'Holding': All you need to know about the drama based on Graham Norton's novel

ITV is the home of crime drama, but tonight it will bring a very different type of whodunnit to screens as it adapts Graham Norton's novel Holding.

Chat show host Norton has said: "My book is a genre book, it's cosy crime, there are lots of books like my book. What (screenwriters) Karen (Cogan) and Dominic (Treadwell-Collins) have done is they've made a TV show that isn't like other TV shows.

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"Its tone and its feel is entirely its own and that is so hard to do, everything is a bit like something else. They've really elevated the book in that sense."

Holding promises dark humour, gripping twists and memorable characters - here's all you need to know.

When is Holding on TV?

The four-part series begins tonight (Monday) at 9pm on ITV and continues weekly at the same time.

What is Holding about?

The story is set in a sleepy town in West Cork, where one day things become uncharacteristically interesting when human remains are discovered.

Sergeant PJ Collins for once has a real crime to investigate - but is he up to the job?

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As he begins to uncover a lifetime of secrets, PJ stumbles over clues and suspects, leaving the case in an even more knotted state than before as he struggles to hone in on the truth.

Meanwhile, secrets are being closely guarded by the town's women - Brid, who was due to marry the dead man on the day he disappeared, Evelyn who also loved him, and Evelyn's two older sisters Abigail and Florence - while local busybody Eileen exposes as much gossip as possible.

Who stars in Holding?

Kathy Burke, who directed the series, said the cast had been a big factor in convincing her to take a rare TV job.

She said: "People like Siobhan McSweeney and Conleth Hill are not usually the leading actors. They're usually the supporting actors, 'oh I love that one that does the supporting role, if only they'd be the lead' and it never happens.

"With Holding, it's happened and it's just wonderful."

Hill (Game of Thrones) plays Sergeant PJ Collins and said: "I think the holding in of secrets is a huge theme within the story, from the guilty and the innocent, the involved and the bystanders, they’ve all got their secrets like in all small towns.

"One of the curses of living in a small town is that everyone knows your business, but I guess that all depends on your perspective, as sometimes it’s an advantage as people will look out for you too."

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Starring alongside him is McSweeney (Derry Girls) as Brid, who said: "I love how Bríd and Evelyn are written, it’s an interesting study into female friendship that superficially places Tommy at the centre of it.

"It’s actually about when girls become teenagers there’s a shift in the power dynamic and it’s a beautifully well observed friendship."

Evelyn Ross is Brid's former best friend and love rival from her time engaged to Tommy, whose body has been found. She's played by Charlene McKenna (Peaky Blinders).

The other two Ross sisters are Abigail, played by Helen Behan (The Virtues) and Florence, played by Amy Conroy.

Holding's cast also includes Clinton Liberty (Normal People) as new detective Linus, Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot) as Lizzie Meany, and Pauline McLynn (Father Ted) as Eileen.

Did Graham Norton work on the adaptation?

Despite the series being an adaptation of Norton's debut novel, the comedian and actor said he declined the chance to write the script for it.

Norton said he had no problem with handing over the story to screenwriters Karen Cogan and Dominic Treadwell-Collins, and director Kathy Burke.

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He said: "I thought I might feel weird about it, I thought it might be an odd thing, but actually I've loved seeing the directions the characters have gone in and the way the world has opened up and become larger.

"I wrote the book so long ago that honestly, when it came to it I didn't remember what the characters were called, so when you say did you make major changes, I'm like, 'I don't know'."

Norton added: "The only note I ever gave was that whenever I felt it was too Irish, I was going no, you've got Irish actors, you're filming in West Cork, it's Irish enough."

Treadwell-Collins agreed that there had been an effort not to create a drama too typically Irish, saying: "We made the note not to have ladies in headscarves looking wistfully off camera."

Holding begins tonight (Monday) at 9pm on ITV.

Watch: See the trailer for Holding