Down Cemetery Road is a British mystery thriller that hit Apple TV+ on October 29, 2025.
The series comprises eight episodes in all, culminating on December 10. It is based on Mick Herron's 2003 novel, with Morwenna Banks penning the script and controlling the production as executive producer.
The story begins in a peaceful neighborhood of Oxford, when a house accidentally bursts into flames, and the little girl disappears all of a sudden. Ruth Wilson stars as Sarah Trafford, a woman living close to the incident who becomes obsessed with it. She engages in the search, collaborating with private investigator Zoë Boehm, played by Emma Thompson.
As they dig deeper, Sarah and Zoë stumble into a tangled mess of secrets: some people everyone thought were dead are actually alive, while others keep turning up dead. The truth gets more complicated with every step.
Down Cemetery Road on Apple TV+ pulls you in right from the start. It is not just the sharp writing or the strong cast; the music really lingers with you. The theme song, Woman’s Touch by Michelle Gurevich, does more than just play in the background. It wraps the whole show in this dark, mysterious vibe that sticks with you.
That song sets the mood, plain and simple. It is haunting, soulful, and somehow fits every twist and turn the story takes.
Woman’s Touch explained: The theme song that defines Down Cemetery Road

Michelle Gurevich’s Woman’s Touch lingers with you, since there is something about her voice, smoky and intimate, that makes the song hard to shake off. She wrote and performed it herself, true to her style: stripped-down and loaded with emotion. Woman’s Touch first showed up on her 2010 album, Show Me the Face, and from the start, it had that late-night, haunted feeling she is known for.
Gurevich keeps things simple: minimal instruments, lyrics that cut right to the bone, and a voice that sounds both tired and full of longing. Her songs crawl into dark corners, looking at heartbreak and all the messy stuff that comes with being human.
So it makes sense that Woman’s Touch sets the mood for Down Cemetery Road. The very reason why the producers decided to pick it as the series’s theme might be because it reflects the show’s tone: enigmatic and slightly oppressive. The moment you hear that song during the opening credits or when the characters reach their limits, it captivates you. It’s like the music is really caught up in their secrets and suffering, always present in the dark. The song slowly infiltrates the plot, pushing you to share the same feelings as the characters, even the unspeakable ones.
The lyrics dig into fragile relationships and that aching need to be understood. All of this fits perfectly with the show’s obsession with hidden truths, disappearances, and betrayal. As the story unfolds, the song’s chorus and little lyrical turns echo the journeys of Sarah Trafford and Zoë Boehm.
And the phrase, “a woman’s touch,” works on a couple of levels. While it is about the women driving the investigation, it’s also about the stakes: what they stand to lose, and what they refuse to give up. The song balances softness with an undercurrent of tension, just like the series itself.
So far, Down Cemetery Road has dropped two episodes, and the soundtrack is already memorable. Here is what stood out:
Down Cemetery Road Episode 1: Almost True
Michelle Gurevich’s Woman’s Touch sets the tone right from the start as the theme song.
There is Sharon Van Etten’s Every Time the Sun Comes Up (Alternate Version), and it plays during that scene where Sarah spots a painting and heads out on her bike.
When Sarah first gets to Oxford Investigations and meets Zoë, you hear New-Ma by Lee Morgan.
Sarah Vaughan’s Lullaby of Birdland floats in while Joe Silvermann is working away at his desk.
And then Dizzy Gillespie’s Pops’ Confessin' wraps things up during the final moments and continues through the credits.
Down Cemetery Road Episode 2: A Kind of Grief
PJ Harvey’s Big Exit kicks in for a tense moment when Sarah is attacked, then carries the episode out over the end credits.
There is also Miles Davis’s It Never Entered My Mind, which plays softly in the background while Zoë Boehm has a quiet moment with her cat, Betty.