Sarah Lancashire to lead Abi Morgan's new drama, Witch Hunt

She plays a disgraced mother who returns home after 30 years in prison.

Netflix has announced a new six-part drama from Abi Morgan called Witch Hunt, which stars Sarah Lancashire as August Howell, a descendant of the so-called ‘Witch of Cambridge’.

When she is released after three decades in prison for drowning her three young daughters, she comes home to a community that does not want her back.

But when concern grows that her return has triggered a modern-day witch hunt in the university town, the police must turn to August’s last surviving daughter, Professor Wren Howell, an academic and investigative psychologist, to help find the killer as past resentments and local folklore collide.

Speaking about Witch Hunt, Sarah Lancashire said "I’m thrilled to be working with Abi Morgan, Jane Featherstone, SISTER Pictures and Netflix on Witch Hunt. It’s a brilliantly imagined and utterly compelling story, with a deeply complex character at its heart. There’s so much to explore in August, and I can’t wait to begin."

To which writer Abi Morgan added "I am delighted to be bringing Witch Hunt to Netflix. A dark, yet emotionally charged love story between August Howell, newly released from prison for murdering her children, and the daughter she has left behind, after thirty years inside."

"I last worked with Sarah Lancashire over 25 years ago. I have been chasing the perfect role for her ever since. This is it. I can’t think of anyone better to embody the terrifying tenderness of ’the Witch of Cambridge.' It’s gothic horror meets dark thriller laced with modern day witchcraft, raising the question can August ever be forgiven for her crime?"

Made by Sister in association with Little Chick, Witch Hunt is written by Abi Morgan and executive produced by Jane Featherstone.

Witch Hunt will air on Netflix