Mistaken identity? … from left: Amanda Abbington, Emily Barber, Alexandra Roach, Christina Bennington and Toni O'Rourke.Photograph: Channel 4/Enda Bowe

Hunting Alice Bell begins with a familiar scene. A woman has been found guilty of aiding and abetting Jason Nash (Simon Pegg), a murderous anaesthetist and also her former boyfriend. A furious crowd has gathered to bang on the van as it takes her away to serve 18 months in prison. But the woman under the blanket is a decoy – the real Alice Bell is being smuggled out of another exit. The mob's bloodlust is deferred but not satisfied. Upon her release, Bell will be given a new identity.