Sarah Lancashire is heading back to Netflix for a new dark thriller, with the Happy Valley star set to lead Witch Hunt, a series from The Split creator Abi Morgan. Lancashire will play August Howell, a descendant of the so-called “Witch of Cambridge”, who returns home after spending 30 years in prison for drowning her three young daughters. Her return is unwelcome, and when fears grow that it has triggered a modern-day witch hunt in the university town, police turn to August’s only surviving daughter for help.

The series follows August as she returns to a community that has never forgotten what happened, only for a new threat to begin unfolding around her. As suspicion and fear spread through the town, the police are forced to involve Professor Wren Howell, August’s surviving daughter, in the search for a killer. The premise gives the series plenty to explore around reputation, guilt, family and the way a community can turn on someone, with the “witch hunt” idea brought into a modern setting rather than treated as a historical story.

Who Is Sarah Lancashire Playing in Witch Hunt?

Lancashire will play August Howell, the woman whose return after three decades in prison sets the story in motion. Speaking about the role, she described Witch Hunt as “a brilliantly imagined and utterly compelling story” and said there was a great deal to explore in August as a character.

The series also marks another Netflix project for Lancashire, who currently stars as Reed in Black Doves. She is of course best known for her BAFTA-winning role as Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley.

Who Is Making Witch Hunt?

Witch Hunt is written by Abi Morgan, whose previous work includes The Split and Netflix limited series Eric. The series is produced by SISTER, which also makes Black Doves and worked on Eric.

A release date and wider cast have not yet been announced, so there is still plenty more to come before the series reaches Netflix.

For CultureCues, we are already very interested in this one. We love Sarah Lancashire, especially in Happy Valley, and she is one of those actors we will always make time for. The story sounds right up our street too, with the modern-day witch hunt, family history and murder investigation giving the series plenty to get into. We are definitely looking forward to seeing how Witch Hunt comes together.

Witch Hunt is coming to Netflix, with a release date and further casting still to be announced.

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