The Secrets She Keeps: cast, plot, filming locations, and if the BBC drama starring Laura Carmichael is a true story

The Secrets She Keeps is an Australian six part TV series, based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Michael Robotham.

This is everything you need to know about the new BBC psychological thriller - from who stars to the true story behind the show.

What is The Secrets She Keeps about?

The programme follows the story of two pregnant women with the same due date who lead very different lives. Meghan is an affluent ‘mummy blogger’ on the rise, and Agatha is a supermarket shelf stacker.

After a chance encounter, the two develop an unexpected bond, but as their lives progress, it becomes clear that there is something not quite right with Agatha as her obsession with Meghan reaches new heights.

The official synopsis for the programme asks, “What if the life you wanted belonged to someone else?”

Who is in the cast?

Laura Carmichael (Downton Abbey, Marcella) stars as outsider Agatha Fyfle, who becomes interested in blogger Meghan Shaughnessy’s life, who is played by Jessica de Gouw (The Crown, Dracula).

Michael Dorman (The Invisible Man, Triangle) is cast as Jack Shaughnessy, Meghan’s seemingly perfect husband.

Also included in the cast is Ryan Corr (The Commons, Bloom) as Simon Beecher, Elizabeth Alexander (Home and Away, All Saints) as Renee Cole and Cariba Heine (Designated Survivor, H2O: Just Add Water) as Grace.

Is The Secrets She Keeps a true story?

The Secrets She Keeps is based on Michael Robotham’s best selling novel of the same name, which was inspired by a real life kidnapping case in the UK.

Robotham was an Australian writer and journalist who worked for The Mail on Sunday during the 1990s, which is when the story of one of the UK’s most famous child kidnapping cases took place.

His 2017 novel was inspired by the real life kidnapping of Abbie Humphries, which took place in 1994 at Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical centre.

A woman dressed as a nurse took newborn Abbie from her father, after telling him that his daughter was in need of a hearing test, just a few hours after she was born. The woman posing as the nurse then left with Abbie, and it took 17 days for the baby to be returned to her parents, Roger and Karen Humphries. She was found in the Nottingham suburb of Wollaton.

It was revealed that the abduction had been performed by 22 year old former dental nurse Julie Kelley, who had faked her own pregnancy and kidnapped Abbie in an attempt to save her troubled relationship.

After being caught, Kelley expressed “deep regret” for her actions, and was put on probation for three years and treated for a personality disorder.

Abbie’s family moved to New Zealand when she was 10 years old to start afresh, where she still lives now.

Where was The Secrets She Keeps filmed?

The six part thriller is based in Sydney, Australia, and much of the programme was shot on location.

Filming took place in Sydney and in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia. The Blue Mountains are known for its incredible scenery, with waterfalls, eucalyptus forests and cliffs.

Speaking to This Morning, actress Laura Carmichael talked about how much she enjoyed filming in Australia.

She said, “So we shot in Sydney in their winter and it’s just gorgeous, it feels like our summer. We had a great time and I loved it, it’s an amazing cast and crew.”

Where and when can I watch the show?

All episodes of the drama are available via the BBC iPlayer here. The episodes are one hour long each, and there are six in total.

Alternatively, if you prefer watching shows on TV, the episodes are also being broadcast on BBC One on Monday and Tuesday nights at 9pm.

The first and second episodes have already been aired, on Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 July, respectively.