# The Ridge (TV series)
**The Ridge** is a six-part psychological thriller television series produced in 2025 by Glasgow-based Sinner Films and New Zealand's Great Southern Studios for BBC Scotland and Sky New Zealand Originals, starring [Lauren Lyle](https://www.edgepedia.org/lauren-lyle) as Scottish anaesthetist Mia Beaton and Jay Ryan as Ewan, her late sister's fiancé.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge) It debuted on [BBC iPlayer](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-iplayer) on Tuesday 21 October 2025 and was also carried on BBC Scotland, BBC Two, Sky Open, and NEON.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge) In New Zealand it became available the same day on Sky Open, Neon, and [Sky Go](https://www.edgepedia.org/sky-go), with BBC Two airing the series in the UK from Thursday 23 October 2025.[2](https://www.screen.scot/film-in-scotland/made-in-scotland/tv/the-ridge) The Ridge covered here is the Scottish–New Zealand co-production of that name; no Welsh-language series of this title for S4C or Channel 4 forms part of the subject.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Six-part psychological thriller, one series[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge) |
| Leads | Lauren Lyle, a BAFTA Scotland award-winning actress, as Scottish anaesthetist Mia Beaton; Jay Ryan as Ewan, her late sister's fiancé[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge) |
| Created by | Novelist Nora Chassler and BAFTA Scotland-winning producer David Murdoch, co-written with Alan Campbell, Kate McDermott, and Jess Sayer[3](https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2025/filming-underway-on-new-psychological-thriller-the-ridge) |
| Directed by | BAFTA-winning Scottish director Douglas Mackinnon and Emmy-nominated New Zealand director Robyn Grace[3](https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2025/filming-underway-on-new-psychological-thriller-the-ridge) |
| Production | Sinner Films (Glasgow) and Great Southern Studios (New Zealand) for BBC Scotland and Sky New Zealand Originals; global sales managed by Boat Rocker[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge) |
| Public funding | £375,000 from Screen Scotland's Broadcast Content Fund, plus NZ On Air and the NZ Screen Production Rebate[2](https://www.screen.scot/film-in-scotland/made-in-scotland/tv/the-ridge) • [1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge) |
| UK and New Zealand debut | 21 October 2025 on BBC iPlayer and BBC Scotland (UK) and Sky Open, Neon, and Sky Go (New Zealand); BBC Two from 23 October 2025[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge) • [2](https://www.screen.scot/film-in-scotland/made-in-scotland/tv/the-ridge) |
| Episode length | 42 to 43 minutes per episode; rated 14+ in Canada[4](https://gem.cbc.ca/the-ridge) |
## Premise
Mia Beaton travels from Scotland to New Zealand for her sister Cassy's wedding and arrives to learn that Cassy has died after falling from a mountain ridge.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge) Believing Cassy was pushed and murdered, Mia sets about hunting for the killer.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge)
**A compromised investigator.** Mia struggles with a secret opioid addiction and her supply is dwindling, while unresolved charges of professional misconduct loom over her alongside a childhood trauma.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge) She becomes romantically drawn to Ewan, the last person to see her sister alive.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge) The victim's own life supplies the suspects' backdrop: Cassy, a staunch environmentalist, was in conflict with local farmers, and her relationship with Ewan showed unsettling strains.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge)
## Cast and characters
The BBC's episode 1 credits name the following principal roles:[5](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002l4rl)
- Mia Beaton, played by Lauren Lyle
- Ewan Carmichael, played by Jay Ryan
- Cassy, played by Connor Amor-Bendall
- Riz Chopra, played by Taqi Nazeer
- Sergeant Libby Grimes, played by Florence Hartigan
- Harry Grimes, played by David Van Horn
- Louise Wilson, played by Katherine McRae
- Annot, played by Dulcie Smart
- Sadie Grimes, played by Chloe Parker
Screen Scotland's record of the main cast adds Claire Dargo and Cora Bissett to the names above.[2](https://www.screen.scot/film-in-scotland/made-in-scotland/tv/the-ridge) The production company Great Southern notes Lyle's earlier roles in *Karen Pirie* and *Outlander* and Ryan's in *Top of the Lake*.[6](https://www.greatsouthern.tv/show/the-ridge)
