Another suspenseful drama kicks off on BBC One this weekend, with this latest effort aiming to examine how the legal system can be undermined by prejudice and media bias.
Celine Buckens leads the Showtrial cast as privileged university student Talitha Campbell, who finds herself in hot water when a fellow pupil she once threatened goes missing under mysterious circumstances.
The police are keen to throw the book at their arrogant and rude prime suspect, but they’ll face resistance from cool-headed solicitor Cleo Roberts (Tracy Ifeachor), who has a professional reputation to rebuild.
The series could be another hit from COBRA creator Ben Richards, so read on for your first-look at the key players in Showtrial – and where you might have seen them before.
Tracy Ifeachor plays Cleo Roberts
!["Tracy]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/tracy_ifeachor_showtrial-5001c90.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"tracy_ifeachor_showtrial\"")
Who is Cleo Roberts? Cleo is the duty solicitor on call the night that Talitha is arrested and decides to take on the case despite mounting odds. She doesn’t take any nonsense from her spoilt client and has a sharp strategic mind that might just be enough to prepare a solid defence – whether her client is innocent or not.
What else has Tracy Ifeachor been in? Ifeachor has bagged supporting roles in several US dramas, including The Originals, Quantico, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Jason Bourne spin-off Treadstone. Previously, she had also appeared in David Tennant’s two-part Doctor Who swansong The End of Time.
Celine Buckens plays Talitha Campbell
!["Celine]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/celine_buckens_showtrial-f4e76d5.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"celine_buckens_showtrial\"")
Who is Talitha Campbell? Talitha is a university student and the spoilt daughter of a wealthy property developer. She is considered a murder suspect after police discover she sent threatening texts to fellow pupil Hannah Ellis, who has been missing since their end-of-year ball. She has an abrasive and arrogant demeanour that Cleo fears will not go down well with a jury.
What else has Celine Buckens been in? Buckens got her breakout role in 2011 in the cast of Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation of War Horse. She went on to secure recurring roles in Netflix original series Free Rein and US drama Warrior, based on an original concept by martial arts legend Bruce Lee.
Sinéad Keenan plays DI Paula Cassidy
!["Sinead]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/sinead_keenan_showtrial-0d69557.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"sinead_keenan_showtrial\"")
Who is DI Paula Cassidy? Cassidy is the lead detective investigating Hannah’s disappearance, who takes an instant disliking to Talitha. She believes that the privileged teen knows more than she is letting on and is keen to see her behind bars, but she’ll need sturdy evidence to convince the Crown Prosecution Service to move forward.
What else has Sinéad Keenan been in? Keenan previously worked with Showtrial co-star Tracy Ifeachor on Doctor Who two-parter The End of Time. Since then, she has gone on to major roles in Being Human and Little Boy Blue, the latter of which earned her a BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Actress. Most recently, she appeared in BBC One’s hard-hitting drama Three Families, which aired across two nights in May 2021.
Kerr Logan plays James Thornley
!["Kerr]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/kerr_logan_showtrial-1847c69.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"kerr_logan_showtrial\"")
Who is James Thornley? Thornley works for the Crown Prosecution Service and will need to give his approval for Cassidy to take her case against Talitha to a courtroom. He wants to see justice served but maintains a cautious approach, not wishing to present a flimsy case that could easily see the culprit walk free. He also has a history with Cleo Roberts.
What else has Kerr Logan been in? Logan plays Matthew Cunliffe in the BBC’s detective drama Strike, which is based on the books by JK Rowling (under her Robert Galbraith pseudonym). In addition to roles in a recent adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace and ITV’s Victoria, he also appeared as Matthos Seaworth in HBO’s epic fantasy drama Game of Thrones.
Christopher Hatherall plays DC Andy Lowell
!["Christopher]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/christopher_hatherall_showtrial-4a31761.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"christopher_hatherall_showtrial\"")
Who is DC Andy Lowell? Lowell is Cassidy’s police partner, who works alongside to investigate the Hannah Ellis disappearance and is present for Talitha Campbell’s interrogation.
What else has Christopher Hatherall been in? Hatherall’s recent projects include Sky Atlantic’s Britannia, BBC One’s The War of the Worlds and 2016’s Rillington Place.
James Frain plays Damian Campbell
!["James]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/james_frain_showtrial-624a1ba.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"james_frain_showtrial\"")
Who is Damian Campbell? Damian is a property developer and the father of Talitha, whose ruthless business practices have given him a bad reputation among some. While his daughter seems to have genuine disdain for him, he remains determined to strong-arm his way into her ensuing legal battle.
What else has James Frain been in? Frain has had major roles in a number of popular television shows, playing Thomas Cromwell in The Tudors, Kevin Burris in HBO’s True Detective, Azrael in DC’s Gotham, and Ferdinand in sci-fi hit Orphan Black. Most recently, he has joined the cast of Star Trek: Discovery in the recurring role of Sarek.
Joseph Payne plays Dhillon Harwood
!["Joseph]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/joseph_payne_showtrial-4073fa5.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"joseph_payne_showtrial\"")
Who is Dhillon Harwood? Dhillon is Talitha’s childhood friend, who attended the same private school as her for a time and now shares a house with her at university.
What else has Joseph Payne been in? Payne previously appeared in HBO and Sky’s experimental drama The Third Day and will have a role in the upcoming second season of The Witcher.
Lolita Chakrabarti plays Meera Harwood
!["Lolita]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/lolita_chakrabarti_showtrial-fc777ff.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"lolita_chakrabarti_showtrial\"")
Who is Meera Harwood? Harwood is the mother of Dhillon and a senior politician, who currently holds the post of Shadow Minister for the Environment. She is friends with Talitha’s father.
What else has Lolita Chakrabarti been in? Chakrabarti recently appeared in BBC One’s hit thriller Vigil, starring alongside Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie. Her previous projects include E4 comedy My Mad Fat Diary, ITV’s short-lived Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands, Channel 4 thriller Born to Kill and Sky drama Riviera.
Sharon D Clarke plays Virginia Hoult
!["Sharon]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/sharon_d_clarke_showtrial-1a0f609.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"sharon_d_clarke_showtrial\"")
Who is Virginia Hoult? Hoult is James Thornley’s superior at the Crown Prosecution Service.
What else has Sharon D Clarke been in? Clarke has won three prestigious Olivier awards for her roles on the stage, while she has also made screen appearances in BBC One’s Informer, Doctor Who and Holby City, where she played consultant Lola Griffin.
Abra Thompson plays Hannah Ellis
!["Showtrial]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/showtrial_cast-7e7dba2.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"showtrial_cast\"")
Who is Hannah Ellis? Hannah is a university student who has gone missing under suspicious circumstances. The police fear she may have been murdered.
What else has Abra Thompson been in? Thompson has previously appeared in BBC Three’s acclaimed comedy This Country and Apple TV+ series Trying, starring Rafe Spall.
Claire Lams plays Andrea Ellis
!["Claire]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/claire_lams_showtrial-8fd853e.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"claire_lams_showtrial\"")
Who is Andrea Ellis? Andrea is Hannah’s mother, who is left devastated by her sudden disappearance.
What else has Claire Lams been in? Lams also appears in Sky thriller COBRA: Cyberwar, which is another series from Showtrial writer Ben Richards. Other projects include factual drama The Salisbury Poisonings and Call The Midwife.
Showtrial premieres on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm on Sunday 31st October. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.