The Gathering: A violent attack on a teenager at an illegal beach rave sends shockwaves of suspicion through a Merseyside community

Now new six-part drama The Gathering is offering us a daytime look at life on Merseyside, but it’s still set to feature some pretty murky stuff.

“I wanted to write a twisty, state-of-the-nation take on Philip Larkin’s notorious observation about parents and kids,” claims writer Helen Walsh, who created the series – her first original TV project. “In an era where the micro-managing of children’s lives has become the new normal, The Gathering throws today’s surveillance parenting into sharp focus and asks who is really to blame when our kids mess up.

“I’m thrilled to be working with the excellent team at Channel 4 and World Productions and look forward to seeing the kinetic worlds of free-running and tumbling gymnastics brought to our screens.”

At the centre of the story is teenager Kelly, who is viciously attacked during a rave on a tidal islet. An accomplished gymnast with dreams of competing as part of Team GB, she is also a member of a group of urban free-runners; their reckless lifestyle is in sharp contrast to the disciplined world Kelly inhabits during her sporting career.

It seems that a fellow member of the gang may be the one behind the attack. The story slowly uncovers the truth, and also looks at the part their parents – inadvertently or otherwise – could have played in the crime. The idea behind the series is to investigate the ways in which parents impose their agendas and ideas on their teens, who also have the added pressure of social media to deal with.

As for World Productions, you may already be familiar with their work. They’re the company behind a range of thrilling series, including Line of Duty, Vigil, Malpractice and Karen Pirie. If The Gathering turns out to be only half as good as those, it will still be impressive stuff.

“The Gathering forms part of our strategy to commission drama which also appeals to younger viewers,” says Caroline Hollick, head of drama at Channel 4. “Through this absorbing story, with Helen’s beautifully drawn, real and relatable characters, the series looks at how family, friendship and aspiration is influenced and shaped by the highs and lows of modern-day parenting.

“Exploring relevant and urgent themes around what it means to be a teenager, as well as a parent today, The Gathering is cleverly wrapped up in a compelling ‘whodunnit’ thriller, where the stakes are upped episode after episode.”

The cast features a mix of established names and newcomers. Walsh describes the latter as having wowed their colleagues “with their raw and heartfelt depictions of teenagers having to navigate adult problems in morally ambiguous worlds.”

Eva Morgan plays the key role of Kelly, and if early glimpses of her in action are anything to go by, she clearly has a big future ahead of her.

Watch out too for the more familiar faces of Vinette Robinson as a pushy mother, Warren Brown as a hard-working single parent and Richard Coyle as a successful solicitor among the supporting cast. Continues Wednesday.