Netflix’s latest Harlan Coben adaptation, which has been filmed all around Greater Manchester over recent months, officially has a release date.
Following the success of the best-selling thriller author’s previous shows on the streaming platform, both of which were also filmed at least in part around the region, they confirmed that a further two shows would be coming too.
The drama series is called Missing You and is based on Harlan Coben’s 2014 novel of the same name. Believe it or not, this is the NINTH time that Netflix has adapted one of his books (yes, nine!), with this being the third time they have filmed one of his works in and around Manchester.
Much like the story itself, the trio seem to have a bit of a love affair going on between them – though we promise you this one will be much more complicated…
Set to release on 1 January 2025, Missing You stars Rosalind Eleazar in the lead role as Kat Donovan, a detective specialising in Missing Persons.
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You won’t want to miss these first looks at Harlan Coben’s newest thriller MISSING YOU.
Starring Rosalind Eleazar, Richard Armitage, Ashley Walters, Lenny Henry, and Jessica Plummer, coming soon to Netflix. pic.twitter.com/IAcClK1rJQ
Starring alongside other big British names like Ashley Walters, Richard Armitage, Sir Lenny Henry; Steve Pemberton, Jessica Plummer and James Nesbitt, the series is once again produced by Quay Street Productions (part of ITV Studios).
Without giving too much away, here’s the synopsis: 11 years ago, Detective Kat Donovan’s fiancé Josh – the love of her life – disappeared and she’s never heard from him since. Now, swiping profiles on a dating app, she suddenly sees his face and her world explodes all over again. Creepy, right?
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Josh’s reappearance forces her to dive back into not only his life since going missing but the mystery surrounding her father’s murder and uncover long-buried secrets from her past too.
Although many of Coben’s stories take place in the US, the Netflix adaptation is also transposed to a UK setting and so filming took place all over Greater Manchester, including the city centre, Le Mans Crescent and Victoria Square in Bolton, as well as various other spots around the North West.
Coben serves as executive producer through his company, Final Twist Productions, with help from the likes of Danny Brocklehurst (Brassic) and Guy Hescott (The Red King, Without Sin); Victoria Asare-Archer from Stay Close is the lead writer and directing is split between Nimer Rashed (Fool Me Once) and Isher Sahota (Ridley, Grace).
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Set across five hour-long episodes, if Netflix’s follow-up to Fool Me Once – which was recently named the most-watched show on the platform in the first half of 2024 – is even half as popular as its previous programme, it’ll still be a huge success.
As for Quay Street, the locally-based production house has a long track record of delivering top-quality drama thanks to its founder and multi-award-winning producer, Nicola Shindler OBE, who set up the company back in 2021.
Her credits have included Fool Me Once, It’s A Sin, Stay Close, Ridley Road, Finding Alice, The Stranger, Happy Valley and cult favourite Queer As Folk (1999-2000).
With a pedigree like that, we’re confident the latest Harlan Coben adaptation from Netflix will be just as good as the last one, and we can’t wait to play another round of ‘guess where in Manchester that was filmed’. Speaking of, it’s not the only local production of late.
New Hairy Bikers documentary to take viewers on ’emotional journey’ in tribute to Dave Myers
Emily Sergeant
A new documentary paying an emotional tribute to late Hairy Biker Dave Myers is set to air on the BBC in the run up to Christmas.
Dave Myers – who was most well-known for being one half of the famous Hairy Bikers duo that starred in the BBC cookery and travel show of the same name, alongside Si King – died earlier this year (28 February 2024) after revealing back in May 2022 that he had been diagnosed with cancer, and was undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
The final Hairy Bikers episode aired on 19 March following Dave’s passing, and viewers tuned in in their tens of thousands to watch the beloved show that had been entertaining the masses for close to two decades.
🏍️ Si King celebrates the life of fellow Hairy Biker and best friend Dave Myers in a special one-off BBC documentary
Si picks out key moments from the past 25 years of the pair's TV careers in The Hairy Bikers: You’ll Never Ride Alone
But despite that being the final episode with Dave involved, there’s still one last chapter left to tell.
Set to air on BBC Two on Monday 23 December, viewers will be invited on an “emotional journey” through the Hairy Bikers story with Si King, as he celebrates the life of his best mate and former TV partner.
The documentary follows Si as he leads a motorcycle convoy to Dave’s hometown of Barrow-in-Furness, while archive material, new interviews, and previously-unseen footage is shown to help celebrate Dave’s life.
A new Hairy Bikers documentary will take viewers on an ’emotional journey’ in tribute to Dave Myers / Credit: BBC / South Shore Productions
You can relive the journey that took Dave around the world while cooking up a storm as one of television’s greatest-ever double acts.
“I’m incredibly proud of the programme because it’s a tribute to my best mate,” Si King said.
“It was an amazing experience, I didn’t quite know what to expect. That was the whole thing, none of us did. We thought at the most we’d get 10,000 bikes, we didn’t dream it would be 46,000 motorcycles and a 30-mile tail, it was just insane. I just felt enormously privileged.”
Hairy Bikers: You’ll Never Ride Alone will air on BBC Two on Monday 23 December at 9pm, and will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Featured Image – BBC
TV & Showbiz
Snoop Dogg says he wants to replace Gregg Wallace on MasterChef – and so do we
Danny Jones
With Gregg Wallace having been axed from MasterChef, one man has put himself forward to replace the long-standing presenter: Snoop Dogg.
Make that Snoop ‘Doggy’ Dogg, esquire and all-round foodie fancy pants, to you.
No, as we often feel we have to clarify sometimes, we’re not joking – the rapper and hip-hop legend apparently is very keen on the idea of becoming the next co-host of UK MasterChef.
It also goes without saying that we will never EVER get bored of writing headlines like these.
Credit: The Martha Stewart Show/BBC
Speaking to The Mirror, the 53-year-old music icon said, “You’ll best believe You better believe Snoop could be the new MasterChef judge.”
According to Snoop, his time working on Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party with well-known American cook, food writer and TV personality Martha Stewart means he already has prior experience and he also believes he has the backing of another big culinary name.
“My boy Gordon [Ramsay] judges on the US version of the show, and I know he would back me to be able to judge on the UK version”, he told the outlet, going on to add: “He knows I am not playing when it comes to food. He knows I can cook – I have even given him some tips.
“I hosted a cooking show over here and I have always been vocal about wanting to work on a UK show. I love the place – and for real, this could be the perfect opportunity.”
His bid to join the BBC show might be less likely than many others, but we’ve already seen how well getting familiar entertainment faces on works for the Celebrity version of the show, not to mention juicing up the comedy with less serious analysis as seen on Channel 4’s rebrand of The Great British Bake Off.
You can see a selection of Snoop’s on-screen cooking highlights here.
As for the latest on Wallace, he is still officially denying being involved in any inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature on the show and various other TV projects, with a total of 13 people filing official historical complaints against the long-standing host over the course of a 17-year period.
The 60-year-old is now accused not only of sexual comments in the workplace but groping and touching multiple former contestants and colleagues.
Despite sticking to his official position he has, however, come out to apologise for a response video he made following the second raft of allegations, in which his comments were deemed offensive and misogynistic by a Downing Street official.
We’re confident we already know the answer, so we’ll ask you this instead: just how much do you want to see Snoop Dogg presenting the next series of MasterChef?
Danny Jones -
12th October 2024 
