Liar (TV series)

British TV drama series (2017 & 2020)

Liar

Genre|

* Drama
* Mystery
* Thriller

Created by|

* Harry Williams
* Jack Williams

Starring|

* Joanne Froggatt
* Ioan Gruffudd
* Zoë Tapper
* Warren Brown
* Richie Campbell
* Jamie Flatters
* Shelley Conn
* Danny Webb
* Katherine Kelly

Composers|

* Glenn Gregory
* Berenice Scott

Country of origin| United Kingdom
Original language| English
No. of series| 2
No. of episodes| 12
Production
Executive producers|

* Harry Williams
* Jack Williams
* James Strong

Producer| Eliza Mellor
Cinematography| Matt Gray BSC
Running time| 45 minutes
Production company| Two Brothers Pictures
Original release
Network|

* ITV (UK)
* SundanceTV (US)

Release| 11 September 2017 (2017-09-11) –
6 April 2020 (2020-04-06)

Liar is a British thriller television series created by Harry and Jack Williams, and co-produced by ITV and SundanceTV. The series stars Joanne Froggatt and Ioan Gruffudd as two people whose initial attraction leads to far-reaching consequences for them and their friends and families. The series premiered on ITV on 11 September 2017, with the first series concluding on 16 October 2017. Upon its debut, it received positive reviews, with many critics praising the performances of Froggatt and Gruffudd. The programme was renewed for a second and final series, which premiered on 2 March 2020, concluding on 6 April 2020.

## Plot

[edit]

Laura Nielson, a smart and capable teacher in the middle of a breakup, is set up on a date with widowed surgeon Andrew Earlham. However, the morning after, Laura realises she has been raped. When reporting the rape to the police proves fruitless, Laura investigates the incident herself.

## Cast and characters

[edit]

### Main

[edit]

* Joanne Froggatt as Laura Nielson, a smart and dedicated teacher who is newly single[1]
* Ioan Gruffudd as Andrew Earlham, a renowned surgeon whose son, Luke, is a pupil in Laura's class[1]
* Zoë Tapper as Katy Sutcliffe, Laura's older sister, a doctor who works with Andrew at the local hospital
* Richie Campbell as Liam Sutcliffe, Katy's unsuspecting husband and father of her two children
* Jamie Flatters as Luke Earlham, Andrew's son who is a pupil in Laura's class
* Shelley Conn as DI Vanessa Harmon, a detective with the fictional Thanet and Dover Police who investigates Laura's allegation of rape
* Danny Webb as DS Rory Maxwell, a Thanet & Dover Police detective and second in command to Vanessa Harmon
* Kieran Bew as Ian Davis, Laura's new love interest

### Recurring

[edit]

* Warren Brown as PC Tom Bailey (Series 1), Laura's ex-boyfriend who is having an affair with her sister, Katy
* Eileen Davies as Andrew Earlham's elderly friend Sylvia (Series 1)[2]
* Jill Halfpenny as Jennifer Robertson, Vanessa's wife, a soldier
* Dawn Steele as Catherine McAulay (Series 1), an Edinburgh barmaid and friend of Andrew Earlham
* Katherine Kelly as DI Karen Renton (Series 2), an officer from the Metropolitan Police
* Sam Spruell as Oliver Graham (Series 2), an old acquaintance of Andrew Earlham
* Amy Nuttall as Winnie Peterson (Series 2), a nurse
* Howard Charles as Carl Peterson (Series 2), Winnie's husband who owns a boatyard, an ex-soldier and Afghanistan veteran
* Dermot Crowley as Henry Neilson (Series 2), the father of Laura Neilson and Katy Sutcliffe
* Jack Colgrave Hirst, as Greg Maxwell (Series 2), son of DS Rory Maxwell, a National Crime Agency officer
* Lucy Speed as a Counsellor (Series 2)
* Michael Wildman as DI Michael McCoy (Series 2)
* Jenny Galloway as the Marina Inn hotel receptionist (Series 2)

## Production

[edit]

Liar was announced on 15 April 2016 as the first full production from Two Brothers Pictures.[3] On 30 September 2016, the miniseries was commissioned by American cable network SundanceTV and British commercial broadcaster ITV.[4] Commercial broadcasters TF1[5] and Seven have also ordered the series.[6] Filming for the series began in London and Kent in November 2016.[7] The marshes were filmed in Tollesbury, Essex. The seaside hometown for main character Laura was filmed at Deal, Kent and Kingsdown. Some inner town sequences in Brockley, Nunhead, Shortlands (Episode 3), South Ealing, and Edinburgh (Episode 4).[8]

