BBC’s new thriller Nightsleeper landed on the small screens on Sunday, September 15.
The show follows the events of a single, extremely tense on a sleeper train travelling between Glasgow and London which was hijacked by hackers (or "hack-jacked") in a cyber attack.
In order to save the passengers before the train crashes, off-duty police officer Joe Roag (Joe Cole) and acting National Cyber Security Centre technical director Abby Aysgarth (Alexandra Roach) must figure something out to stop the impending tragedy.
Here’s everything you need to know about the cast.
Alexandra Roach as Abby Aysgarth
Abby Aysgarth is the acting technical director at the National Cyber Security Centre.
She is played by Alexandra Roach, who is well-known for playing Becky in Utopia, a young woman entangled in a sinister plot. She also starred as DS Joy Freers in No Offence.
She made plenty of appearances in noteworthy television shows, such as Black Mirror, Killing Eve, Inside No 9, The Light in the Hall, and Being Human.
The actress has also starred in films, including The Iron Lady, where she played a teenage Margaret Thatcher; One Chance, with James Corden; and most recently, Men Up.
Joe Cole as Joe Roag
Joe Cole stars as Joe Roag, a former Metropolitan Police Detective Inspector on the run after being accused of theft.
Many will recognise Cole as John Shelby in Peaky Blinders. He received a lot of attention for his portrayal of the erratic but devoted member of the Shelby family.
He is also well known for his work in thrillers like Green Room, which proved his ability to pull off high-stakes combat scenes, and A Prayer Before Dawn, in which he portrayed the tenacious boxer Billy Moore.
Cole most recently led the casts of an ITV1 version of The Ipcress File and Gangs of London.
Ruth Madeley as Chrissy Doolan
Ruth Madeley plays Chrissy Doolan, a disabled human rights solicitor.
Madeley most recently starred as Shirley Anne Bingham in Doctor Who, has been a major presence on our screens in recent years. She has also acted in films including Brassic and TV series such as The Cleaner, Years and Years by Russell T. Davies, and The Rook.
Madeley is currently working on The War Between the Land and the Sea, a spin-off of Doctor Who.
David Threlfall as Paul Peveril
David Threlfall plays Paul Peveril, a former Technical Director of the NCSC fired for whistleblowing.
Threlfall is most known for playing Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's Shameless, but he has acted in a number of other TV shows and movies over the years.
Some of his notable roles include Tommy Cooper in the 2014 film Not Like That, Like This and John Dee opposite Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
James Cosmo as Fraser Warren
James Cosmo portrays Fraser Warren, an elderly retired train driver for Heart of Britain and Sophie's father-in-law.
Cosmo is well-known for his character acting and has been in supporting parts in films including Wonder Woman, Highlander, Braveheart, Trainspotting, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
In addition, he has starred in TV series such as Game of Thrones, His Dark Materials, and Jack Ryan. In 2017, he participated in the reality television series Celebrity Big Brother, placing fourth overall.
Sharon Rooney as Yasmin Brown
Yasmin Brown is one of the train conductors, played by Sharon Rooney.
Rooney is well-known for portraying Rae Earl in Channel 4’s My Mad Fat Diary.
She has also appeared as Miss Atlantis in the 2019 version of Dumbo, Lawyer Barbie in the 2023 movie Barbie, Sophie in Two Doors Down and Dawn in Brief Encounters.
Katie Leung as Rachel Li
Katie Leung plays Rachel Li is a lifestyle trends reporter.
Leung first rose to stardom in the Harry Potter film series as Cho Chang, the title character's first romantic interest. She then became known for her performances as Ash in the science fiction series The Peripheral on Amazon Prime Video and Caitlyn Kiramman in the Netflix animated series Arcane.
Sharon Small as Liz Draycott
Sharon Small plays Liz Draycott, an MP and the Secretary of State for Transport.
Small’s most well-known performance was as Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers in the BBC television production of Elizabeth George's The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. She is also recognised for her leading performances in Trust Me as Dr Brigitte Rayne and Law & Order: UK as Inspector Elisabeth Flynn.
Alex Ferns as Arran Moy
Alex Ferns stars as Arran Moy, a belligerent accountant in first class.
Ferns’ stint in Eastenders as Trevor Morgan from 2000 to 2002 was regarded as "Britain's most-hated soap villain". Between 2017 and 2018, he also portrayed Rick Harper in the BBC Scotland soap drama River City.
Leah MacRae as Sophie Warren
Leah MacRae portrays Sophie Warren, Fraser's daughter-in-law.
MacRae is best known for her roles in Rab C. Nesbitt, The Karen Dunbar Show, Gary Tank Commander, River City and GrownUps.
