16 August 2023 , 16:17
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Shameless star David Threlfall looks completely different from his Frank Gallagher days, as he appears in first-look images of new ITV drama Passenger.
The 69-year-old Manchester native played the dishevelled dad in the Channel 4 series, where he was rarely seen without a can and a cigarette. Known for his foul-mouthed tirades and drunken idiocy, Frank was a lovable rogue - always managing to get himself into situations. Talented actor David portrayed the infamous character until the show ended in 2013.
But he's now sporting long white hair and a wiry beard, in a series of mysterious-looking shots from the upcoming thriller. Passenger is set in the fictional northern town of Chadder Vale. Alongside David, the cast includes Wunmi Mosaku (Loki) and Rowan Robinson (So Awkward). He also works with fellow Shameless alumni Sean Gilder, who played Paddy Maguire, Jo Hartley (After Life) and Corrie's Debbie Rush, who portrayed Anna Windass in the soap.
David is best known for playing Frank Gallagher in Channel 4 comedy drama Shameless
David played Frank Gallagher until Shameless ended in 2013The six-part series is produced by Northern Sister, part of the Sister Group, which boasts Chernobyl and This Is Going to Hurt in its previous work. Written by Andrew Buchan, who starred in Broadchurch, Passenger follows "a close-knit community who are unwilling to face their fears of change, of outsiders and of the unknown."
Riya Ajunwa - played by Mosaku - plays a former Met Police officer, who arrived in the "decaying" town five years before. She has been waiting for a "big crime" to challenge her, and she thinks she's found it when local girl Katie Wells (Robinson) goes missing. By the next day, she's been found safe and sound, with the locals hardly noticing the disappearance. But Riya won't let it go.
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David Threlfall looks completely different as he plays James Bracknell in the new ITV dramaThe synopsis for the show reads: "As a series of strange happenings and increasingly shocking crimes start unfolding within the town, the residents resort to short-sighted theories and blame outside influences such as the fracking site and its manager Jim Bracknell (Threlfall). As things become stranger, so the people push back on Riya's absurd notion that something is not right with this town. But what are they so afraid of?" We've got a bit of a wait to find out, as Passenger will air on ITVX and Britbox in 2024.
David is not only known for his on-screen performances, he's also an accomplished thespian, acting in stage productions of Oedipis, Macbeth and Don Quixote. He's also appeared in big movies such as Simon Pegg's Hot Fuzz, Master and Commander with Russell Crow and Elizabeth: The Golden Age, alongside Cate Blanchett.
His other roles include a celebrated portrayal of comedian Tommy Cooper in Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This and a part in musical drama Nowhere Boy.