“Her best role since Unforgotten”: River is Nicola Walker’s “10/10” detective drama to binge tonight

Remember when Nicola Walker blew us all away with her performance as DCI Cassie Stuart in Unforgotten? It takes some pretty special to top it – but, finally, we’ve found her best role since. River is the equally brilliant BBC detective drama that follows Detective Inspector John River (Stellan Skarsgård) who is haunted, you might say, by his former colleague Detective Sergeant Jackie "Stevie" Stevenson (Walker) – and, thanks to ITV, the 10/10 series is available to watch tonight.

If you’re wondering what we mean by haunted, let us explain. Stevie has, in fact, been murdered and yet John sees her almost everywhere, despite the fact she’s gone. And she’s not the only ghostly figure he sees; as the investigation into Stevie's murder evolves, John’s sense of what’s real and what’s not becomes increasingly blurred - and his ability to solve crimes starts to unravel in unexpected ways.

With all 6 episodes now available to stream now, here’s everything you need to know about River before you watch it, including the cast, plot and how to tune in.

What is River about?

The six-part series, which first aired on the BBC in 2015, is written by The Split Abi Morgan (which half explains why it’s so brilliant) and introduces us to DI John River (Stellan Skarsgård) a brilliant but troubled detective who lives with a secret. If you haven't already worked it out, that secret is the fact he’s being haunted by the victims of the murders he’s investigating.

Most prominent of those is DS Jackie “Stevie” Stevenson, played by Nicola Walker, River’s recently murdered partner and friend. As River works to track down Stevie’s killer, she often speaks to him and offers him insight into her past – despite the fact that she’s no longer alive.

While investigating Stevie's murder, River has a different murder case to solve and is trying to figure out what’s going on with his mind. Along the way, we follow his sessions with a psychologist as he tries to process his grief and guilt, and understand why he’s somewhat caught between the living and the dead.

Oh, and there's more. River also discovers that his former colleague and friend’s life wasn't quite as straightforward as he imagined. As the investigation into Stevie's murder begins to reveal her deepest secrets, he finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew about her. Their relationship might have survived her death - but can it survive the truth of who she really was in life?

Who’s in the cast of River?

The cast of River includes:

• Nicola Walker (Annika) as DS Jackie "Stevie" Stevenson
• Stellan Skarsgård (Good Will Hunting) as DI John River
• Adeel Akhtar (Fool Me Once) as DS Ira King
• Lesley Manville (Magpie Murders) as DCI Chrissie Read
• Georgina Rich (Malpractice) as Rosa Fallows
• Eddie Marsan as Thomas Neill Cream
• Turlough Convery (Wake Up) as Frankie Stevenson
• Sorcha Cusack (Father Brown) as Bridie Stevenson
• Steve Nicolson (Space Race) as Jimmy Stevenson
• Owen Teale (Wolf) as PSupt Marcus McDonald
• Michael Maloney (Magpie Murders) as Tom Read
• Jim Norton (Father Ted) as Michael Bennigan
• Peter Bankolé (The Chelsea Detective) as Haider Jamal Abdi
• Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton) as Sunday Akentola
• Shannon Tarbet (Beast) as Erin Fielding
• Josef Altin (London Spy) as Christopher Riley
• Andrei Zayats (The Old Guard) as Ukrainian Lad
• Anamaria Marinca (The Chelsea Detective) as Ema
• Lydia Leonard (A Woman of Substance) as Marianne King
• Pippa Bennett-Warner (Chloe) as Tia Edwards
• Franz Drameh (Some Girls) as Bruno
• Stefan Kalipha (Born of Fire) as Omari Tadros

Is there a trailer for River?

Yes, you can watch the trailer for River below.

View full post on YouTube

Is River any good?

Yes – it’s so much more than a detective drama. Huge praise has to go Stellan Skarsgård as the mentally tortured River whose psychological journey is as compelling as the crimes he has to deal with. But Nicola is just as superb, despite the fact we’re technically seeing a ‘ghost’ following her murder in the first episode. Our rating? A solid 10/10.

How can I watch River?

All 6 episodes of River are available to watch now on ITVX.

What other Nicola Walker dramas can I watch now?

For an oldie but a goodie, we’d suggest Touching Evil. The Noughties drama revolves around DI Dave Creegan (Robson Green) and his professional partner, DI Suan Taylor (played by Nicola), who are members of the Organised & Serial Crime Unit (OSC), an elite rapid-response police force, and have their fair share of challenging investigations to deal with. You can watch Touching Evil now on ITVX. For something a little gentler, we’d suggest Heading Out. Nicola proves she’s the friend we’d all want as Sara’s (Sue Perkins) longtime pal who gives her quite the ultimatum. Heading Out is available to watch on Prime Video.