## Production
**Writers and directors.** The series was created by the acclaimed novelist Nora Chassler and the BAFTA Scotland-winning producer [David Murdoch](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-murdoch), co-written with Alan Campbell, and the award-winning New Zealand writers Kate McDermott and Jess Sayer.[3](https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2025/filming-underway-on-new-psychological-thriller-the-ridge) It was directed by the BAFTA-winning Scottish director Douglas Mackinnon, whose credits include *Good Omens*, *Line of Duty*, and *Doctor Who*, and the Emmy-nominated New Zealand director Robyn Grace (*Sweet Tooth*).[3](https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2025/filming-underway-on-new-psychological-thriller-the-ridge) Screen Scotland lists the writers as Douglas Mackinnon, Alan Campbell, Nora Chassler, David Murdoch, and Jess Sayer, a list that includes Mackinnon and omits McDermott, while the BBC credits creation to Chassler and Murdoch with co-writers Campbell, McDermott, and Sayer.[2](https://www.screen.scot/film-in-scotland/made-in-scotland/tv/the-ridge) • [3](https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2025/filming-underway-on-new-psychological-thriller-the-ridge)
**Commissioning and finance.** The Ridge was commissioned by Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning at BBC Scotland, and Thomas Robins, Head of Sky NZ Originals; its executive producers include Boat Rocker's Ivan Schneeberg, David Fortier, Jon Rutherford, and Erik Pack.[3](https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2025/filming-underway-on-new-psychological-thriller-the-ridge) Screen Scotland supported the production with £375,000 through its Broadcast Content Fund.[2](https://www.screen.scot/film-in-scotland/made-in-scotland/tv/the-ridge) The BBC press pack adds support from NZ On Air and the NZ Screen Production Rebate, and states that global sales are managed by Boat Rocker.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge) NEON's New Zealand listing independently confirms NZ On Air support.[7](https://www.neontv.co.nz/series/the-ridge)
**Filming.** The series was shot on location between New Zealand and Scotland.[3](https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2025/filming-underway-on-new-psychological-thriller-the-ridge) Great Southern describes it as shot against the landscapes of rural New Zealand.[6](https://www.greatsouthern.tv/show/the-ridge)
## Broadcast and distribution
The UK debut came on Tuesday 21 October 2025 on BBC iPlayer, with the series also available on BBC Scotland, BBC Two, Sky Open, and NEON.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge) Screen Scotland dates the New Zealand availability on Sky Open, Neon, and Sky Go to the same day and records the [BBC Two](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-two) run as beginning on Thursday 23 October 2025.[2](https://www.screen.scot/film-in-scotland/made-in-scotland/tv/the-ridge) The BBC's episode listing gives the linear transmissions as Tuesday 21 October 2025 at 22:00 on BBC Scotland and Thursday 23 October 2025 at 21:00 on BBC Two.[5](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002l4rl)
In Canada, CBC Gem carries Season 1 and lists Episode 1 as aired on October 15, 2025 (42 minutes) and Episode 6 as aired on October 22, 2025 (43 minutes), rated 14 years and older and offered with closed captions; these Canadian dates precede the UK debut.[4](https://gem.cbc.ca/the-ridge) [Acorn TV](https://www.edgepedia.org/acorn-tv) distributes the series internationally, describing Scottish doctor Mia Beaton becoming entangled in a small New Zealand town's web of lies.[8](https://acorn.tv/theridge/)
## The series in numbers
The production's shape can be read from a few figures. It runs to six episodes of 42 to 43 minutes each.[4](https://gem.cbc.ca/the-ridge) Its public finance draws on three sources across two countries: £375,000 from Screen Scotland's Broadcast Content Fund in the UK, and NZ On Air and the NZ Screen Production Rebate in New Zealand.[2](https://www.screen.scot/film-in-scotland/made-in-scotland/tv/the-ridge) • [1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge) Distribution reaches at least eight services across four markets: BBC iPlayer, BBC Scotland, and BBC Two in the UK; Sky Open, Neon, and Sky Go in New Zealand; CBC Gem in Canada; and Acorn TV internationally.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge) • [2](https://www.screen.scot/film-in-scotland/made-in-scotland/tv/the-ridge) • [4](https://gem.cbc.ca/the-ridge) • [8](https://acorn.tv/theridge/)
## Reception
Acorn TV's listing carries a single quoted line of critical praise, from The Guardian: "This hugely layered thriller is just masterly".[8](https://acorn.tv/theridge/)
## References
1. [The Ridge cast on the new psychological thriller, BBC Media Centre](https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-ridge)
2. [The Ridge, Screen Scotland](https://www.screen.scot/film-in-scotland/made-in-scotland/tv/the-ridge)
3. [Filming commences on new psychological thriller The Ridge, BBC Media Centre](https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2025/filming-underway-on-new-psychological-thriller-the-ridge)
4. [The Ridge, CBC Gem](https://gem.cbc.ca/the-ridge)
5. [The Ridge, Series 1, Episode 1, BBC Scotland](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002l4rl)
6. [The Ridge, Great Southern](https://www.greatsouthern.tv/show/the-ridge)
7. [Watch The Ridge Online, Season 1 on NEON](https://www.neontv.co.nz/series/the-ridge)
8. [The Ridge, Acorn TV](https://acorn.tv/theridge/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Drama and prestige series (individual series) › Crime and thriller series › Psychological and domestic thrillers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license