Hunting Alice Bell: Everything We Know About Channel 4’s Upcoming Psychological Thriller

As autumn approaches, our minds are drifting to the new thrillers that will come with it. Netflix has The Gentleman season 2, ITV has its adaptation of Elizabeth Day’s novel The Party, the BBC has Blue Lights series 4 – and there’s plenty more to mention. Over at Channel 4, we are especially intrigued by Hunting Alice Bell, a new six-part psychological thriller created by David Baddiel with Peter Bradshaw.

Here’s everything we know so far.

Alex Roach stars as Fran, a woman battling a smear campaign. (Channel 4)

The Plot

First thing’s first: Hunting Alice Bell has a very dark premise, surely inspired by recent criminal trials derailed by the court of public opinion. Before the show begins, a notorious anesthetist serial killer has been convicted. His accomplice and lover was a nurse called Alice Bell; naturally she is not working anymore. Instead she has been given a new identity.

The six-part drama begins when Fran Da Silva (Alex Roach) is accused of being Alice Bell online. A wave of mob hate sends her happy family life into a downward spiral. But then Fran discovers she is not the only woman being branded by this false accusation. Gathering the woman together, Fran fights to clear her name. But as the women battle to prove their innocence, one question haunts them: what if the real Alice Bell is among us?

Get a taste of the action in the strange first look trailer below.

Scrutinizing mob mentality and the devastating impact a social media smear campaign can have, Hunting Alice Bell feels very prescient. We are also told the six-part thriller will explore misogyny, justice and ‘the psychosis of the mob’, all within a story ‘stuffed with cliffhangers’.

Created by Baddiel and Bradshaw, Polly Buckle and Kate Verghese joined the writing team to bring this psychological whodunnit to the screen, while Paul Walker directed all six episodes. Fitting Baddiel’s comedy legacy, we are also told to expect some shade of dark humour and social satire.

Amanda Abbington (Julie), Alexandra Roach (Fran), Christina Bennington (Charlotte), Emily Barber (Vanessa) & Toni O’Rourke (Ros) are accused of being Alice Bell. (Channel 4)

Announcing the series in autumn 2025, Baddiel said: ‘The idea for Hunting Alice Bell was originally inspired by cases of women in the UK becoming terrorised by the local population after suspicions of them being various national hate figures secretly living in the community. Over time, it developed into a six-part drama and was more focused on the way that this kind of destructive room-alongering, which can incite riots and mob rage, is now intensified by social media.

‘Technology has created a whole new spin on the idea of mistaken identity,’ the comedian-screenwriter continued. ‘We are told that in the present culture, anyone can be who they want to be. But that also means that anyone can have who they are taken away from them: the hive mind can decide who you are. This happens to the five women in Hunting Alice Bell: In a world where identity is fluid, they have lost control of theirs.’

Rudi Dharmalingam (Nick), Alexandra Roach (Fran) & Aiyana Bartlett (Violet) are a family rocked by lies. (Channel 4)

The Cast

Alex Roach, Amanda Abbington, Ralf Little and Simon Pegg top the call sheet in this star-studded drama. The full cast and the roles they will play are below.

• Alex Roach as Fran Da Silva
• Amanda Abbington as Julie
• Emily Barber as Vanessa
• Toni O’Rourke as Ros
• Christina Bennington as Charlotte
• Rudi Dharmalingam as Nick
• Ralf Little as Graham Hunter
• Simon Pegg as Dr Jason Nash

Release Date

We are told Hunting Alice Bell will launch on Channel 4 this autumn. All six episodes will be available to stream on Channel 4.