Lisa McGee moves to thriller ‘The Deceived’

Monday: The Deceived; (Channel 5, 9pm)
Ophelia attends a drinks party when Michael, Roisin and their friends arrive at Cambridge CollegeOphelia attends a drinks party when Michael, Roisin and their friends arrive at Cambridge College
Ophelia attends a drinks party when Michael, Roisin and their friends arrive at Cambridge College

Writer Lisa McGee is probably best known for being the brains behind the hit sitcom Derry Girls.

However, she’s wading into darker territory with the psychological thriller The Deceived, which is airing across four consecutive nights on Channel 5 this week.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Co-written by her actor husband Tobias Beer, it focuses on English student Ophelia (Emily Reid), who embarks on an affair with her married lecturer Michael (Emmett J. Scanlan). When he mysteriously disappears, Ophelia tracks him down to his home in Ireland, where she discovers that his wife, successful author Roisin (Catherine Walker), has died in a fire.

She also meets builder Sean (rising star Paul Mescal, who began filming The Deceived just two days after finishing his first-ever TV role, lockdown hit Normal People), who is set to become her confidante – and Ophelia is really going to need someone to talk to as her situation gets ever more complicated, and she’s left doubting her own sanity.

Fortunately, McGee and Beer had each other to talk to – and they believe they bring out the best in each other.

McGee says: “I’m obsessed with story. It’s why I write. I love creating something exciting and surprising with lots of twists and turns. I really enjoy the challenge of structure – the way you tell a story is as important as the story itself.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Toby comes from an acting background. He’s very strong on character and dialogue. I think because of his experience as an actor he could never write a character that simply serves the plot, which is sometimes tempting when you’re trying to get a big old heightened thriller to work.”

However, while their approaches may sometimes differ, their tastes do overlap. Beer says: “When we first met, we realised we both loved watching old Hitchcock films and other classic thrillers. Daphne Du Maurier’s and subsequently Hitchcock’s Rebecca was a big and unapologetic influence on this story…

“We started talking about how we might do a version of those films for episodic TV. We were interested in seeing whether we could write something that was modern in its setting but which might have a period feel to it – to see whether the form would hold within the fast-paced and sophisticated world of contemporary television.”

The end result is a drama which mixes the thriller genre with elements of romance and a ghost story, which sounds worlds away from Derry Girls. However, McGee suggests that writing them wasn’t as different as you might expect: “For me it’s just about absolutely loving the project – writing something you’d like to watch. You never know if it’s going to be successful. You just pray some people watch it and enjoy it. And I discovered writing The Deceived that there were similarities with Derry Girls. The challenge of creating an authentic world, constructing a scare isn’t a million miles away from constructing a joke – both require the viewer to have a physical reaction. I’ve always enjoyed working in different genres – you learn a lot from it.”

A message from the Editor:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you

Related topics: