The Victim: where can I watch it and will there be another series?

James Harkness, Kelly Macdonald and John Hannah in The Victim, Picture: (C) STV - Photographer: Mark Mainz, Digital Artwork: Matthew Burlem

The series documents the trial of a grieving mother who is accused of identifying online the man she believes killed her son - resulting in a vicious attack on the alleged killer.

Set within Scotland’s legal system and based in Edinburgh and Greenock, the series asks, ‘Who really is the victim?’

What’s the story?

Written by Rob Williams (The Man In The High Castle, Chasing Shadows) and directed by Niall MacCormick (The Long Walk to Finchley, Complicit), this four-part legal thriller opens on day one of a criminal trial in Edinburgh’s High Court.

It follows the legal proceedings in the present, while also reaching back over the previous five months leading up to the trial.

Kelly Macdonald stars as Anna Dean whose nine-year-old son was murdered 15 years earlier by a then-13-year-old.

As nurse and bereaved mother Anna Dean, with Nicholas Nunn in The Victim. Picture (C) STV, Mark Mainz

Having campaigned to be told of the killer’s new identity and whereabouts, she is accused of revealing his new name online and conspiring to have him murdered.

Family man and bus driver Craig Myers (James Harkness) is also present in the courtroom as the victim of the attack, which took place after he was identified as a child killer online.

But is Craig Myers really a child killer or is it a simple case of mistaken identity? And has the grief of losing her son turned Anna Dean into a criminal?

It’s up to DI Grover (John Hannah) to investigate the attack on Craig Myers and get to the bottom of who made the accusation against him - while contending with his own demons.

Along the way, new evidence is revealed and long-buried secrets unearthed as the story builds to a devastating climax and the truth finally emerges.

Who is the cast?

The cast is led by well-established Scottish actors Kelly MacDonald (Trainspotting, Boardwalk Empire) and John Hannah (Four Weddings and a Funeral) and features up-and-coming Scottish star James Harkness (Rogue One, Darkest Hour). Karla Crome (Misfits, The Level) plays Craig’s wife Rebecca.

Other distinguished cast members include Jamie Sives, Ramon Tikaram, Cal MacAninch, Chloe Pirrie and Isis Hainsworth.

Where can I watch it?

The Victim first aired on four consecutive nights from 8th April - 11th April. All of the episodes of The Victim series 1 are available on BBC iPlayer until Wednesday 8th May.

Will there be another series?

The creators of the show, which was made by STV Productions for the BBC, told The Scotsman that work is already under way on a follow-up story to The Victim, which first aired on four consecutive nights in April.

Writer Rob Williams and executive producer Sarah Brown revealed that The Victim was originally conceived as a returning series set at the High Court in Edinburgh and exploring the impact of fictional crimes in Scotland.

Whether the show returns will depend on audience reaction and ratings for the original screening.

Is The Victim based on a true story?

The plot of The Victim harks back to the James Bulger murder case in 1990, in which 10-year-old Jon Venables and Robert Thompson tortured and killed three-year-old Bulger in Bootle, Liverpool.

However, the show’s writer Rob Williams told i News that it is not about any single case.

He said: “Sadly, there are many cases in which juveniles have committed horrific offences and not been named, and some of them who have been given new identities, so it was a territory to explore."

All of the episodes of series 1 of The Victim are on BBC iPlayer until Wednesday 8th May.