Star of new ITV drama says show is UK's answer to Stranger Things

A new ITV drama that has had fans and critics raving has been compared to Stranger Things by it's main star.

In the years since Stranger Things was first released on Netflix, everyone has been trying to create their own version of it.

The show is arguably the largest original Sci-Fi franchise created in decades, and has played a huge role in Netflix’s streaming domination.

Well, according to one of the stars and numerous fans, a new ITV drama may have finally hit that jackpot.

Passenger, a newly released ITV show, released last night and the similarities to the hit Netflix series are uncanny.

The show is a comedic drama, featuring moments equal parts funny and creepy, as a former Met Police detective investigates a strange string of events in the small close knit community of Chaddar Vale.

Whilst that may sound more Hot Fuzz than Stranger Things, as the series goes on the supernatural elements and small town setting increasingly draw similarities between the two.

Actor David Threlfall, of Shameless fame, says he initially didn’t understand the script, but made the bold comparison to Stranger Things.

Speaking to whattowatch, he said: “When I first read it I knew it was a good script, but it was completely indecipherable to me.

ITV

"But I thought ‘they’ve commissioned this so there must be something there that I can’t see!’ and as I continued to read, it felt almost like a confectionary shop window that just ineluctably pulls you in.

“Passenger stands out like Stranger Things. It’s a wonderful achievement, which is full of illusion and vision, and I can only bow to [writer, Andrew Buchan] and think what kind of medication you were on when you wrote it!”

Buchan himself has said in a separate interview with Yahoo that Stranger Things was one of the inspirations for this show set in the north of England, also citing Twin Peaks, Fargo, and True Detective.

He said: “Those shows that lure you into a false sense of the familiar and then hit you with something otherworldly… those are the shows that entice me.”

Fans have been loving Passenger so far – with Wunmi Mosaku receiving particular praise as the lead detective Riya.

ITV

One fan said: “That was a really good first episode! Wunmi Mosaku's Riya is a character I want to follow, her and the rest

of the quirky ensemble cast.

“Well done Andrew Bucchan - you've made me want to binge the rest to find out WTH is going on.”

Another fan posted on IMDB to review the show saying: “A compelling and pretty original show that's kind of a Happy Valley with a weirdness angle. The dialogue is great, the pacing moves things well, nothing is spoon fed to the audience and the performances are all first rate.”

Whilst only the first episode has aired on ITV, the full six-episode series is available online on ITVx.