Meet the cast of Broken
Jimmy McGovern's BBC drama focuses on a priest in a Northern community - meet the man in the robes and his parishoners
Jimmy McGovern, the man who gave us Cracker, The Accused, The Street and quite a few episodes of Brookside, brings new BBC1 drama Broken to our TV screens in 2017.
Set in a northern community, it tells the tale of Catholic priest Father Michael Kerrigan, and the people of his parish.
Who's starring in the new series? Find out more about all the actors and characters they play below.
Father Michael Kerrigan - Sean Bean
Father Michael is the local parish priest who's trying to find a place for the church in the modern world, help his parishioners, and battle the demons of his past - all at the same time
From Sharpe to Game of Thrones’ Eddard Stark, James Bond’s Alec Trevelyan to Lord of The Rings' Boromir, Sean Bean's back catalogue of roles (and screen deaths) is rather extensive. Most recently he's been managing to stay alive on screen though, in The Frankenstein Chronicles on ITV Encore. And he has previously worked with McGovern, playing teacher Tracie Tremarco in BBC drama Accused.
Bean shares the role of Michael with Brief Encounters star Fin Campbell (who plays Michael when he's 10) and Sam Rintoul (who plays the teenage Michael).
Christina Fitzsimmons – Anna Friel
Christina Fitsimmons is a woman on the edge who's determined to do right by her kids
Brookside fans will probably remember Friel best as Beth Jordache, but she also popped up in Coronation Street and Emmerdale back in the day. Friel's got quite the international TV and film CV, with roles in Pushing Daisies and Marcella to her name. She's also no stranger to a Jimmy McGovern drama, having popped up in series 3 of The Street in 2009.
Jean Read – Rochenda Sandall
Christina's boss Jean runs the local betting shop while struggling with her own secrets
Rochenda Sandall is a relative newcomer to TV screens but she's well able to hold her own among the big names. You may have previously spotted her working alongside Tom Hiddleston and Mark Gatiss in Coriolanus. She's also played a police officer or two on Coronation Street.
