Michelle Keegan is back with another Harlan Coben Netflix adaptation, once again filmed here in Manchester.
The Woods is a new eight-episode limited series, adapting Coben’s 2007 novel of the same name.
The chilling new mystery series begins with the disappearance of a young girl, Camille, from summer camp, then flashes forwards 20 years with the body of a man turning up – a man who was believed to have been murdered alongside Camille.
The missing girl’s brother Paul ‘Cope’ Copeland, now a top barrister and devoted single father to ten-year-old daughter Cami, becomes determined to uncover the truth about his sister’s disappearance, uncovering years of lies and family secrets.
It will be adapted for screen by Danny Brocklehurst, following on from the run-away success of previous Netflix series, like Fool Me Once, Run Away, and Stay Close.
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The Woods will star Michelle Keegan, Tom Bateman, Mandeep Dhillon, Pearce Quigley, and more, with filming taking place right across the North West.
The book has previously been adapted for Netflix, but as a Polish language TV series – this time, it’s a thoroughly Northern affair.
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Michelle Keegan to star in The Woods, another new Harlan Coben drama filmed in Manchester. Credit: Netflix / Ben Blackall
Coben said: “It’s one of my most personal novels. Like the story’s hero, Paul Copeland, I worked as a counsellor at a sleepaway camp when I was too young for the job.”
Tom Bateman said: “Harlan Coben’s shows are always such gripping events, so the opportunity to be part of his world is really exciting,.
“The worlds are so rich and interesting to play as an actor because they deal with ghosts and secrets, and they pull the characters into the most unexpected places. I cannot wait to go on the journey with the audience, step by step, as the buried secrets of the story come to light.”
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And Michelle Keegan said: “What’s really exciting for me as an actor is that Lucy is dealing with these deep, personal secrets.
“So, I get to really explore her vulnerability and that emotional push and pull, which just makes the story feel so real and powerful.”
Of the cast for The Woods, Harlan Coben said: “What a thrill I get to collaborate again with the amazing Michelle Keegan [Michelle was the lead in Netflix’s Fool Me Once]. And Tom [Bateman] is such a huge talent and the perfect leading man. You can’t take your eyes off either one of them. They are the ideal Paul and Lucy.”
Netflix hasn’t yet confirmed a release date for The Woods.
The BBC is looking for people to apply for the next series of The Traitors
Daisy Jackson
The BBC is currently casting for the next series of The Traitors, and is looking for some deceptive Mancunians to take part.
It’s safe to say that The Traitors is pretty much a cultural phenomenon at this point.
Pretty much everyone and their dog is tuning in to watch The Celebrity Traitors on Thursday and Friday evenings, but this time it’s not about the celebs.
Producers describe The Traitors as a ‘game of trust and treachery’, and there’s always plenty of twists, turns, shocks, and surprises along the way – but do you reckon you’ve got what it takes to play?
If so, the BBC is currently casting for the next series of the popular show, and is calling on people in Greater Manchester and across the UK to apply.
Applications are currently open to players who are over 18 years of age and have the right to legally reside in the UK.
The first series of the smash-hit BBC reality competition show proved pretty popular when it premiered back in 2022, but the second series took things to a whole new level, and truly seemed to capture the attentions of the nation like no other – with millions of viewers tuning in to watch the three episodes each week.
But in case you haven’t seen it, The Traitors is, put simply, a competition series that’s built on strategy, suspicion, and deception, where a team of players are tasked with competing in a series of missions – with the more missions they complete successfully, the bigger the prize pot gets.
However, hidden among the players are the ‘Traitors’, who meet in secret and decide who to eliminate from their fellow players known as the ‘Faithfuls’.
The aim for the ‘Traitors’ is to stay undetected until the end, while the aim for the ‘Faithfuls’ is to banish all of the Traitors before the game ends.
Up for it? You have until 31 May 2027 to apply for the next series of The Traitors here.
Traitors star and comedian Joe Lycett is putting cash behind the bar at two Manchester pubs
Daisy Jackson
Comedian Joe Lycett is putting money behind the bar at two Manchester pubs this week, as he continues to encourage people to get out and support their local boozers.
The TV favourite – who is also currently one of the stars on The Traitors – announced the news as he bid farewell to his fictional TV pub The Lycett Arms.
On the show, he said: “There are 45,000 pubs in the UK – go and give them some love.”
Joe Lycett then proceeded to list 30 brilliant pubs up and down the country, including two in Manchester, and announced that the drinks are on him this week.
He told audiences: “[This] Friday I’ll be putting a little bit of money behind the bar in all the pubs you’ve just seen. I hope you can have a drink on me.”
The pubs he picked out in Manchester are the iconic old boozer The Peveril of the Peak, and the excellent pub and comedy venue The Old Monkey.
The Peveril of the Peak on Great Bridgewater Street is a real icon in the city centre, with its green tiled exterior and its cosy interiors.
Until recently, it was run by legendary local landlady Nancy Swanick, who died in July at the age of 96.
The Peveril of the Peak pub in ManchesterInside The Pev
Commenting on Joe Lycett’s post about his pub offer, they wrote: “You are all more than welcome at The Pev. Give me a shout and I will sort you out with a pie, Joe.”
The Old Monkey, meanwhile, is famed for its comedy nights run by Trapdoor Comedy Club, and for its open mic sessions, as well as award-winning beers.
The Portland Street pub has also very kindly agreed to match Joe Lycett’s donation, which means double the budget for pints for Mancs.
Daisy Jackson -
29th April 2026 