After the first series concluded on 16 October 2017, it was announced that the programme would be returning for a second series. The second series, which premiered on 2 March 2020,[9] focuses on a whodunnit storyline involving the cliffhanger of the first series' finale. Froggatt and Gruffudd both returned.[10][11][12]

## Episodes

[edit]

### Series 1 (2017)

[edit]

No.
overall| Episode| Directed by| Written by| Original release date| UK viewers
(millions) [13]

|
|
|
|
|

1| "The Date"| James Strong| Harry Williams & Jack Williams| 11 September 2017 (2017-09-11)| 8.86
2| "I Know You're Lying"| James Strong| Harry Williams & Jack Williams| 18 September 2017 (2017-09-18)| 8.50
3| "White Rabbit"| James Strong| Harry Williams & Jack Williams| 25 September 2017 (2017-09-25)| 8.87
4| "Catherine"| Samuel Donovan| Harry Williams & Jack Williams| 2 October 2017 (2017-10-02)| 8.82
5| "Check Mate"| Samuel Donovan| Harry Williams & Jack Williams| 9 October 2017 (2017-10-09)| 9.03
6| "The Marshes"| Samuel Donovan| Harry Williams & Jack Williams| 16 October 2017 (2017-10-16)| 9.49

### Series 2 (2020)

[edit]

No.
overall| Episode| Directed by| Written by| Original release date| UK viewers
(millions) [13]

|
|
|
|
|

7| Episode 1| James Strong| Harry Williams & Jack Williams| 2 March 2020 (2020-03-02)| 7.02
8| Episode 2| James Strong| Harry Williams & Jack Williams| 9 March 2020 (2020-03-09)| 6.85
9| Episode 3| James Strong| Harry Williams & Jack Williams| 16 March 2020 (2020-03-16)| 6.69
10| Episode 4| Chris Sweeney| Harry Williams & Jack Williams| 23 March 2020 (2020-03-23)| 7.15
11| Episode 5| Chris Sweeney| Harry Williams & Jack Williams| 30 March 2020 (2020-03-30)| 6.59
12| Episode 6| Chris Sweeney| Harry Williams & Jack Williams| 6 April 2020 (2020-04-06)| 6.91

## Broadcast

[edit]

The series premiered on ITV on 11 September 2017 at 9pm, in exactly the same slot that the Two Brothers Pictures series Rellik premiered on BBC One.[14] It premiered on SundanceTV on 27 September 2017[15] and is available for streaming on Sundance Now[16] and YouTube.[17] The series was acquired in Australia by the Seven Network and in New Zealand by TVNZ.[18] It was also acquired in the Philippines by ABS-CBN and premiered on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z and TV5 on 10 March 2025 with a Tagalog-dubbed version.

## Adaptations

[edit]

