This is Glenn Close at her most fearless and transformative — a rare departure from the prestige drama she's known for into bold, genre-bending territory. Channel 4 and Playground are positioning this as a career-defining turn that showcases her range while adapting beloved source material.
Insiders say Close has been lobbying for a role this dark and comedic for years — something outside the Oscar-bait lane she's been typecast in. The real question is whether she finally wins that elusive ninth nomination, or if playing a murderer at 87 will split the Academy vote entirely.
Variety broke the story May 12, 2026, confirming Close as Maud Oldcastle in Channel 4's six-part drama based on Helene Tursten's short story collections. Richard E. Grant and Mathew Baynton are among ten newly announced cast members joining the previously announced Claudia Jessie as a young detective investigating deaths in Maud's building.
Glenn Close playing a murderous grandmother is exactly the kind of casting chaos we live for — and with writers Nina Raine and Moses Raine behind it, this isn't just a gimmick. It's prestige pulp. Channel 4 might have found its darkest gem yet.
She may look like an old lady in her furs, but be warned — she's deadly. The first look at Glenn Close as an elderly killer in Channel 4's six-part drama "Up to No Good" has arrived, and it is gloriously unhinged. The eight-time Oscar nominee is ready to cause havoc on the streets of London as Maud Oldcastle, a woman who makes no apologies for being ruthless, cantankerous, and — yes — a stone-cold killer.
The drama, originally announced under the title "Maud," is based on Helene Tursten's short story collections "An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good" and "An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed." It was written by acclaimed playwrights Nina Raine ("Bach & Sons," "Consent") and Moses Raine ("Donkey Heart"), marking the duo's first original television series. Lee Haven Jones directs, with development and production handled by Playground for Sony Pictures Television, which will distribute globally.
The ensemble cast is stacked. Alongside Close, Channel 4 revealed ten new additions on Tuesday: Tanya Reynolds ("Emma," "Sex Education"), Mathew Baynton ("Wonka," "Ghosts"), Iain Glen ("Game of Thrones," "Jack Taylor"), Raphaël Acloque ("The Corsican Line," "Little Birds"), Nadia Albina ("A Thousand Blows," "Bookish"), Louisa Binder ("Hotel Portofino"), Meg Ballamy ("The Crown"), Madeleine Mantock ("The Long Song," "Into the Badlands"), Peter Egan ("Unforgotten," "After Life"), and Richard E. Grant ("Can You Ever Forgive Me?," "Saltburn").
They join previously announced stars including Claudia Jessie ("Bridgerton," "Toxic Town") as a suspicious young detective investigating deaths in Maud's building, Gloria Obianyo ("Andor," "Anxious People"), Anita Dobson ("EastEnders," "Doctor Who"), Ben Crompton ("Game of Thrones," "Lockwood & Co."), Meera Syal ("The Wheel of Time," "The Revenge Club"), and Penelope Wilton ("Downton Abbey," "After Life") as Maud's sister. "Up to No Good" follows Maud, described as hilariously brusque and relentlessly ruthless — "those are her nice qualities." After a lifetime spent caring for her sister (Wilton), she's determined to claim a long-overdue second act.
But when the detective investigating a death in Maud's building starts suspecting there's more to her than meets the eye, Maud is forced to confront both past and present crimes. Executive producers are Scott Huff and Colin Callender for Playground, alongside Close, Lee Haven Jones, Nina Raine, and Moses Raine, with Morenike Williams ("Killing Eve," "Culprits") serving as series producer. Commissioned by Gwawr Lloyd, interim head of drama at Channel 4, and Rebecca Holdsworth, commissioning editor for drama, the series represents a significant creative swing for the network — and arguably for Close herself.
After decades synonymous with serious dramatic roles and that infamous streak of eight nominations without a win, watching her lean into gleeful geriatric crime is deeply satisfying. Richard E. Grant's involvement alone guarantees maximum theatrical chaos, and with Baynton and Reynolds rounding out the cast, "Up to No Good" looks set to be darkly comic, thoroughly British, and utterly ruthless — much like its leading lady.
