# The Couple Next Door

The Couple Next Door is a British psychological thriller television series written by David Allison, based on the Dutch series Nieuwe Buren. Developed by Eagle Eye Drama for Channel 4 and Starz, the first series stars Eleanor Tomlinson, Sam Heughan, Alfred Enoch, Hugh Dennis and Jessica De Gouw. The programme was renewed for a second series.

## Synopsis

Evie and her husband Pete move next door to traffic-cop Danny and yoga instructor Becka and strike up a friendship, but a night of passion between Evie and Danny could have consequences.

## Cast

* Eleanor Tomlinson as Evie Greenwood, a primary teacher
* Alfred Enoch as Pete Thomas, a journalist and Evie's partner
* Sam Heughan as PC Danny Whitwell, a traffic policeman
* Jessica De Gouw as Becka Whitwell, a personal trainer, social media influencer, and Danny's wife
* Hugh Dennis as Alan Richardson, a bookkeeper and creepy neighbour
* Kate Robbins as Jean Richardson, Alan's wife
* Deirdre Mullins as Lena, the single mother of Danny's son from a brief relationship they had before he met Becka
* Joel Morris as PC Gary Hudson, Danny's friend and fellow traffic cop
* Ioanna Kimbook as Sophie Foxton, Pete's colleague and a junior reporter
* Janine Duvitski as Gloria, an eccentric neighbour
* Katie Clarkson-Hill as Rachel, Evie's sister.

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "New on the Block" | Dries Vos | David Allison | 27 November 2023 (2023-11-27) | N/A |
| 2 | "Little Kids Full of Sin" | Dries Vos | David Allison | 28 November 2023 (2023-11-28) | N/A |
| 3 | "Don't Stop" | Dries Vos | David Allison | 4 December 2023 (2023-12-4) | N/A |
| 4 | "I Know It's a Secret" | Dries Vos | David Allison | 5 December 2023 (2023-12-5) | N/A |
| 5 | "Inside You" | Dries Vos | David Allison | 13 December 2023 (2023-12-13) | N/A |
| 6 | "The Cottage" | Dries Vos | David Allison | 14 December 2023 (2023-12-14) | N/A |

## Production

The Couple Next Door is based on the Dutch series Nieuwe Buren, with Dries Vos directing from scripts by David Allison. The six-part thriller series is produced by Jen Burnet for the London-based Eagle Eye Drama, and executive produced by Jo McGrath, Walter Iuzzolino and Alison Kee.

### Casting

In March 2023, it was announced Eleanor Tomlinson, Sam Heughan, Alfred Enoch, and Jessica De Gouw had been cast in the principal roles. Tomlinson described playing Evie as a "great challenge" because "she navigates devastating trauma, which isn't helped by unresolved issues from her past." Heughan said he was "thrilled to be working with Eagle Eye Drama and director Dries Vos again ... Dries has a unique visual flair and I'm sure we're going to make something special." Hugh Dennis described his character as someone who is dealing with ageing very badly, which made him "interesting" to him.
In November 2024, it was reported that Dennis would return for season two along with characters played by Sam Palladio, Annabel Scholey, Aggy K. Adams and Sendhil Ramamurthy.

### Filming

Principal photography was reported to have begun in March 2023, taking place in Leeds, England, Belgium and The Netherlands. Filming took place in Baildon in April 2023.

## Broadcast

The first series aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 27 November 2023, and on Starz in the United States and Canada. It was available on Lionsgate+, the international premium streaming service from Starz, in Brazil and Latin America. It was distributed further worldwide by Beta Film.

## Reception
### Critical reception

The series holds a 38% "Rotten" score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 13 critic reviews with an average rating of 4.8/10. Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph described it as "nonsensical, ridiculous – and very, very bingeable". Lucy Mangan in The Guardian gave the series four stars out of five and praised the script which helped the show be "sexy rather than cringeworthy". There was a less positive review from Carol Midgely in The Times who found the series "cliched".