Sheridan Smith set for TV return in Channel 5 drama in just days – after surprising fans with Gavin and Stacey cameo
SHERIDAN Smith is returning to TV in a matter of days – following on from her surprise Gavin and Stacey cameo.
The actress and singer, 43, has a starring role in Channel 5 thriller The Castaways.
Adapted from Lucy Clarke’s novel, the programme initially aired in 2023 on streaming service Paramount+.
However, Channel 5 viewers will be able to enjoy the drama from Sunday, January 26 at 9pm.
It will then air on consecutive days until Thursday, January 30.
The premise follows Erin, who embarks on a journey to Fiji to investigate a mystery.
She discovered her missing sister Lori’s credit card was used on a remote Pacific island.
Sheridan plays the role of Lori, while Céline Buckens stars as on-screen sister Erin.
Additional cast members include Dominic Tighe, Celeste Dodwell, Lasarus Ratuere, Brendan Cowell and Charlotte Vega.
Meanwhile, BBC viewers saw Sheridan on-screen during the festive period in a surprise return to Gavin and Stacey.
The actress briefly appeared in the sitcom’s highly anticipated Christmas Day finale.
Sheridan reprised her role as Smithy’s (James Corden) sister Rudi – whom she had last played in 2010.
The Sun revealed how the star filmed her scenes over a weekend, having not appeared in the 2019 Christmas instalment.
A source said at the time: “She is an incredible actress and stepped straight back into Rudi’s shoes.
“It was like no time had passed at all.
“Sheridan was over the moon she could go back into the fold and her scenes are brilliant.”
Top Channel 5 dramas
Channel 5 has become a hub for gripping drama, these are some of the best My5 has to offer.
- All Creatures Great and Small – Based on the best-selling novels by real-life vet Alf Wright, the show revolves around a trio of vets working in the Yorkshire Dales in the late 1930s. Eccentric Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) hires James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) for his veterinary practice at Skeldale House alongside himself and his younger brother Tristan (Callum Woodhouse). There James settles into his new life and even finds love with local farmer’s daughter Helen (Rachel Shenton).
- The Ex-Wife – New parents Tasha (Céline Buckens) and Jack (Tom Misson) seem to have the perfect life, but the constant presence of Jack’s overly friendly but suspicious ex-wife Jen (Janet Montgomery) puts pressure on the couple. But as the series progresses it becomes less clear who the bad guy really is and how far everyone will go to get the life they think they deserve.
- Heat – EastEnders alum Danny Dyer leads this four-part action thriller, set in Australia, which sees two families holidaying together during bushfire season. But instead of rest and relaxation, secrets and lies start to unravel — and not everyone will make it out alive…
- Lie With Me – Another soap legend jets off to Australia, this time its EastEnders alum Charlie Brooks who takes as a married woman trying to saving her marriage by moving halfway around the world after her husband had an affair. However it’s far from plain sailing, as a young and attractive live-in nanny comes to work with the Fallmont family, and tensions soon build and eventually, someone ends up dead.
- The Drowning – Jill Halfpenny plays Jodie, a woman whose life is shattered following the disappearance of her beloved four-year-old son, Daniel. However, ten years later, the grieving mother thinks she’s finally found her missing child, and embarks on a journey to discover the truth about him. But has she really just found the son she has been missing for so long?
James and Sheridan dated between 2007 and 2009, and he once called her the “love of his life”.
They remained on good terms after their split.
A whopping 12.3million people watched the final chapter live on telly – with millions more catching up afterwards.
The Castaways debuts on Sunday, January 26, 9pm on Channel 5.