As of 2015, 15 remakes [19] of Liar have been produced by networks in other countries, including Botswana, India, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Turkey, Greece, Slovakia and Malaysia. The Italian remake, Non mentire, premiered on Canale 5 on February 17, 2019.[20] The Spanish remake, Mentiras, was first released on Atresplayer Premium on April 19, 2020, before eventually premiering on Antena 3 on January 12, 2022.[21] The German remake, Du sollst nicht lügen, was first released on Joyn Plus+ on February 2, 2021, before debuting on pay television on Sat.1 Emotions on February 7 and premiering free-to-air on Sat.1 on February 9.[22] The French remake, Mensonges, was first released on Salto on July 30, 2021, before premiering on TF1 on September 2, 2021.[23] The Turkish remake, Yalanci, premiered on Show TV on September 17, 2021.[24] The Greek remake, Psemata, premiered on Alpha TV on May 5, 2022.[25] The Slovak remake, Klamstvo, premiered on Markíza on February 20, 2023.[26] The Malaysian remake, "LIAR", was first released on Astro GO (on demand) on March 25, 2023, before premiering on Astro RIA on April 3, 2023.[27] and Hindi as Marzi [28]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Petski, Denise (30 September 2016). "Joanne Froggatt & Ioan Gruffudd To Star In 'Liar' For Sundance TV & ITV". Deadline.
2. ^ express.co.uk (2017). "Liar spoilers: Andrew Earlham secret Bombshell could expose all in finale plot".
3. ^ Barraclough, Leo (15 April 2016). "'The Missing' Writers Harry and Jack Williams Unveil Thriller 'Liar'". Variety.
4. ^ Holloway, Daniel (30 September 2016). "Sundance TV, ITV Partner for 'Liar' Starring Joanne Froggatt, Ioan Gruffudd". Variety.
5. ^ Barraclough, Leo (28 March 2017). "Joanne Froggatt Thriller 'Liar' Picked Up by France's TF1". Variety.
6. ^ Knox, David (20 June 2017). "Seven picks up UK drama Liar". TV Tonight.
7. ^ Kent Film Office (25 February 2020). "Kent Film Office Liar (2017-2020) Article".
8. ^ Moon, Ra. "Filming locations and pictures". atlasofwonders.com. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
9. ^ Anderton, Joe (19 February 2020). "Liar season 2 finally confirms return date – and it's soon". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
10. ^ Meechan, Lauren (17 October 2017). "Liar season 2: Joanne Froggatt and Ioan Gruffudd WILL return for another series". Express. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
11. ^ Perkins, Eleanor (31 October 2019). "Fans of ITV's Liar to be kept waiting until 2020 for season 2". KentOnline. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
12. ^ Williams, Kathryn (6 February 2020). "Ioan Gruffudd's ITV drama Liar is back for a second series and it starts soon". WalesOnline. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
13. ^ a b "Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)". BARB. "The viewer figures take into account total live viewing in SD and HD, and +1 figures, and are viewed under ITV Total (Incl. +1)."
14. ^ Griffiths, Eleanor Bley (19 June 2017). "Downton's Joanne Froggatt is a serious schoolteacher in first-look image from ITV thriller Liar". Radio Times.
15. ^ Hale, Mike (26 September 2017). "Review: A 'Downton Abbey' Star in Peril Again in SundanceTV's 'Liar'". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
16. ^ Liar, SundanceNow.com. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
17. ^ Liar, YouTube.com. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
18. ^ "UK drama Liar with Joanne Froggatt coming to Seven". Mediaweek. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
19. ^ Lang, Jamie (26 March 2025). "First African Adaptation of Global Hit 'Liar' Trailer Unveiled From Series Mania (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
20. ^ Santalmassi, Silvia (29 January 2019). ""Non mentire", dal 17 febbraio parte la nuova fiction di Canale 5". TgCom24.
21. ^ Heredia, Sara (13 March 2020). "'Mentiras' llega a Antena 3 después de que la serie original, 'Liar', haya arrasado". SensaCine.
22. ^ "Du sollst nicht lügen". Fernsehserien.de. 7 February 2021.
23. ^ Dunand, Jérémie (30 July 2021). "Mensonges : la nouvelle série de TF1 avec Audrey Fleurot et Arnaud Ducret déjà disponible sur Salto". Allociné.
24. ^ "Sezonun en iddialı dizisi Yalancı'nın çekimleri başladı!". Show TV. 12 August 2021.
25. ^ Φωτόπουλος, Άκης (6 May 2022). "Ψέματα: Η νέα σειρά του ALPHA θα σας καθηλώσει". Youfly (in Greek). Retrieved 15 November 2023.
26. ^ "Maštalír trikrát do týždňa na Markíze. K Dunaju sa pridáva pondelkové Klamstvo". HNonline.sk. 6 February 2023.
27. ^ Layton, Mark (9 December 2022). "Malaysia's Astro to adapt ITV drama 'Liar' with Double Vision". Television Business International.
28. ^ "Viacom's Indian Streamer to Remake SundanceTV/ITV Thriller 'Liar' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 28 March 2019.

## External links

[edit]

* Liar at IMDb
* Liar at epguides.com

* v
* t
* e

Sundance TV original programming

Current|

* Black Snow (since 2023)
* Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale (since 2024)

Former|

* Anatomy of a Scene (2001–05)
* Be Good Johnny Weir (2010)
* Big Ideas for a Small Planet (2007–09)
* Brick City (2009–11)
* Clean Sweep (2023)
* Cleverman (2016–17)
* Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter (2015–21)
* Deutschland 83 (2015)
* Deutschland 86 (2018)
* Deutschland 89 (2020)
* Dream School (2013–14)
* Far North (2024)
* Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys (2010–12)
* Hap and Leonard (2016–18)
* The Honourable Woman (2014)
* Iconoclasts (2005–12)
* Liar (2017–20)
* The Long Shadow (2024)
* The Lovers (2023–24)
* The Mortified Sessions (2011–12)
* No One Saw a Thing (2019)
* Push Girls (2012–13)
* Rectify (2013–16)
* The Red Road (2014–15)
* The Split (2018–20)
* State of the Union (2019–22)
* This Close (2018–19)
* Top of the Lake (2013–17)
* Totally Completely Fine (2023)
* The Vanishing Triangle (2023)
* The Writers' Room (2013–14)

* v
* t
* e

Television work by Harry and Jack Williams

* Roman’s Empire (2007)
* Full English (2012)
* The Missing (2014–2016)
* Fried (2015)
* Liar (2017–2020)
* The Widow (2019)
* Baptiste (2019–2021)
* Angela Black (2021)
* The Tourist (2022–present)

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