dead arrives in the UK a week after the Us premiere, and the reviews have been pretty positive.

Taking place during the beginnings of the zombie outbreak, the series focuses on a new bunch of characters in Los Angeles, including a married couple played by Kim Dickens and Cliff Curtis. Expect plenty of screams.

Tuesday - Rectify, AMC UK on BT at 9pm

Hot on the heels of Fear the Walking Dead is another Us export in the form of this SundanceTV drama. Three seasons have aired in the Us...

Laurie Kynaston stars as a young Danny Baker in new BBC comedy Cradle to Grave, an adaptation of Danny Baker’s autobiography which has just begun filming in Manchester.

He will star alongside Peter Kay as Danny’s father, Fred ‘Spud’ Baker, and Lucy Speed as long-suffering wife Bet Baker.

Alice Sykes (represented by Troika) and Frankie Wilson (represented by Middleweek Newton) play Danny’s siblings Sharon and Michael.

This is 21 year old Laurie's (represented by Felix De Wolfe) first lead role, after guest roles in BBC Doctors and Casualty.

Set in 1974, the eight-part series follows the real life events of Danny and his family, with the 15 year-old Danny Baker as the guide through the ups and downs of life with the family. Fred ‘Spud’ Baker (Peter Kay) is a proud south London docker with a penchant for cheeky scheming. Wife Bet (Lucy Speed) loves him deeply but longs for...

Peter Kay is to star in a new BBC Two comedy based on Danny Baker's autobiography, Going to Sea in a Sieve.

Set in 1974, Cradle to Grave will follow the real-life events of Baker and his family across eight 30-minute episodes.

Co-written by Jeff Pope and Baker, the series is due to be broadcast on BBC Two later this year.

Kay will play Danny's father, south London docker Fred 'Spud' Baker, alongside Lucy Speed as his long-suffering wife Bet Baker.

Laurie Kynaston will star as a young Danny and Alice Sykes and Frankie Wilson as Danny's siblings, the soon-to-be-married Sharon and her brother Michael.

"I am thrilled and honoured to be involved in a project of this scale," said Kay.

"I've never known anything like it before - eight period half-hour episodes, shot as feature films and written to an extremely high standard by Danny Baker and Jeff Pope.

ITV has confirmed that it is dropping police drama The Bill after 27 years on air. According to The Guardian, the decision comes after last year's revamp and move to a 9pm slot failed to alter sliding ratings. The show, which is based in fictional station Sun Hill, switched from two weekly shows at 8pm to a single 9pm episode last July. It was the first time that the programme had aired in a post-watershed slot, which encouraged "darker, grittier and more hard-hitting" storylines. However, ratings fell to an average of 3.5 million, a significant drop from the 7 million who tuned in in 2002. It currently employs 19 main cast members, including Simon Rouse (Di Jack Meadows), Alex Walkinshaw (Inspector Dale 'Smithy' Smith) and DS Stevie Moss (Lucy Speed). The broadcaster claimed that the decision (more)...

Lucy Speed has claimed that she does not want to return to EastEnders. The 33-year-old, who played Natalie Evans in the soap, explained that she likes working on different projects. "I don't think I'd like to reprise Natalie," she told Inside Soap. "I've been acting for 27 years so I'm really just used to moving on. "I do speak to Charlie Brooks [Janine Butcher] a lot and she's having a great time being back. And Danniella (more)...

Lucy Speed has said that she is "laid back" about her upcoming wedding to Spencer Hayler. The actress, who played Natalie Evans in EastEnders and currently stars as DC Stevie Moss in The Bill, is planning to marry her fiancé this September, Pa reports. Speed said: "I am quite laid back about it I think, I have kind of just organised something that doesn't really need (more)...

DS Stevie Moss (Lucy Speed) is tasked with questioning a man called Joel Fuller (Nicholas Aaron), who launched an unprovoked attack on a fellow drinker the previous night. During questioning, Stevie asks about his wife Lucy (Danielle Brent) but he's evasive and asks if he can leave. However, the case takes an unexpected twist when Stevie is called to the pub where Joel was arrested. There, she speaks (more)...

Lucy Speed has admitted that she prefers being on The Bill to EastEnders. The actress, who plays DC Stevie Moss in the ITV1 police drama, said that she gets less attention now then during her time in Walford. "EastEnders and Corrie and those guys, the attention is just incredible. Everyone watches it, but whoever you speak to will always say, 'I never watch the show, but weren't you in EastEnders?" she told Metro. Speed, who played Natalie Price in the BBC soap from the age of 17, revealed that she struggled to deal with the pressure of fame at such a young age. "I found it very difficult. I've always said I admire the (more)...

Former Coronation Street villain Bill Ward is to appear in a special four-part plot of ITV police drama The Bill. The 41-year-old, whose Weatherfield character Charlie Stubbs was dramatically murdered in cold blood at the beginning of last year, will appear as drug dealer Rob Towler, a former undercover love interest of Sun Hill's D.C. Stevie Moss (Lucy Speed). While based with Manchester's police force, Stevie assumed the alias of Rob's girlfriend. Not knowing she was an undercover cop, Rob and Stevie cemented a strong relationship. Rob was sentenced to prison after assaulting a girl who gave evidence against him in court, but has subsequently been released early and arrives on Stevie's patch, leaving Stevie torn (more)...