Apple TV's Down Cemetery Road book changes revealed by Emma Thompson

One of the biggest challenges any adaptation faces when moving to the big or small screen is capturing the tone and feel of the source material while making the necessary changes to suit the medium. For the latest Mick Herron adaptation, Down Cemetery Road, Emma Thompson revealed that there were some natural changes along the way.

“It’s changed a lot from the book; Sarah and Zoë are very different to how they are in the books, but that’s normal. That’s what happens in adaptations."

Thompson stars alongside Ruth Wilson in the new series, which sees two women drawn together by circumstance after a mysterious explosion rocks their quiet neighbourhood.

What begins as a seemingly straightforward investigation soon unravels into a tangled government conspiracy — one that only they seem determined to expose.

Thompson added that she’s a huge admirer of author Mick Herron, which was a key factor in her decision to take on the project.

“I’m a massive fan of Mick Herron’s, so as soon as they asked me to think about playing Zoë, I said yes. I don’t regret it at all.”

She went on to describe Herron as a generous and trusting collaborator: “Mick was wonderful. He and Morwenna Banks get on very well. He did as any author should and had faith in the process and his writers.”

“He’s incredibly generous and not remotely wanting to control anything. He’s just delighted that we’re all there doing it.”

For Ruth Wilson, the contrasting dynamic between the two leads helped spark an on-screen chemistry that drives the story.

“I think it works when they’re different, and that’s where you get the chemistry from – because they’re coming from different angles. We discussed that Zoë has intimacy issues, and Sarah is desperate for connection. So, it creates great dramatic tension from the get-go.”

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Thompson agreed, adding: “Needy and doesn’t need anything — that’s a great tension. Sometimes Sarah does something incredibly dramatic and reckless and brave, and Zoë watches and goes, ‘OK, we’re doing that now,’ and joins in. Sometimes it’s the other way round. They share this heroism.”

Both Wilson and Thompson also praised the sharpness of the scripts. Wilson noted: “The script for the first episode just read so well — it was a real page-turner.”

Thompson echoed that sentiment: “If the scripts hadn’t worked, we wouldn’t have done it; they’re just really well written.”

Down Cemetery Road will stream on Apple TV from Wednesday 29th October 2025 – sign up to Apple TV now.

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