Riptide on C5: 'Suspenseful thriller' sees Jo Joyner investigate the 'mysterious' disappearance of her husband
Alison's perfect life is shattered when her husband vanishes
Riptide on Channel 5 is a “suspenseful” thriller with an “unexpected twist” that might just help fill the entertainment vacuum in this long and hot summer of sport.
5 is the channel that keeps on giving, and this drama is the latest in a long line of shows that have kept us engrossed. Just this year, we’ve had The Fortune, Missed Call, Number One Fan, Little Disasters, and The Ex-Wife.
This time, the always engaging Jo Joyner leads the cast as a wife with the perfect life. Until everything goes horribly wrong overnight.
Here’s everything you need to know about thriller Riptide, as it airs on Channel 5.
What is Riptide on Channel 5 about?
Channel 5’s Riptide is a psychological thriller introducing Alison and her adored husband Sean. They have the perfect life in their huge house by the beach. However, Alison’s life is “plunged into despair” when her new Australian husband vanishes after a morning surf.
And, because this is a Channel 5 drama, it quickly becomes obvious there is more to the story than meets the eye as she sets out to investigate his disappearance…
When Sean doesn’t return from his morning surf, police presume he has drowned in the riptide. But his wife Alison can’t shake the possibility that something else might have happened to him. With her stepson Ethan, ex-husband Michael, Sean’s ex-wife Rachel, and her daughter Hannah’s friend Logan all keeping secrets, her instincts might turn out to be right….
Jason Herbison is best known for Neighbours, Danny Dyer Channel 5 thriller Heat, and Kym Marsh’s The Imposter.
‘When Sean goes missing, Alison’s world is turned upside down’
Talking about the drama, Jo said: “She’s met Sean, and she’s completely in love with him. He has a maturity that her first husband didn’t have. That really fits with who she wants to be now.”
She continued: “After we set up this beautiful new life, and embark on this second phase, we turn it on its head obviously. Because life doesn’t go that well in dramas. When Sean goes missing, her world is turned upside down. And from that point, it’s just a cascade of one thing after another. And Alison spirals. This beautiful life she has becomes anything but.”
Peter O’Brien, who plays Sean, added: “It’s a really suspenseful thriller. Sean is a self-made man with a lot of money. He was previously married, and has now hooked up with somebody else. He’s heavily into surfing and more holistic lifestyle choices.”
Start date of psychologically thriller confirmed
Riptide, which first aired in 2022, will be repeated in June 2026.
Episode 1 will air on Monday, June 29, 2026 at 9pm. The series will be stripped across the week from Monday to Thursday.
However, the series is currently available to stream on Channel5.com if you can’t wait.
Who’s in the cast of Channel 5 series Riptide?
Essex-born Jo Joyner, 49, leads the cast of Riptide playing Alison. While Jo is perhaps most famous for playing Tanya Branning in EastEnders, she’s now best known for her role in cosy crime drama Shakespeare and Hathaway: Private Investigators.
Recently, she’s made quite the name for herself in psychological thrillers, too, and has appeared in several Channel 5 offerings. These include Little Disasters, For Her Sins, and The Wives. Jo also played a leading role in the Netflix series Stay Close, based on the Harlan Coben book of the same name.
Neighbours original cast member Peter O’Brien, 66, stars as Sean. In the UK, the Australian actor will be known as Shane Ramsey, a role he played between 1985 and 1987. He also returned in 2022, 2024, and 2025. Other notable roles include Detective Joe Hill in the Aussie drama White Collar Blue, and Theo ‘Stitch’ Lambert in our very own Casualty. Recently, he popped up as a guest star in the Death in Paradise spin-off Return to Paradise.
Ciarán Griffiths, 43, stars as Alison’s ex-husband Michael Lane. The Manchester-born actor is best known for portraying Gary Best in The Bill, Mickey Maguire in Shameless, and Damon Hay in Coronation Street.
The rest of the Riptide cast are largely Australian, and include:
- Outlander and Home and Away’s David Berry as Dan Burrell.
- The Heights’ Asher Yasbincekas as Hannah Lane.
- Neighbours’ Ben Turland as Ethan Weston.
- Sons and Daughters’ Alexandra Fowler as Rachel Weston.
- Neighbours and Survivor Australia star Pia Miranda as Jenny Clark.
How many episodes is Channel 5 series Riptide?
Riptide is four episodes of an hour long, including ad breaks.
Yes, they ad breaks are pesky and unavoidable on Channel 5, unless you record it and fast forward them!
Riptide filming locations
Cast and crew of Riptide filmed in the Australian city of Melbourne. Talking about the location, Jo said: “I am really excited to be working with the fantastic teams at Fremantle, Channel 5 and 10 in Australia, and playing Alison.
“She is such a warm and layered character whose world is turned upside down, just when it seemed like her life was finally coming together.
“I am also thrilled to be filming in the fabulous city of Melbourne and surrounding countryside, an area that I have always wanted to explore.”
