Love Rat cast: Who stars in the Channel 5 drama?
Sally Lindsay plays a woman who is thrust into a nightmare.
Channel 5 drama Love Rat has been described as a "horrific" tale by Sally Lindsay, who stars as a woman who believes she's found love again after her divorce, only to realise that her new man has manipulated her out of thousands of pounds.
"I think what was tough about this is she offers him money. He doesn't ask for it," said Lindsay. "It looks like they've just fallen for each other, it's completely believable. And it's only unbelievable when she analyses it afterwards.
"The way it's filmed, it's like a fantasy, really, like a Shirley Valentine fantasy. This fantastic thing has happened to her, this lovely man. But it's awful, the manipulation. It's horrific because it's one thing stealing your money, but stealing your heart is pretty unforgivable."
Read more:
- Love Rat trailer sees Sally Lindsay lured into fraudulent holiday romance
- Love Rat star teases "horrific, unforgivable" betrayal in Channel 5 drama
To find out who stars alongside Lindsay, read on.
Love Rat cast
- Sally Lindsay as Emma
- Neil Morrissey as Pete
- Gerald Kyd as Niko
- Ramon Tikaram as George
- Imogen King as Susie
- Louiza Patikas as Christina
- Joanna Kalafatis as Maria
- Camilla Roholm as Freja
- Rina Mahoney as Claire
For more information about the characters and where you've seen the actors before, read on.
Sally Lindsay plays Emma
Who is Emma? Newly divorced Emma heads to Cyprus to get away from it all, where she meets a hotel proprietor, who she falls in love with. But in a shocking turn of events, he cons her out of her life's savings.
"When I read the scripts, I was really engaged by the story and by the character," said Lindsay. "The script was so clever in the way Emma is emotionally manipulated into acting the way she does.
"She has a level of vulnerability because she'd been through this horrific divorce, and I didn’t see what was coming in the script. I found that fascinating, and it’s great for the audience."
Where have I seen Sally Lindsay? Most people will know her from Coronation Street, Channel 5 comedy crime series The Madame Blanc Mysteries, BBC sitcom Still Open All Hours, Channel 5 drama Cold Call, Sally Wainwright's Scott & Bailey and Sky's Mount Pleasant.
Neil Morrissey plays Pete
Who is Pete? Emma's ex-husband. "He was an intriguing character to play," said Morrissey. "He's been a good husband and dad, but he's not a very good businessman. He has expected Emma to throw good money after bad to save his multiple failed business ventures, even pinning those failures on her because she wouldn’t re-mortgage their home.
"Yet at the same time, he’s also the life and soul of the party and would be adored by many people."
Where have I seen Neil Morrissey before? His extensive CV includes Jed Mercurio's Line of Duty, ITV's The Good Karma Hospital, sitcom Men Behaving Badly and BBC drama Waterloo Road. He also used to voice Bob the Builder.
Gerald Kyd plays Niko
Who is Niko? A Greek man who owns several hotels. "He's a very charming man who draws Sally's character Emma into his world, where she falls deeply in love with him," said Kyd. "He gets her to a position where she is completely at his mercy, so to speak, and she might live to regret it.
"Initially, I suppose he plays into that old trope about the Mediterranean Lothario, but there's a lot more depth there."
Where have I seen Gerald Kyd before? He's best known for Casualty.
Ramon Tikaram plays George
Who is George? Niko's "partner in crime". "To start, I thought he was going to be a sleazy businessman who's a friend of another extremely sleazy man, but George has two edges to his character, which really appealed," said Tikaram.
Where have I seen Ramon Tikaram before? His CV includes Sky comedy Brassic, Batman spin-off Pennyworth, EastEnders and Sky sports drama Dream Team.
Imogen King plays Susie
Who is Susie? Emma and Pete's grown-up daughter. She's been "indulged by her parents and is quite spoiled", according to Lindsay. "Sophie has a baby and thinks she's the only person in the world who's ever had a child. She’s just been totally ruined by her mum and dad, who adore her."
Where have I seen Imogen King before? She's appeared in ITV crime drama The Bay, Channel 4 crime drama Suspect, ITV's Hotel Portofino and British thriller Clique.
Louiza Patikas plays Christina
Who is Christina? A detective, described as "world-weary but not unsympathetic".
Where have I seen Louiza Patikas before? She's best known for Coronation Street and radio drama The Archers.
Joanna Kalafatis plays Maria
Who is Maria? A hotel worker who is the "only person Emma knows who has definitely had contact with Niko".
Where have I seen Joanna Kalafatis before? This is her most mainstream role to date.
Additional cast includes:
- Camilla Roholm (The Gentlemen) as Freja
- Rina Mahoney (Mary & George) as Claire
Love Rat is on Channel 5 from Monday 11th – Thursday 14th March at 9pm. Also stream on My5. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
