Cheat: everything you need to know about ITV's must-watch psychological thriller

Clear a spot for the four-part series in this week's viewing schedule 

Psychological thriller Cheat looks set to be one of this year’s most addictive TV dramas to date.

The four-part series charts the fraught relationship between an academic and an undergraduate, which becomes progressively darker when the former accuses her student on cheating on an essay.

ITV have promised that Cheat will “keep audiences guessing from the start,” and Netflix habit has rendered you incapable of waiting seven days for the next instalment, there’s more good news: the broadcaster will be airing all four episodes on consecutive nights this week.

Here’s everything you need to know about the show before it airs.

What is Cheat about?

Tense: the series explores the fraught relationship between an academic and her student
ITV

The series focuses on Dr Leah Dale, a university academic who prides herself on her sense of integrity, and is staunchly against cheating of any kind.

When student Rose Vaughan hands in her latest essay, Leah is immediately suspicious – the work is of a far higher calibre than anything she’s previously received from the undergraduate, who’s previously been putting the minimum effort into her coursework.

After she confronts her, their relationship becomes increasingly strained, with Leah seeming to channel her frustrations with her home life into the feud. It soon becomes clear, though, that Rose is plotting something truly disturbing in order get her revenge upon her tutor.

According to ITV, ‘what begins as a seemingly open and shut case of academic deception quickly spirals out of control, ending in fatal consequences and triggering a devastating sequence of events that threaten to engulf them both.’ How’s that for intrigue?

Who is in Cheat?

Rising star: Molly Windsor previously appeared in BBC series Three Girls
ITV / Two Brothers Pictures

Katherine Kelly (who you’ll recognise from Happy Valley, The Night Manager and Mr Selfridge – or from her six year stint as Becky in Coronation Street) takes the lead role as Leah, while Molly Windsor stars opposite her as Rose.

The 21-year-old’s breakout role in harrowing BBC drama Three Girls, which was based on the real life investigation into the Rochdale grooming ring, earned her a BAFTA TV Award for Best Leading Actress last year.

They are joined by Kelly’s fellow Mr Selfridge star Tom Goodman-Hill, who plays Leah’s husband Adam, Spooks star Peter Firth and Unforgotten’s Lorraine Ashbourne as her parents, and Adrian Edmondson as Rose’s wealthy father William.

When is Cheat on TV?

The series will begin at 9pm on March 11 on ITV, with the following three episodes airing on consecutive nights at the same time.

The show concludes on March 14.

TV shows to watch in 2019

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