Meet the cast of The Last Kingdom series two
The BBC drama is back with some old favourites – but who are the newcomers in the cast?
Back to brutal ninth-century England we go! In series two, Uhtred is beginning his voyage north to avenge the death of Earl Ragnar and to recapture his ancestral lands at Bebbanburg – but he becomes caught up in a rescue mission with an old enemy. Meanwhile, King Alfred is still on a mission to unite the kingdoms of England.
Expect more deaths, betrayals and ruthless political manoeuvring.
Meet the cast of series two of The Last Kingdom:
Alexander Dreymon as Uhtred of Bebbanburg
Alexander Dreymon stars as Uhtred, our conflicted protagonist. Born of Saxon nobility but raised a Dane when his father is defeated in battle, he turns out to be a natural warrior and leader. He is driven by an urgent need to reclaim his homeland in Bebbanburg, Northumbria, and is partly based on Uhtred the Bold, from the 11th century.
The actor himself has also starred in BBC2 special Christopher and His Kind alongside Doctor Who's Matt Smith, and in American Horror Story: Coven as Luke Ramsey.
Tobias Santelmann as Ragnar the Younger
Ragnar the Younger is the son of Earl Ragnar, the Danish warlord who adopted Uhtred after capturing him in battle as a boy and initially keeping him as a slave. Despite a sometimes combative relationship with his brother Uhtred, Ragnar can also be fiercely loyal and fair.
Tobias Santelmann is Norwegian-Scandinavian, with starring roles in Norway's Acquitted and The Heavy Water War. He's also been in Eyewitness, Rhesus and Leave Me Alone, and in the International Oscar-nominated film Kon-Tiki.
Emily Cox as Brida
Like Uhtred, Brida was also taken as a slave by Earl Ragnar. They later had a relationship, but Brida miscarried their child – and left alongside Ragnar the Younger. She is fierce, and unlike Uhtred she is completely opposed to Alfred – instead embracing her adopted Danish heritage.
Austrian actress Emily Cox recently played Claudia in Homeland, and has also been in TV series Jerks as well as long-running German drama Tatort.
Ian Hart as Beocca
Beocca is a Saxon priest who has seen Uhtred grow from boy to man, having initially re-baptised him after his name was changed from Osbert. He's a disciple of Alfred's cause who meets Uhtred again as an adult, and is still hopeful of curing his pagan beliefs.
If you expect Ian Hurt to start unwrapping a turban any second now, revealing at grotesque face on the back of his head, that's because he played the Voldermort-possessed Professor Quirrell in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. He's also been in Boardwalk Empire, The Bridge, No Surrender and The Hound of the Baskervilles.
