Jill Halfpenny and Sally Lindsay confirmed for "two very surprising roles" in dramatic new thriller

If you're a fan of dramas on 5, then you'll be familiar with Jill Halfpenny and Sally Lindsay gracing the casts of some of the channel's biggest shows. Well, the pair have now joined forces for a brand new thriller that's set to air later this year.

It's been confirmed that Halfpenny and Lindsay will be leading the cast of Number One Fan, a four-part thriller set in the world of daytime TV as one morning show presenter is saved from a vicious attack by a mysterious woman claiming to be her number one fan...

Halfpenny – who previously starred in 5's The Holiday, The Cuckoo and The Feud – plays presenter Lucy, described as "the nation’s sweetheart, BFF and presenter of Lucy Live". According to the synopsis: "She tells it like it is with a big smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. She’s ambitious, hardworking and beneath it all, thoroughly ruthless."

Lindsay – known for her roles in 5's The Madame Blanc Mysteries and Love Rat – is Donna, "an obsessed fan who appears as a mousey, non-threatening nobody, but steps in to save Lucy from a horrific attack".

It continues: "Lucy’s gratitude quickly sours when Donna’s fandom turns into a darker obsession infiltrating Lucy’s career, family and friends. However to her horror Lucy comes to realise that Donna has a link to a hidden secret in her past which threatens to derail the career she has so carefully curated."

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On the announcement of the series, Mike Benson, MD for Clapperboard and executive producer, said: "We’ve obviously worked numerous times with two of the most talented actresses in the country in Sally and Jill – but never before in the same show.

"Seeing them both together on screen – and in two very surprising roles – is something I know viewers will be every bit as excited about as we are."

BAFTA-nominated director Paul Wilmshurst (The Day of the Jackal) will be in the driving seat of the drama, with Vikings: Valhalla's Rachel Kilfeather serving as lead writer on the series with Smother's Marcus Fleming.

As of now, there's no confirmed release date for Number One Fan but we do know that production has now wrapped in Spain and the series is set to air on 5 in 2026.

Halfpenny has most recently been seen in Paramount+ series, Girl Taken, which has been adapted from Hollie Overton's novel Baby Doll and follows her character as she's thrown into turmoil when one of her twin daughters is abducted and held captive for half a decade before escaping.

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com about the series, Halfpenny said: “It’s really important for people – for all of us – to remember that when a crime has been committed, when someone has been raped, abused, scared or frightened, whether they’re held captive or not, you don’t just come home and think, ‘Now I’ll just live my life.’ You have to unpick what happened.

“When you listen to people who’ve been attacked and it’s happened in one night, that in itself is a lifelong process – to unpick what happened on that night, to not blame yourself, to wonder why it happened, to think, ‘Could I have done anything different?’"

She added: “But can you imagine having to unpick five years? It’s unfathomable, really, and it would take a bloody good psychologist – and years and years of therapy – for Lily’s character to get to grips with not feeling like that defines her.”

Number One Fan will air on 5 later this year.

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