Danny Boyle’s highly-anticipated series Pistol, which arrives on Disney Plus today, tells the story of punk rock band the Sex Pistols, who made waves across the English music scene in the 1970s.
The official synopsis for the series promises a “hilarious, emotional and at times heart-breaking journey”, which explores “three of the most epic, chaotic and mucus-spattered years in the history of music”.
With a cast including Maisie Williams, Talulah Riley and Thomas Brodie-Sangster, all portraying real-life figures, the series is sure to make a big impact when it hits the streamer on 31st May.
Read on for everything you need to know about the cast of Pistol on Disney Plus.
Toby Wallace plays Steve Jones
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Who is Steve Jones? Steve Jones is an English musician who was one of the founding members and guitarist for the Sex Pistols. The series is based on his autobiography, Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol.
Where have I seen Toby Wallace before? Wallace is an Australian actor best known for his role in the BAFTA nominated film Babyteeth, but has also had roles in Boys in the Trees and Acute Misfortune.
Jacob Slater plays Paul Cook
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Who is Paul Cook? Paul Cook is a drummer who was one of the founding members of the Sex Pistols.
Where have I seen Jacob Slater before? Pistol is Slater’s first on-screen role.
Anson Boon plays Johnny Rotten (aka John Lydon)
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Who is Johnny Rotten? Johnny Rotten, real name John Lydon, is a singer-songwriter who was the lead singer of the Sex Pistols and is known for his rebellious image and outspoken nature.
Where have I seen Anson Boon before? Boon has had roles in Sam Mendes’ 1917, horror thriller Crawl and an episode of detective series Endeavour.
Christian Lees plays Glen Matlock
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Who is Glen Matlock? Glen Matlock is a founding member of the Sex Pistols who was their original bass guitarist, before he left the band.
Where have I seen Christian Lees before? Earlier this year, Lees appeared in The Phantom of the Open with Mark Rylance, while he has also appeared in series including Parents and Sun Records.
Louis Partridge plays Sid Vicious (aka Simon Ritchie)
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Who is Sid Vicious? Sid Vicious, real name John Simon Ritchie, was originally a fan of the Sex Pistols, who later joined the band to replace Glen Matlock as their bass guitarist.
Where have I seen Louis Partridge before? Partridge is best known for playing Tewkesbury in the Millie Bobbie Brown-starring Enola Holmes, but he has also had roles in Paddington 2 and Pan.
Sydney Chandler plays Chrissie Hynde
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Who is Chrissie Hynde? Chrissie Hynde is an American singer songwriter and founding member of the Pretenders. She worked at Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood’s clothes boutique SEX, and nearly married both Johnny Rotten and later Sid Vicious to gain a visa and stay in the country.
Where have I seen Sydney Chandler before? Pistol is one of Chandler’s first on-screen roles but she is also set to feature in upcoming Florence Pugh/Harry Styles film Don’t Worry Darling.
Talulah Riley plays Vivienne Westwood
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Who is Vivienne Westwood? Vivienne Westwood is a fashion designer credited with bringing modern punk and new wave fashion in the mainstream. She set up a clothes boutique called SEX with her boyfriend Malcolm McLaren, who was promoter and manager of the Sex Pistols.
Where have I seen Talulah Riley before? Riley has appeared in films including Inception, Thor: The Dark World, St Trinian’s and The Bad Education Movie, while she has had roles in high-profile series such as Doctor Who and Westworld.
Maisie Williams plays Jordan (aka Pamela Rooke)
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Who is Jordan? Jordan was a model and actress best known for her work with Vivienne Westwood. She attended many of the Sex Pistols’ shows.
Where have I seen Maisie Williams before? Williams is of course best known for her starring debut role as Arya Stark in Game of Thrones, but has also appeared in films such as Early Man and The New Mutants, and had a recurring role in Doctor Who alongside Peter Capaldi’s Doctor.
Emma Appleton plays Nancy Spungen
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Who is Nancy Spungen? Nancy Spungen was the girlfriend of Sid Vicious. Their relationship was turbulent and highly publicised, and Nancy was found dead with a stab wound to her stomach in 1978. Vicious was initially arrested and charged with her murder, but the case remains unsolved and Vicious died of a drug overdose in 1979.
Where have I seen Emma Appleton before? Appleton has had roles in The End of the F***ing World, Grantchester and The Witcher, while she also appeared in the Felicity Jones-starring film The Last Letter from Your Lover.
Thomas Brodie-Sangster plays Malcolm McLaren
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Who is Malcolm McLaren? Malcolm McLaren was the promoter and manager of the Sex Pistols, who also ran the SEX boutique with his girlfriend Vivienne Westwood.
Where have I seen Thomas Brodie-Sangster before? Brodie-Sangster made his name in Love, Actually and Nanny McPhee, before going on to star turns in the Maze Runner series, Doctor Who, The Queen’s Gambit and Game of Thrones, in which he played Jojen Reed.
Pistol premieres on Disney Plus in the UK today (31st May 2022). You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.
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