One Night on ITV: Plot and start date of Australian mystery drama starring British actress Jodie Whittaker
Natasha Rigler | 4:36pm Thu 14 AugOne Night is a new psychological mystery on ITV starring Jodie Whittaker… and it’s proof the past could always be hiding around the corner ready to jump out.
Set in Australia, the gritty mini-series tells the tale of three women whose friendship was almost torn apart years earlier by a tragic event.
One Night has been described as ‘Big Little Lies-esque’ and it sees the trio facing painful memories when suddenly confronted with what happened to them two decades previously. Here’s everything you need to know about One Night on ITV, including the plot, cast, location and start date.
One Night is a new mystery drama on ITV starring Jodie Whittaker [Credit: ITV]
What is the plot of One Night on ITV?
The plot of One Night is centred around three friends; Simone, Tess and Hat. Twenty years earlier, their close bond was almost shattered by the traumatic events of one night in their home town.
Now aged 40, frustrated novelist Simone finally strikes it lucky when one of her manuscripts becomes an overnight success. The book is based on a story she’s not been able to get out of her head for years. The trouble is, the bestseller isn’t exclusive to her.
At the same time, Simone is reunited with her old friends when she returns home to look after her father who has dementia. Tess has flown over from the UK with her wife and kids and Hat has never left.
It soon becomes apparent that the tragedy the childhood friends all endured is at the heart of Simone’s book. Fact and fiction quickly become blurred as they start reliving their individual and painful memories of that night.
Traumas resurface among the local community, who want to forget both the perpetrators and what happened. But what did happen to not only make a book a bestseller, but to also tear the women apart?
Who stars in One Night with Jodie Whittaker?
Jodie Whittaker plays the part of Tess in One Night. The actress is best known for taking on the role of Doctor Who in the BBC series Doctor Who from 2017 to 2022. The part was groundbreaking, as Jodie became the first female Doctor Who in 50 years.
Nicole da Silva takes on the role of novelist Simone in the ITV mystery drama. The Australia actress is famed for playing Stella Dagostino in Aussie police show Rush from 2008 to 2011. She also portrayed Franky Doyle in Australian prison drama Wentworth.
Netflix star Yael Stone stars as Hat in One Night. Fans will recognise her as Lorna Morello from the huge hit Orange is the New Black. It was described as Yael’s breakout role, with critics describing her Brooklyn and Boston accent as “the most amazing accent on television”. She played Lorna in the American prison series for six years.
Netflix star Yael Stone plays Hat, who makes a shock discovery in Simone’s book [Credit: ITV]
Who else appears?
One Night’s remaining cast is mostly made up of actors and actresses from Down Under. Fans of BBC series The Tourist, the popular thriller by Two Brothers Pictures, may recognise Damien Strouthos. He played Marko in the first series.
The mystery drama also stars Australian actresses Kat Stewart from Underbelly, Doctor Doctor’s Tina Bursill, Jillian Nguyen and Noni Hazlehurst. Essex-born William Zappa, who now lives and works in Australia, also appears in One Night.
New Zealand actors George Mason and Erroll Shand make up the cast of the ITV series.
Who wrote One Night on ITV?
One Night was created and written by Emily Ballou. The award-winning screenwriter, who is Australian-American, has written episodes of British shows including the BBC‘s Taboo and Case History and ITV’s Scott & Bailey.
Emily also wrote the Australian mini-series The Slap, which aired on BBC Four. It was nominated for a BAFTA and Royal Television Society Programme Award.
One Night had previously dropped onto streaming platform Paramount+ last November. However, it vanished three months later. At the time, it was reported the series’ removal was due to a shift in Paramount+’s content towards more “Hollywood-style” shows.
One Night also star Aussie actress Nicole da Silva, second right [Credit: ITV]
Where is it set?
One Night is set in Australia. The series was filmed across Sydney and the Illawara region of New South Wales in 2023. Locations included Scarborough Hotel, the Bowlo in Wombarra and houses in Thirroul and Clifton.
Vintage cars were also used for the scenes portraying the tragedy and aftermath from 20 years ago.
When does One Night start? How many episodes?
One Night is made up of six episodes, with each one lasting an hour. It starts on ITV1 on Saturday August 16, with an episode airing every Saturday night thereafter for the next five weeks.
The entire series will also drop onto ITVX after the first has gone out for viewers who fancy a binge.
