The Light in the Hall: Channel 4 cast with Joanna Scanlan and Iwan Rheon, when is new drama on TV and trailer

Thriller series The Light in the Hall follows journalist Cat Donato who returns to the town of Llanemlyn where Ela, the daughter of a local woman disappeared 18 years ago. A man  confessed to Ela’s murder but her body was never found. Cat is determined to find out what really happened to Ela, but not everyone in Llanemlyn wants her to dig into the past.

Meanwhile, Joe, the man who confessed to Ela’s murder, is out on parole after serving 15 years for the crime. He never gave a motive for the killing and with Ela’s body still undiscovered, Cat will look to him for answers.

As the series continues, Joe tries to adapt to life on the outside, whilst Cat hopes to unravel the mystery and Sharon, Ela’s mother, looks for closure. As the police get involved it appears that there is more to Ela’s murder than it seems.

Who is in the cast of The Light in the Hall?

Iwan Rheon plays Joe, Ela’s killer who has recently been released from prison. He is best known for playing Simon Bellamy in supernatural comedy series Misfits, and Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones. His other roles include voicing Prince William in adult animated comedy The Prince, and playing Gwydion in The Snow Spider.

Joanna Scanlan plays Sharon, Ela’s mother who is looking for answers to her daughter’s death. Scanlan is well known for playing Terri Coverley in political satire The Thick of It,

DI Vivienne Deering in No Offence, and Mrs. Klebb in comedy series Big School. She has also appeared in The Larkins and Gentleman Jack.

Alexandra Roach plays Cat, the journalist who returns to Llanemlyn and digs into an 18 year old murder case. Roach has previously starred alongside Scanlan in No Offence - her other credits include Utopia and Viewpoint. She has starred in the films Testament of Youth, Anna Karenina, and Private Peaceful.

Other cast members include:

• Annes Elwy as Greta
• Dylan Jones as Young Joe
• Ella Peel as Ela
• Morgan Hopkins as Dai
• Catherine Ayers as Sali
• Aneirin Hughes as Gafyn
• Ioan Hefin as DCI Parry
• Ifan Huw Dafydd as Wyn
• Mari Ann Bull as Young Shelley
• Sian Reese-Williams as Caryl
• Rhian Blythe as Shelley
• Aled Bidder as Rhys
• Lisa Palfrey as Nina
• Aled Pugh as Ian
• Delyth Wyn as Eilis

What Language is The Light in the Hall?

The series was shot twice - once with the actors speaking English, and again with them speaking Welsh. Many of the actors already spoke Welsh but Scanlan had help learning her lines from her niece.  The Welsh version of the series, called Y Golau (The Light) aired on Welsh language channel S4C.

When is The Light in the Hall on TV?

The Light in the Hall begins airing on Channel 4 on Wednesday 4 January at 9pm, with the second episode airing at the same time on Thursday 5. There are six episodes in the series and the remaining episodes will air on Wednesdays and Thursdays at the same time. All episodes are also available to watch now on All 4.

Is there a trailer for The Light in the Hall?

Yes there is, and you can watch it right here: