New crime drama The Blame has left ITV viewers on the edge of their seats since its debut
Fans of The Blame have been left speechless after recognising one of the show’s stars.
The new ITV crime drama is centred around DI Emma Crane (played by Michelle Keegan) and DI Tom Radley (Douglas Booth), who begin investigating the tragic death of Sophie Madsen in the fictional town of Wakestead. Emma’s determined to get justice for the young victim and her family.
But as the case deepens, Emma’s pursuit of the truth puts her at odds with other detectives, and she finds herself in a moral dilemma. When it becomes clear it will be difficult to investigate through the normal channels, Emma is forced to take unusual risks to find the perpetrator and hold them to account.
The official synopsis adds: “As Emma and Tom dig deeper, they uncover a web of lies, institutional cover ups and moral compromise, which forces Emma to question the people closest to her. Part propulsive mystery, part love story, The Blame will tackle big questions around policing and will take an unflinching look at who we can really trust.”
The murder victim Sophie is played by Matilda Freeman, who will be familiar to ITV viewers. From 2017 to 2020, the young actress played Summer Spellman in Coronation Street.
She appeared in 147 episodes, with her first appearance airing in June 2017. Summer was introduced as the new adoptive daughter of Todd Grimshaw, who was then played by Bruno Langley, and Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank).
In 2020, it was announced that Matilda had left the soap to explore acting opportunities, with the role of Summer being recast to Harriet Bibby. Opening up after her exit, Matilda said: “I’d like to say thank you to my second family, the cast, crew and viewers who have supported me during my time on the cobbles. After three and a half lovely years, I felt it was time for a change and I’m excited to be starting that next chapter with a new role.”
After watching the fourth episode of The Blame on Monday (September 28), a number of viewers shared their surprise after finally realising where they’d seen Matilda before. One TikTok user wrote: “Hold on.. didn’t she used to play Summer in Corrie? On episode 4 & I’ve only just realised.”
Another shocked viewer added: “She didddddd omg before they re cast her.” A third said: “I thought I recognised her but couldn’t place where, thank you for confirming.”
Someone else commented: “I thought she looked familiar.” A fifth viewer echoed the sentiment, saying: “I did the same!! Literally didn’t realise till that image appeared, once I googled her I recognised her name immediately.”
Since its debut last week, The Blame has received widespread acclaim from both critics and viewers. Ahead of its premiere, lead star Michelle Keegan, who also previously appeared in Coronation Street, spoke about what attracted her to the role of Emma.
“I’ve never played a police officer before, so that was exciting. Also, the storyline was interesting in how it tackles that ‘lad culture’ and misogyny within the workplace. I hope it starts conversations and change behaviours,” she said.
The Blame is available to stream on ITVX
