Wolf is a must-watch BBC1 crime thriller that's based on the bestselling Jack Caffery series of novels by Mo Hayder. It features a gritty and twisted story plus a top cast including Blindspot and Humans star Ukweli Roach in his first lead role. Also look out for Juliet Stevenson and Owen Teale, plus Game Of Thrones star Iwan Rheon and Doctor Who baddie Sacha Dhawan.
The six-part BBC1 thriller is from Hartswood Films, the makers of Sherlock, and follows DI Jack Caffery, who’s obsessed with the neighbor he believes murdered his ten-year-old brother in the 1990s. But his story soon collides with that of a wealthy family, the Anchor-Ferrers, who find themselves becoming the victims of a pair of psychopaths and their cruel games.
Here’s everything you need to know about the disturbing drama Wolf arriving on BBC1…
Wolf release date
Wolf starts on BBC1 on Monday 31 July at 9pm, with all episodes dropping immediately as a boxset on BBCiPlayer. It runs two episodes per week on BBC1 on Mondays and Tuesday for three weeks. We will update on any international air date and channel such as Netflix or Prime Video.
Is there a Wolf trailer?
Yes the BBC has now released a Wolf trailer, which looks truly terrifying as the hostage terror unfolds and secrets are alluded to. Take a look at the full trailer below...
Wolf plot
Wolf follows young detective Jack Caffery, who’s searching for himself while trying to right the wrongs of others. He remains haunted by the disappearance of his brother when they were children in the 1990s and is convinced that a neighbour killed him. But in his quest to uncover the truth will Jack cross a line?
Meanwhile, the wealthy Anchor-Ferrers family – nervy mum Matilda (Juliet Stevenson), her businessman husband Oliver (Owen Teale) and daughter Lucia (Annes Elwy) – are returning to their Welsh home so Oliver can recuperate from a heart operation.
But they remain troubled by a murder that previously occurred in the area and when police officers Honey (Sacha Dhawan) and Molina (Iwan Rheon) turn up with worrying news, a frightening chain of events begins. As Jack heads to Wales to follow a potential new lead about his brother, he becomes caught up in the Anchor-Ferrers’ nightmare. What follows is a nail-biting and deeply disturbing race against time.
Wolf cast — Ukweli Roach on playing detective Jack Caffery
In Wolf, Ukweli Roach plays the young, unshockable and driven DI Jack Caffery, who finds himself working on the most terrifying crimes.
Ukweli Roach says: "Jack Caffery is a police detective who lives in London and previously worked in Wales - in Cardiff and Newport. He has a disturbed background with a lot of trauma that he tries to hide, which has made his character quite malformed. As clichéd as it sounds, I would describe Jack as a lone wolf. He’s someone who, because of the traumas in his past, has isolated himself and finds comfort in isolation because he can’t be hurt that way. His trauma essentially shaped his whole personality.
"Jack goes on quite a journey over the series to get to the answers he wants. That’s really where we see the wolf in him, in the sense that he can’t let go of the metaphorical scent of blood. We see the lengths that he will go to, whether legal or not, to get his man to speak. Jack is driven solely by wanting to find out what happened to his brother and where his brother is laid to rest. There’s a drive for a certain amount of revenge, but behind that revenge is the want for closure.
"With regards to finding the killer of the Donkey Pitch murder case, Jack wants to prove a point to DI Lincoln that she was wrong because there's also a power struggle going on there. He also wants to prove himself and his instincts right as he had a feeling from the beginning that something was wrong. Deep down there is a good core in Jack and a desire to catch whoever is responsible to prevent anything similar happening again."
Ukweli is best known for playing the role of FBI psychiatrist Dr Robert Borden in the American TV series Blindspot, which was shown in the UK on Sky Living. He’s also had roles in Humans, Grantchester, The Royals and Hard Sun.
"I’m honored to be taking on the role of Jack Caffery in Wolf," says Ukweli. "Megan Gallagher has brought Mo Hayder’s dark storylines into focus in a way that will be challenging, but also every actor’s dream. I can’t wait to bring Jack to life."
Who else is starring in Wolf?
As well as Ukweli, the cast of Wolf is packed full of familiar faces. Sacha Dhawan (The Master in Doctor Who) plays Honey alongside Iwan Rheon (Game Of Thrones, Misfits, A Christmas Number One) as Molina, a pair of mismatched detectives forced together on an unusual job.
Meanwhile, Sian Reese-Williams (Line Of Duty, Hidden) stars DI Maia Lincoln, a woman with a case to prove, Juliet Stevenson is Mathilda Anchor-Ferrers, an intelligent yet neurotic wealthy housewife, with Owen Teale (Game Of Thrones) as her wealthy and well-connected husband Oliver. Annes Elwy plays their daughter Lucia Anchor-Ferrers.
