By Abby Robinson

Published: Thursday, 20 October 2022 at 12:00 am

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After a lengthy hiatus, Gangs of London is back for season 2 – and London is once again on the verge of all-out war.

We pick up one year on from the events of the first chapter, with “the surviving Wallaces scattered, the Dumanis broken and estranged, and ex-undercover cop Elliot now being forced to work for the Investors”.

Heroin baron Asif now has the full backing of the investors, “and together they have installed a new ruling force in London in the form of brutal gang leader Koba”, who is on a crusade to “restore order” to the streets.

But the existing players and new additions “fight back, forcing sworn enemies to work together and family members to betray each other”.

Read on the full rundown of the main players in Gangs of London season 2.

Gangs of London season 2 cast

Sope Dirisu plays Elliot Finch/Carter

Who is Elliot Finch? In season 1, the undercover cop managed to worm his way into Sean Wallace’s inner circle in a bid to take down the crime family. In the finale, Elliot seemingly murdered Sean (more on that later) on the orders of the Investors, who he is now working for.  He also possesses a microchip containing incriminating evidence against the puppet masters that was given to him by Sean.

Where have I seen Sope Dirisu before? You Might recognise him from Netflix’s His House and sci-fi series Humans.

Lucian Msamati plays Ed Dumani

Who is Ed Dumani? Finn Wallace’s business partner and long-time friend. He has two children, Alex and Shannon. Ed takes a quiet approach to the violent business he’s involved in. In the season 1 finale, he attempted to murder Marian Wallace.

Where have I seen Lucian Msamati before? He has appeared in BBC fantasy drama His Dark Materials, Black Earth Rising with Michaela Coel and Channel 4 drama Kiri.

Paapa Essiedu plays Alex Dumani

Who is Alex Dumani? In the initial stages of season 1, he worked alongside his father Ed for the Wallace Corporation, using brains rather than brawn to prove his worth – so much so that the investors decided to oust Sean from the operation and install Alex as the face of the brand.

Where have I seen Paapa Essiedu before? His credits include Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You, Joe Barton’s The Lazurus Project and the second season of BBC surveillance drama The Capture.

Michelle Fairley plays Marian Wallace

Who is Marian Wallace? She was married to Finn and they had three children together: Sean, Billy and Jaqueline. Marian has a cruel streak, the most overt example of which was her torture of a Danish assassin in season 1. As the season 2 trailer indicates , she’s now involved in arms dealing.

Where have I seen Michelle Fairley before? One of her biggest roles to date was as Catelyn Stark in Game of Thrones. More recently, she appeared in sci-fi drama The Feed and Starz’s The White Princess. 

Pippa Bennett-Warner plays Shannon Dumani

Who is Shannon Dumani? Ed’s daughter and Alex’s sister. Shannon was romantically involved with Elliot in season 1, but outside pressures prevented them from enjoying a steady relationship. She murdered detective Vicky Chung in season 1, who attempted to recruit her as an informant.

Where have I seen Pippa Bennett-Warner before? She recently appeared in BBC psychological drama Chloe and David Hare’s Roadkill.

Shannon’s young son Danny is played by Taye Matthew.

Narges Rashidi plays Lale

Who is Lale? A Kurdish freedom fighter who uses the weapons and money she acquires from her criminal dealings to help her people. Lale’s husband was tortured and killed because of Asif’s betrayal, with the pair taking shots at one another throughout season 1 – the most dramatic of which was the murder of Asif’s son at the hands of Lale.

Where have I seen Narges Rashidi before? Recent projects include The Allegation, Never Too Late for Justice and The Girlfriend Experience.

Asif Raza Mir plays Asif Afridi

Who is Asif Afridi? The Pakistani heroin baron locked in a brutal feud with Lale. His son Nasir was elected mayor of London in season 1, but Lale put a swift end to his reign when she killed him. In season 2, Asif is more powerful than ever following the Investors’ decision to align behind him.

Where have I seen Asif Raza Mir before? He’s appeared in a number of Pakistani films and TV shows, including Miss Hong Kong and Daaman.

Orli Shuka plays Luan Dushaj

Who is Luan Dushaj? An Albanian gangster who wins every dogfight he finds himself in. Luan has a wife and two daughters, which puts him in a risky position. Anger the wrong people and they know exactly how to hurt him.

Where have I seen Orli Shuka before? He appeared in a handful of EastEnders episodes and he also features in Prime Video spy thriller All the Old Knives.

Brian Vernel plays Billy Wallace

Who is Billy Wallace? Marian and Finn’s son. In season 1, Billy had a drug problem due to his chaotic upbringing.

Where have I seen Brian Vernel before? He’s had minor roles in Apple TV’s Slow Horses, Netflix’s The Last Kingdom and David Hare’s Collateral.

Valene Kane plays Jacqueline Robinson

Who is Jacqueline Robinson? Marian and Finn’s only daughter. Jacqueline is a doctor who distanced herself from her family due to the circles they run in. At the end of season 1, she flees under a new identity with Billy.

Where have I seen Valene Kane before? Her credits include crime drama The Fall and BBC drama Thirteen, among others.

Gangs of London new cast members

Waleed Zuaiter plays Koba

Who is Koba? The new antagonist on the block. He works for Asif, running a “dictatorship” in which any and all rebels will be dealt with swiftly and savagely. “No one has the balls to go against Koba,” says Luan in the trailer.

Where have I seen Waleed Zuaiter before? You might have watched him in crime thriller Baghdad Central, Netflix’s The Spy and sci-fi series Altered Carbon, among others.

Other cast members include:

Jasmine Armand and Fady El-Sayed play Saba and Faz

Who are Saba and Faz? Siblings who find themselves swept up in the gang war. Saba works in a cafe and Faz is involved in criminal activity.

Where have I seen Jasmine Armand before? She’s a French rapper. This is her first TV role.

Where have I seen Fady El-Sayed before? You might have watched him in sci-fi series Class and Baghdad Central.

Salem Kali plays Basem

Who is Basem? A gangster who, like his peers, isn’t happy about Koba’s new rules.

Where have I seen Salem Kali before? His credits include French prison film Un Prophete and French crime film Dealer.

Aymen Hamdouchi plays Hakim

Who is Hakim? Another gangster who is also hamstrung by Koba’s new directives.

Where have I seen Aymen Hamdouchi before? His credits include Netflix action thriller SAS: Red Notice and Criminal: UK, which also airs on the streamer.

Will Joe Cole return as Sean Wallace?

Sean Wallace was shot in the face by Elliot, who had been ordered to kill him by the Investors. But while he was declared dead and the team behind the show have said that it was their intention to do away with Sean, we didn’t physically see his corpse, which means a return isn’t off the table.

It would be an extraordinary comeback, but Gangs of London is an extraordinary show – so we’re not ruling anything out.

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