Channel 4’s new comedy drama offering, Pure, revolves around Marnie – a young woman whose mind is crowded with intrusive and distressing sexual thoughts.

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Marnie has a form of obsessive compulsive disorder called pure O, and the series follows her as she endeavours to discover more about her condition and starts a new life in London. It's based on the real-life experiences of author Rose Cartwright.

The cast of Pure features a whole host of young talent, meet them all below…

Charly Clive plays Marnie

Charly Clive in Pure (C4)

Who is Marnie? A 24-year-old woman from a small Scottish town who suffers from pure O, a form of obsessive compulsive disorder which manifests itself in intrusive sexual thoughts. She moves to London to find herself – and once there meets a whole new gang of friends with their own set of challenges.

What else has Charly Clive starred in? Pure is Clive’s first on-screen role, and she was cast for the part when one of the show’s producers found her sketch duo Britney on Vimeo. After a tumour was found in Clive's brain in 2016, she and her best friend Ellen Robertson tried to cope with the news through comedy, which led to the creation of their play Britney. They named the tumour and the play after the pop star because, apparently, “if Britney can get through 2007, you can get through anything”. Clive is an English actress, despite adopting a Scottish accent for Pure.

Joe Cole plays Charlie

Joe Cole in Pure (C4)

Who is Charlie? Charlie is in recovery from a porn addiction. His love and work life have suffered and now he’s single and attending weekly Sex Addicts Anonymous meets, which is where he befriends Marnie.

What else has Joe Cole starred in? Cole is best known for his role as John Shelby in Peaky Blinders, and he has also appeared in the Black Mirror episode Hang the DJ. He won a British Independent Film Award for his part in A Prayer Before Dawn and is set to lead the cast of Sky Atlantic’s Gangs of London.

Kiran Sonia Sawar plays Shereen

Pure (C4)

Who is Shereen? Marnie’s old school friend Shereen is ecstatic to host her pal in her broom cupboard of a spare bedroom but although she appears very cheery, things may not be as smooth-sailing as they seem.

What else has Kiran Sonia Sawar starred in? Sawar’s TV career has included roles in Next of Kin, Deep State, Black Mirror’s Crocodile episode and Murdered By My Father. She received critical acclaim for the latter in which she played a British Asian Muslim teenage girl whose father murdered her in an honour killing.

Niamh Algar plays Amber

Pure (C4)

Who is Amber? A journalist and ladies-woman, Amber takes Marnie under her wing when she arrives in London.

What else has Niamh Algar starred in? You might have seen Algar as Tania in Channel 4’s The Bisexual. She is also set to appear in the forthcoming BBC drama MotherFatherSon alongside Richard Greer and Sarah Lancashire.

Anthony Welsh plays Joe

Pure (C4)

Who is Joe? He is Amber’s alluring housemate and colleague who Marnie begins a will-they-won’t-they sort of romance with.

What else has Anthony Welsh starred in? Welsh has appeared in the odd episode of Fleabag, Black Mirror and The Bill, but is set to be on our screens a lot more in the coming months. He has forthcoming roles in The Personal History of David Copperfield and The Trial of Christine Keeler.

Doon Makichan as Sarah

Doon Makichan as Sarah in Pure (C4)

Who is Sarah? She is Charlie's boss, and when he goes back to work they begin a sexual affair.

What else has Doon Makichan starred in? Makichan is famous for her appearances in British comedies Two Doors Down, Plebs and Smack the Pony, the latter of which she also co-wrote.

Jing Lusi plays Sef

Pure (C4 screenshot)

Who is Sef? A cold and unsmiling colleague of Amber’s.

What else has Jing Lusi starred in? Lusi is best known for playing Scrape in Zapped and Lily-Anne Lau in Stan Lee’s Lucky Man. She has also appeared in Scott & Bailey and Holby City. Lusi’s forthcoming roles include Amazon’s new sci-fi series The Feed and Gangs of London alongside her Pure co-star Joe Cole.

Tori Allen-Martin plays Libby

Pure (C4 screenshot)

Who is Libby? Amber’s hard-to-please and pretentious boss.

What else has Tori Allen-Martin starred in? Allen-Martin’s only previous screen role is Unforgotten in which she played Sandra Rayworth. She is next due to appear in London Kills alongside Hugo Speer.

Olive Gray plays Helen

Pure (C4 screenshot)

Who is Helen? Marnie’s best friend from home, Helen, is worried about her pal when she runs off to London.

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What else has Olive Gray starred in? Gray was most recently see in Netflix’s Sex Education, and has also starred in Save Me, Home from Home, EastEnders and as Alice in The Story of Tracey Beaker back in 2006.

Authors

Ellie HarrisonWriter, RadioTimes.com
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