A flat tyre, a missed exit, no vacancy at the motel… there’s a lot that can go wrong on a road trip. But nothing compares to the joy-turned-terror-ride that Tara, Stink, Ruth and Nessi take from London to Rotterdam in Sky Max’s Then You Run.

Keep reading to find out why we can’t wait to throw ourselves into their epic, hilarious, action-packed journey…

What’s the story about?

The eight-part thriller is an adaptation of the novel You, written by Zoran Drvenkar, who’s also the author of the mind-bending bestseller Sorry. Adapted by Ben Chanan (The Capture), it’s the story of four feisty teenage girls from London whose summer road trip is upended after they discover that the father of one of the girls is part of a sprawling criminal underworld. And he’s also very much dead – evidently murdered by one of his shady colleagues.

Soon the teens are on the run across Europe, having “borrowed” a car and a few kilos of some definitely illegal substances. It’s all part of an audacious but naïve plan that soon finds them in way over their head, pursued by a crew of deadly criminals.

Oh, and did we mention there’s also a serial killer seemingly on their trail?

What makes Then You Run a comedy thriller?

There are plenty of suspenseful scenes on the girls’ hectic holiday-gone-wrong to get your pulse racing but the show is full of unexpected laughs too, particularly when the show playfully leans into its contrasting genres.

We love the way the show’s high-octane car chases are punctuated by teenage squabbling, and how the storylines depicting awkward romances and drunken nights out play out alongside explosions and gangster shoot-outs.

Who’s in it?

Normal People’s Leah McNamara plays Tara, whose father meets his untimely end, while Vivian Oparah – star of this year’s hit British romcom Rye Lane – takes up the role of forthright, reckless Stink. Yasmin Monet Prince (Hanna) as Ruth and newcomer Isidora Fairhurst as Nessi make up the rest of the quartet.

Richard Coyle (Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina) is on sleazy form as Tara’s gangster uncle determined to track down the girls and the drugs they snatched from the family business. You can also watch out for a cameo from X-Men star Famke Janssen, while Swimming With Men actor Christian Rubeck (pictured) turns up as a deranged serial killer known simply as “The Traveller”.

When is Sky Max’s Then You Run on TV?

You can watch the first episode of Then You Run on Friday 7 July at 9pm on Sky Max HD (CH 111). A new episode airs every Friday – or you can watch the whole series from 7 July in On Demand > Sky Max.