Channel 5 viewers are set to see actress Joanna Scanlan as single mother Sarah in Missed Call
Tianna Corbin TV Reporter
13:06, 13 Apr 2026Updated 14:42, 13 Apr 2026
Joanna stars as Sarah in the upcoming Channel 5 drama(Image: ©5 Broadcasting Limited / ©PERNEL MEDIA LTD / ITV STudios)
Channel 5 audiences can look forward to an exciting new crime drama launching this week.
Missed Call stars Slow Horses actor Joanna Scanlan as Sarah, a mother whose deepest anxieties become reality when her daughter embarks on a school exchange to the South of France.
The excursion is overseen by teacher Neil Scott and Sarah’s partner, Jason Bradley, who is transporting the pupils to Saint-Michel.
Channel 5 viewers will watch as her daughter Katie is placed with the highly regarded Morvan family, who have a daughter named Emma. Yet Katie soon becomes entangled in the exchange students’ social scene, where alcohol, gatherings and group friction emerge, reports the Mirror.
After Sarah misses a late-night telephone call from Katie, her concern intensifies when her daughter ceases all communication. While the school, supervising teacher and host family maintain Katie is socialising with friends, Sarah’s instincts tell her otherwise, prompting her to take action herself.
A synopsis for the series states: “When British teenager Katie Gleason vanishes during a school exchange in southern France, her mother Sarah rushes to Saint-Michel seeking answers.
“Met with evasive police and hostility from Katie’s powerful host family, the Morvans, Sarah launches her own investigation alongside local detective Lieutenant Virginie Taylor, exposing buried secrets, abuse, corruption, and trafficking within the tight-knit town.
“As bodies surface and suspicions reach influential figures – including Virginie’s father – alliances fracture. Betrayed and unravelling, Sarah learns that Katie may still be alive. Time is running out for them both and justice.”
Here’s everything you need to know about Missed Call.
When does Missed Call start?
Joanna Scanlan is starring in the upcoming Channel 5 drama(Image: ©5 Broadcasting Limited / ©PERNEL MEDIA LTD / ITV STudios)
The first episode of the five-part series will air on April 13 at 9pm on Channel 5.
It will then air each night consecutively until the series final on Friday, April 17.
A brief overview of episode one reads: “Unable to shake the feeling that her daughter is in danger, Sarah flies to France.
“Once in Saint-Michel, she finds a town reluctant to answer questions. The police appear slow to act, the Morvans seem strangely calm, and students at the school are evasive.
“As Sarah begins asking questions herself, she discovers Katie spent her last known night with a troubled local boy named Xavier and another unidentified girl. Surveillance footage soon confirms Katie was in town only hours before she vanished. Then Sarah receives a message from Katie’s phone – one that turns her worst fears into a terrifying possibility.”
Missed Call cast list in full
Sarah takes matters into her own hands(Image: ©5 Broadcasting Limited / ©PERNEL MEDIA LTD / ITV STudios)
Joanna Scanlan leads the cast as Sarah Gleason, while Emily Coates portrays her daughter Katie Gleason. Claire Keim takes on the role of Virginie Taylor, François-Xavier Demaison appears as Jerome Ricard, Rupert Graves steps into the role of Jason Bradley, and Robert Lindsay stars as Andrew Taylor.
Other supporting cast includes:
- Lise Laffont as Audrey Lambert
- Dean Fagan as Neil Scott
- Lya Lessert as Emma Morvan
- Xavier Lemaitre as Serge Henin
- Célia Diane as Caroline Morvan
- Hélène Azema as Yvette Henin
- Cole Martin as Ben
- Nicolas Van Beveren as Fabien Morvan
- Andrew Lee Potts as Mark Jones
- Daisy Axon as Lucy
- Thorian De Decker as Officer Remy
- Maxime Pipet as Xavier Henin
- Sandra Teles as Rebecca
- Arthur Combelles as Gabriel (The Pathologist)
- Oliver Jenkins as British Reporter
Where is Missed Call filmed?
The majority of the drama was filmed in France(Image: ©5 Broadcasting Limited / ©PERNEL MEDIA LTD / ITV STudios)
Actor Dean Fagan, who portrays Neil Scott, revealed to his Instagram followers that filming took place in Montpellier in the South of France.
Villeneuvette served as the primary location for the fictional village of Saint-Michel, while Katie’s exchange accommodation was shot at Domaine St Martin de la Garrigue, according to 4filming.
The UK sequences were captured in and around London, with viewers witnessing Sarah’s journey to France via the Port of Dover in Kent.
Missed Call airs on Channel 5 on April 13 at 9pm.
