There’s no better way to escape the daily grind than by losing yourself in a chilling psychological thriller - and we've got a recommendation that will help you do exactly that. Originally released in 2019, Cheat stars Katherine Kelly as university professor Leah, who finds herself in a dangerous relationship with her student Rose (Molly Windsor). The 10/10 series is now available to binge on ITV - and if you want our honest opinion, it's one of the best things to binge this week.
Over the course of four episodes, we see the toxic relationship between student play out as Leah accuses final-year student, Rose, of plagiarism. Featuring familiar elements of some of favourite dramas including Doctor Foster and Bodyguard, we see exactly what happens when an obsessive revenge plot goes too far - and it makes for utterly gripping TV.
With the series available to binge on ITV now, here’s everything you need to know about Cheat, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.
What is Cheat about?
The four-part series stars Katherine Kelly as university professor Leah Dale (Katherine Kelly), who believes her final-year student Rose Vaughan (Molly Windsor) cheated on her dissertation. What starts as a seemingly open and shut investigation into a plagiarism accusation quickly spirals when Rose makes it her mission to make her lecturer’s life a living hell.
Leah and Rose are two fiercely intelligent minds unwilling to back down and, as their relationship becomes increasingly hostile, Leah resorts to extreme measure to expose Rose. No spoilers, but over the course of the series, we see Rose turn increasingly manipulative, seducing Leah’s husband, killing their pet cat and, eventually, taking things one step further.
Speaking to OK! about her character, Katherine Kelly said: “I become very single-minded about proving that [Rose has] cheated and as I dig into her life, I find out that she's pretty obsessed with me, and that's how it begins. It very, very quickly unravels and there are fatal consequences. It was a real page-turner, so I hope it has the audience literally sitting on the edge of their seats shouting."
What to read next
Who’s in the cast of Cheat?
- Katherine Kelly (Coronation Street, Mr Selfridge) as Leah
- Molly Windsor (Three Girls, Traces) as Rose
- Tom Goodman-Hill (Humans, Mr Selfridge) as Adam
- Lorraine Ashbourne (After the Flood, Bridgerton) as Angela
- Peter Firth (MI-5, That’s Life) as Michael
- Parker Sawyers (World on Fire, Spy/Master) as Stephan
- Joanna Brookes (Doctors, Bad Girls) as Sandra
- Ibilola Rossi (The Midwich Cuckoos, The Watch) as Amy
- Burn Gorman (The Offer, Halo) as Ben
- Justine Mitchell (These Sacred Vows, Smother) as DI Bould
- Jimmy Akingbola (Bel-Air, The Tower) as DI Hammond
- Adrian Edmondson (Bergerac, Alien: Earth) as William
- Philip Bird (Doctors, Casualty) as Doctor
- Aoife Hinds (These Sacred Vows, Dune: Prophecy) as Ellie
- Kemi-Bo Jacobs (Delicious, The Great) as Karen
- Ravin J. Ganatra (Casualty, This England) as Brian
Is there a trailer for Cheat?
Yes, you can watch the trailer for Cheat below.
Is Cheat any good?
Yes - but do be prepared that it gets pretty dark! The series has been liked to Doctor Foster and Bodyguard due to the toxic - and forbidden - relationships at the centre of it, while fans have called the storyline “devilishly entertaining”. If you're looking for a gripping psychological thriller that will see you through the week (or night!), look no further.
How can I watch Cheat?
You can watch all four episodes of Cheat now on ITVX.
What other psychological thrillers can I watch now?
If you fancy a brilliantly twisty series, we'd recommend The Crow Girl, which follows DCI Jeannette Kilburn (Eve Myles) who has a murder investigation on her hands unlike anything she’s dealt with before. It's bleak, it's pacy and it's about as gripping as it gets. The Crow Girl is available to watch now on Paramount+.. Another series that earned rave reviews when it first aired is Wayward. The series stars Toni Collette as a headmistress at a school in Oregon called Tall Pines. Only Tall Pines isn’t your typical school, it’s a therapeutic school for "troubled teens". You can watch Wayward on Netflix.
