The Wives: release date, cast, plot, trailer and everything we know

Prepare for a tale filled with sun, sea and secrets in The Wives , a Channel 5 mystery thriller about three sisters-in-law who turn detective.

Set in Malta, the six-part series stars Tamzin Outhwaite, Jo Joyner and Angela Griffin, as Slyvie, Beth and Natasha, three women whose lives were turned upside down when their sister-in-law, Annabelle, went missing.

A year later, the trio return to Malta and begin investigating Annabelle's disappearance, but as they start to uncover the dark secrets at the heart of their family they wonder if they've bitten off more than they can chew!

"As revelations come to light the ladies take on a detective role," says Tamzin Outhwaite. "What starts off as a relationship drama takes a thriller turn!"

Here's everything we know about The Wives , which promises to be one of Channel 5's best dramas ...

The Wives release date

The Wives premieres at 9 pm on Monday, September 16 on Channel 5 and continues at the same time on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 September.

The six-part series continues the following week, with the fourth episode airing on Monday 23rd September and the final two episodes being broadcast on Tuesday and Wednesday of that week.

The whole series will be available on Channel 5's streaming service My5 from Monday September 16. We don't have a US release date.

The Wives trailer

Channel 5 have released a trailer for the six-part drama, check it out below...

The Wives plot

An official synopsis for the six-part thriller describes how three sisters-in-law become entangled in a sun-soaked web of deceit...

" The Wives follows the unravelling of one family in a summer that changes all their lives. Last year, four sisters-in-law and their families escaped to their Maltese holiday apartments, as they’ve done every summer for fifteen years. Sylvie was happily married, Natasha was swimming in wealth, and Beth and Annabelle were thick as thieves.

"But this year, as they come together again, everything is different. Sylvie’s now single and loving life, Natasha’s hiding a desperate financial situation, Beth is barely keeping her life together and Annabelle is, well... dead.

"When Annabelle’s widower Charlie arrives with a new woman in tow, Beth tries to be happy for them, but something doesn’t sit right, Charlie’s new girlfriend looks exactly like Annabelle. Beth’s plans to have a great summer are quickly scuppered by Charlie’s odd behaviour, and her suspicion that there’s more to Annabelle’s death is heightened.

"With lies coming to light and evidence building, the women work together and against each other to unravel the mystery and bring the culprit to justice. But with corrupt officials, drug cartels and career criminals closer to home than ever expected, have they bitten off more than they can chew?"

The Wives cast

Jo Joyner ( EastEnders , Ackley Bridge, Shakespeare & Hathaway ), Tamzin Outhwaite ( Eastenders, New Tricks ) and Angela Griffin ( Coronation Street , Holby City, Waterloo Road ) lead the cast as sisters-in-law, Beth, Sylvie and Natasha.

Christine Bottomley ( Sherwood ) plays Annabelle, who's disappearance forms the focus of the story, while Jamie Bamber ( Battlestar Galactica, Law and Order: UK ) plays her husband Charlie.

Elsewhere, Katie Clarkson-Hill ( The Couple Next Door ) plays Charlie's new girlfriend, Jade, while the cast is completed by Ben Willbond ( Ghosts ), who plays Beth's husband Frankie, and Catriona Chandler ( Enola Holmes 2 ).