Emma Averill fears she may be losing her mind as she approaches her 40th birthday in the psychological drama Insomnia
Based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Pinborough, Insomnia has been adapted for television by the author and stars Vicky McClure as a woman who starts to doubt her own sanity.
Speaking about her show, McClure said it was “a very different role for me” but it was “an exciting script”.
Originally released on Paramount+, the series arrives on Channel 5 this weekend.
What is Insomnia about?
Insomnia follows successful career woman Emma Averill, who fears she might be losing her mind as her hard-won dream life starts to turn into a nightmare.
A couple of weeks before her 40th birthday Emma stops sleeping. The same thing had happened to her mother at the same age, before she suffered a violent psychotic break on the night of her 40th birthday.
Emma’s mother always told her she’d go the same way because she had the same “bad blood”, but now she is terrified it’s true.
Sleep deprivation makes Emma question her own reality but she also feels there’s something else amiss.
While her mother is in the hospital after a sudden injury, Emma’s estranged sister shows up without a word of warning.
And now she constantly feels as if she is being watched.
Is it the exhaustion which makes her paranoid or is someone maliciously trying to destroy her?
As Emma’s world starts to unravel, she realises that investigating the truth of her painful past may be the only way she can find the answers to her present and prevent tragedy from striking again.
Who is in the cast of Insomnia?
Vicky McClure
Vicky McClure stars as Emma Averill, a woman whose life appears to be falling apart as she approaches her 40th birthday.
The British actress, 42, won a Bafta award for her role as Frances Lorraine “Lol” Jenkins in This is England.
She played DI Kate Fleming in Line of Duty and Karen White in Broadchurch.
More recently, she starred as Mrs Jones in Alex Rider and Lana Washington in Trigger Point.
Tom Cullen
Tom Cullen plays Robert Averill, Emma’s husband.
Welsh actor Cullen, 39, has starred as Anthony Foyle, Viscount Gillingham in Downton Abbey, Mark Wells in The Five, Guy Fawkes in Gunpowder, Thomas Seymour in Becoming Elizabeth and John Palmer in The Gold.
On film, he has appeared in Weekend, The Other Half, Mine, My Son and Barbarians.
Leanne Best
Leanne Best is Phoebe Bournett, Emma’s estranged sister.
The British actress 46, has starred as Jane Cobden in Ripper Street, Teresa Fenchurch in Home Fires, Tina Reynolds in Cold Feet, Frida Rask in Young Wallander and Julie Ashworth in The Bay.
She has also appeared as the Woman in Black in the film The Woman in Black: Angel of Death and Min Sakul in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Dominic Tighe
Dominic Tighe takes on the role of Julian Sanford, a close friend of the Averill family.
The 42-year-old actor recently played Julien Horn in The New Look and Daniel Eldridge in The Castaways. He has also appeared in Suspicion, Hotel Portofino, A Confession and The Boys in the Boat.
The cast of Insomnia also includes:
- Lyndsey Marshal as Caroline Mitchell (Inside No.9, Inside Man, Hanna)
- India Fowler as Chloe Averill (White Lines, The Nevers, The Agency: Central Intelligence)
- Smylie Bradwell as Will Averill (The Crow Girl, Wisting)
- Seosaimhin Hennelly as young Emma (Silent Witness, My Fault: London)
- Billie Gadsdon as young Phoebe (Moonflower Murders, A Gentleman in Moscow, One Day, The Midwich Cuckoos)
- Corinna Marlowe as Patricia Bournett (Hysteria, The Doll)
- Amy Marston as young Patricia (Operation Mincemeat, A Kind of Spark, Holby City)
- Michelle Bonnard as DI Hildreth (Unforgotten, Blindspot, House of the Dragon)
- Ian Conningham as DS Caine (Manhunt, The Girl Before, Litvinenko)
- Helen Walling-Richards as Mrs Anderson (Pigman, Ephemeral)
- Jade Harrison as Michelle (Beyond Paradise, Wedding Season, The Stranger)
- Robert Gilbert as Faisal Ahmed (Bergerac, Big Boys, Killing Eve)
- Lara Lemon as Rosemary (The Waterhouse, Blackbird)
Where is Insomnia filmed?
Filming for Insomnia took place over three months in London and was finished in November 2023.
Scenes in Emma’s home were shot at a house in North London, while her office overlooks St Paul’s cathedral.
Cafes and restaurants in the East London area of Shoreditch are used for some of the backdrop.
And hospital scenes were shot on location at Hemel Hempstead Hospital in Hertfordshire and Ravenscourt Park Hospital in west London.
When is Insomnia on and how many episodes are there?
Insomnia launches on Channel 5 on Sunday 6 July at 9pm.
There are six episodes in the series, with the second episode being shown on Monday 7 July, the third on Tuesday 8 July in the same timeslot and the rest in the following week.
Viewers will also be able to stream the series, which was originally available on Paramount +, on channel5.com.