Other cast includes Ciarán Joyce as DI Prody, Kai Owen as DI Matthews, Anthony Webster as Ivan Penderecki, Gethin Alderman as Minnet Kable, Kezia Burrows as Veronica, Emily Adara as Sophie, Karl Johnson as Colonel Frink, Zadeiah Campbell-Davies as Emily, Gwïon Morris Jones as Hugo, Emma Cooney as Bethany Hywel Simons as Robbie and Amanda Drew as Driscoll.
"We’re delighted to have attracted such an amazing cast into our wonderfully entertaining crime/horror world!" says executive producer Elaine Cameron. "It’s a real testament to the originality of Megan’s scripts. I’m particularly excited about young actor Ukweli Roach playing the lead role of Jack Caffery – I guarantee once the series goes out he’ll be a total household name!"
Juliet Stevenson on playing Matilda Anchor-Ferrers
Juliet Stevenson plays nervous mother Matilda Anchor-Ferrers, who gets held hostage at her home. Juliet says: "Matilda is an upper middle class woman from a wealthy family. Her and her husband, Oliver, have two children. The son, who isn't present in the story, is a bit of a big success story which probably means a lot to this family as it seems there’s likely been pressure to be successful in this family. Their daughter, Lucia, who in worldly terms has been less successful and is very troubled. From when we first meet them in the car in the first scene, there is a lot of history and delicate references to the troubles that they’re bringing with them.
"Matilda is very devoted and quite dependent on her husband so it’s very difficult for her to find herself cut off from him, as they are quite early on in the story, because she looks to him to be steady, calm, reassuring and have that patriarchal male wisdom. Matilda is highly intelligent, but it feels to me that her intelligence hasn't anywhere to go, particularly if she hasn't been working or in a situation where it could be fed or flourish.
"This role has been a challenge as you’re normally given a character and you explore who they are and how the story changes them. With this one, they go into such an extreme situation right at the beginning that they’re always in a nightmarish and extremist situation. So you don’t get to know Matilda as she might be on a day-to-day or casual basis."
Owen Teale on playing Oliver Anchor-Ferrers
Owen Teale reveals his thought on playing wealthy Oliver, who is held hostage along with his family: "Oliver is a self-made, successful businessman and it's come through his own talent, his own academic knowhow. He's made a great success of that and we see him immersed in that lifestyle, which ticks all those boxes. He is recovering from a heart transplant so he’s now keen to live every moment he can with his family. What is also clear, which I love about him because I don't get to play many of these parts, is that he and his wife adore each other. I get the feeling they always have. You don't often see much of that nowadays and that's lovely. It goes downhill pretty quickly and we’re taken on quite a journey.
"This character was really about being as honest as possible and honest about fear. You have a TV idea of how you would try to protect your family and when you’re truly desperate and scared, so we’ve really had to imagine what we would do in those moments. It’s been interesting when we’re filming as I’ve often had to stop for a moment and think what these two guys have done to Oliver and his family and I think by now you have to come through and you can’t stay frightened for all that time, so as a result you become quite dangerous. You’ve got nothing to lose if you think you’re going to die."
Iwan Rheon and Sacha Dhawan on playing Honey and Molina
Sacha Dhawan who plays Honey says: "We first meet Honey and Molina at the beginning of the series when they con their way into the Anchor-Ferrers home. It was great to play those scenes. When I was prepping for Honey, I wanted to make it clear that Molina and Honey are two different characters. Honey, unlike Molina, is very tidy, sharp and focused about making this job meticulous. That's his motivation - to complete it to the best of his ability. The stakes are so high because he's also he's got to fund his family but they’re of course kidnapping a family so there’s a lot of risks and things that could go wrong. Honey and Molina really are chalk and cheese but Molina is the only person Honey has and they’ve got to function together to get out alive.
Iwan Rheon, who plays Honey criminal sidekick Molina, says: "Molina is a bit of a hapless criminal - he’s not the brightest, but he has some great ideas. He’s part of a double act with Honey, played by the brilliant Sacha Dhawan, who take the Anchor-Ferrers family hostage, although he’s probably not the ideal person for this job.
"Very early on he believes the family aren’t quite the sharpest tool in the box so he starts to become a little bit silly. Throughout the series, we see that Molina has a wonderful imagination but struggles at sticking to the script, often provided by Honey, which is very frustrating for him. When certain situations arise, he sometimes gets a bit carried away and reinvents a backstory. I think there’s a lot of comedy between Molina and Honey. They’re idiots at the end of the day, but it’s been really fun to play."
Behind the scenes and more on Wolf
Wolf has been written and adapted by Megan Gallagher (Suspicion, Borderliner). The thriller is produced by Hartswood Films and APC Studios in association with Creative Wales for the BBC.
