Is Karen Pirie based on a true story?
KAREN Pirie is ITV's latest three-part murder drama that already has viewers hooked.
The much-hyped new series has left many viewers asking the same thing - is it based on real-life events?
Is Karen Pirie based on a true story?
ITV's new drama Karen Pirie is not based on a true story.
The series was adapted for television by actress and screenwriter, Emer Kenny - who also stars in the drama alongside the show's lead, Lauren Lyle.
And while the characters are entirely fictional, Lyle explained what real-life research went into becoming Karen.
Lyle said|: "It was really interesting when we were filming, we started at St Andrews Cathedral and one night we had police escorts with us.
"One of them was a twenty-something blonde woman, and it turns out she was a detective from Methil, the same tiny town Karen is from! To me, she was the real Karen Pirie.
"So we exchanged numbers and we stayed in touch, it was like looking into a mirror for Karen."
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Is Karen Pirie based on a book?
Karen Pirie is the work of best-selling Scottish writer Val McDermid and comes from her book The Distant Echo.
McDermid's novels have sold over 17 million copies worldwide, and this isn't the first time they have been adapted for the small screen.
Her Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series were used as the basis for ITV crime drama Wire In The Blood.
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Who is in the cast of Karen Pirie?
As mentioned above, Emer Kenny adapted the novel for the ITV show and joins the cast as River Wilde.
Outlander star Lauren Lyle will take on the role of DC Karen Pirie alongside Sex Education star Chris Jenks as DC Jason Murray.
Urban Myths actor Zach Wyatt stars as DS Phil Parhatka with Jhon Lumsden as Ziggy Jnr who has made appearances in Doctors.
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Other cast includes Alec Newman as Ziggy Snr, Jack Hesketh as Weird Jnr, Michael Shaeffer as Weird Snr, Buom Tihngang as Alex Jnr, Ariyon Bakare as Alex Snr, and Anna Russell-Martin as Rosie Duff.
Gilly Gilchrist stars as DI Barney MacLennan, Kevin Mains as DS Jimmy Lawson Jnr, Stuart Bowman as Chief Supt Lawson Snr, Gemma McElhinney as PC Janice Hogg, and Jnr Rakhee Thakrar as Bel Richmond.