The Rumour's Emily Atack admits 'scariest thing' about being a new mum

Fresh from her success as Rivals’ Sarah Stratton, Emily Atackis playing another bubbly blonde inChannel 5’s gripping new thriller The Rumour . But Emily, 35, who found fame as the popular, blonde schoolgirl Charlotte in The Inbetweeners , doesn’t mind being typecast.

“People talk about typecasting in a negative way,” says Emily. “But this industry is so difficult that whatever role comes along that feels like a good fit, even if I have played it a million times before, why would I stop? There is always nuance. If the writing is good, who is to say that the blonde, flirty, funster must be one-dimensional? There is so much fun to be had there and it is something I am very good at. I’m very proud of that.”

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In The Rumour , based on Lesley Kara’s bestselling debut novel of the same name, Emily plays school mum Debbie alongside Rachel Shenton, whose character, Joanna, arrives in the town of Flinstead with son Alfie who starts school with Debbie’s boy, Liam.

However, things take a dark turn when Joanna tells Debbie and the other mums a chilling rumour she hears about a convicted child killer living in the area. “Joanna is an overthinker,” Rachel says. “She is desperately worried about Alfie. He is her world, and she wants him to be OK. She stumbles across a homeowners’ forum, which is discussing a woman, Sally McGowan, who was convicted of killing a child when she herself was a child.

“According to the forum, Sally is now in Flinstead living under a new identity. Nobody wants a child killer in the area. Ever. Especially when you have a child yourself.”

Trying to fit into her new community, Joanna shares the rumour and sparks a devastating chain of events as the mums decide to find out the truth. “Joanna is a little low on confidence and she second-guesses a lot of things,” says Rachel. “Debbie is a bit of a leader in the school playground. I think that is why Joanna ends up sharing the rumour, a desperate plea to fit in, to be part of the cool gang at the school gates.”

In April this year, Rachel – who stars as Helen in All Creatures Great And Small – welcomed her first child with husband Chris Overton, a son called Orson Wilde, while Emily gave birth to her first son, Barney, in June 2024, 11 weeks before filming began. Filming took place in Hungary and Emily brought her new baby and partner Alistair with her.

“They were there with me the whole time in Budapest,” says Emily. “It was a very special job for that reason. It was very tiring, but I loved it. They were so accommodating on this production. The women were all gorgeous. I felt very happy going to work every day.

“Then I’d go back to our apartment in Budapest give Barney a bath and put him to bed. I proved to myself that I can do that juggle.”

Having such a positive return to work has made Emily even more confident about being a working mum. She says, “For a woman it’s the scariest thought when you go back to work. You think, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to do it all’ but I did. It made me look forward to future jobs. It helps that I have an amazing partner who is so hands-on and wonderful.”

Meet the characters:

Joanna - Rachel Shenton leads the cast as Joanna, mum to Alfie, who wants to make a new start in Flinstead, near her mum. Rachel says, “Joanna feels like an outsider and this rumour was her way in. It’s understandable. Obviously, she didn’t expect it to be as damaging as it becomes.

Bea - Joanne Whalley plays Bea, mum to Joanna, grandmother to Alfie and partner to girlfriend Liz. Joanne says, “They’ve been settled in Fiinstead for a while. They are part of the community. Their lives are full and rich and happy.”

Michael - Samuel Anderson plays Michael, Joanna’s partner and Alfie’s dad. He’s an engineer who works away on an oil rig. Samuel says, “Jo gets so swept up in these rumours. There must be something deep between them for Michael to still want to try to make it work.”

Liz - Ellie Haddington is Liz, Bea’s adoring and supportive girlfriend. Liz says, “Bea is very caring and so supportive of Liz. They are at a good stage of their life. They have found a place in Flinstead where they feel happy.”

Rachel - Lucy Speed stars as no-nonsense prison officer Rachel, another mum from the school. Lucy describes her character as “A person that is very matter of fact, very honest but also kind of light about everything.”

Debbie - Emily Atack takes on the role of influencer Debbie who is a big fish in the playground. Emily says, “She’s very fun to play. I’ve never played the mum at the school gates before, so I really liked that.”

The Rumour starts on Channel 5 on Wednesday 10th September at 9pm

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